|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
In-Depth with
Tony-nominated
actress/singer A veritable theatre veteran, she has created and performed numerous roles on Broadway, including Signora Naccarelli and Margaret Johnson in The Light in the Piazza for Lincoln Center, and Rosa Bud in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, winning the Clarence Derwent Award, and a Tony and Drama Desk nomination. She was also Mary Jane Wilkes in Big River, receiving a Theatre World Award and a Drama Desk nomination. One of her many notable roles was Christine Daaé in the original Broadway cast of The Phantom of the Opera (Broadway’s longest-running musical), followed by the show’s Canadian national tour. She recalled, “I finally got to sing for [Sir] Andrew [Lloyd Webber] after ten months. I just remember after the audition, I went back to my friend’s apartment where I was staying, and the phone rang, and it had the little monkey in Phantom that has a little music box. And somebody – to this day I do not know who that was – played that [music box tune] and then they had hung up. It was about five minutes later that my agent at the time called and said, ‘Well, you got the role; we’re thrilled.’”
Ms. Cohenour has also been privileged to portray the Mother Abbess in the revival of The Sound of Music, receiving a 2012 Jeff Award nomination for reprising the role at Chicago’s Drury Lane Theatre. Her concert performances have been conducted by such luminaries as Rob Fisher, Peter Nero, Paul Gemignani, the late Marvin Hamlisch, and John Dankworth, and she had the honor of performing the world premiere of Imants Kalnins’ “Rock Symphony No. 4” with the Detroit Symphony and the Leipaja Symphony in Latvia. While rehearsing for Loving the Silent Tears, the productive artist has been preparing to direct workshop performances of a new musical she co-wrote entitled I Will Wait For You, among other projects. When it comes to music, Ms. Cohenour said, “I love original work. I love all of the old music, but to have new original works, to me is most exciting. Like the music in Loving the Silent Tears. It’s some extraordinary music in there, it’s just very touching.” As Ms. Cohenour shared during an interview for the entertainment blog Richard Skipper Celebrates, her role in Loving the Silent Tears is to connect all the poetry of Supreme Master Ching Hai, which are the lyrics for every musical number. This is done through her portrayal of Joy, an aloof middle-aged woman who has lost her faith in God since the long-ago loss of her beloved son. Clinging now to her diary of her past, Joy finds herself going on the train ride of her life. She is joined by the jovial train Conductor (played by Junior Case) and a young man named Pete (played by Luke Eberl), with whom she doesn’t in fact get along. Ms. Cohenour explained, “So this train goes all over the world, and we're deeply influenced by the poetry of Supreme Master. And by that influence we find inner enlightenment by seeing how the rest of the world is finding their enlightenment. It's pretty special.” After an exhilarating journey with ups and downs, Joy lets go of her inner resistance and finds her way out of despair to be connected with the Divine once again.
At this point, Ms. Cohenour is joined by the vegan Aulacese pop star Hồ Quỳnh Hương in singing the lyrical song, “Enlightenment,” with music by 2-time Grammy winner and Oscar nominee Henry Krieger. Ms. Cohenour spoke fondly of her duet partner, Hồ Quỳnh Hương, saying, “She’s an angel. Such beauty inside and out! And I understand she is a huge star in Âu Lạc. I can’t speak Aulacese but there is an extraordinary understanding between us, a camaraderie. It’s pretty magical.”
Patti Cohenour has a keen appreciation of poetry. With a sister who is a poet, Ms. Cohenour has released the solo recording, To an Isle in the Water: The Poetry of William Butler Yeats, which was produced by 12-time Grammy winner Thomas Z. Shepard. Ms. Cohenour said that Supreme Master Ching Hai’s poems have touched her very much: “Again, it's the original works. Poetry is such a personal expression, and she's a remarkable poet. Obviously an inner light. I would've enjoyed meeting her! Obviously, God blessed her deeply that she could reach so many people throughout the world. I just hope [the people] enjoy the music and the poetry, that it somehow touches their hearts as it has touched mine.”
Reflecting on her experience with the Loving the Silent Tears production, Ms. Cohenour has expressed, “As an actor, when opportunities [come] like this, you take it and you ride the ride. So I'm on my own little magical mystery tour. It's pretty cool. And I've met extraordinary people and so kind.” She would later note in her blog, “I ate vegan all month and found the food very good.” On show day at the red carpet, a radiant Ms. Cohenour shared about her remarkable theatrical journey. “I’m going to miss it… I’m going
to miss everyone. It’s been quite an experience and a blessing.”
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SPECIAL
REPORT
