This Valentine’s Day weekend, Wharton Center audiences will be treated to the final performance of The Best of Bernstein’s Broadway, a collaboration between singer/songwriter Morgan James and acclaimed conductor Teddy Abrams. The show, set for February 16th, will feature selections of Leonard Bernstein’s Broadway works in celebration of the 2018 centennial.
I spoke with Morgan James about the upcoming show, her experiences on Broadway, and her ambitious cover album projects.
Stefanie Pohl: In addition to appearing with Teddy Abrams in The Best of Bernstein’s Broadway, you are also touring this spring in support of your music projects. With your cover albums celebrating Joni Mitchell’s “Blue” and The Beatles’ “The White Album,” what role have these artists played in your life?
Morgan James: My husband and I have done a few of these full-album covers. We did D’Angelo’s “Black Messiah”, Joni’s “Blue,” Jeff Buckley’s “Grace,” and John Mayer’s “Continuum.” And when it came time to come up with another creative project, we wondered what we could do that would be really iconic and really ambitious. We came across the fact that it was going to be the 50th anniversary of “The White Album.” And it proved to be an incredibly ambitious and rewarding project. I grew up on Joni Mitchell, I grew up on The Beatles, and honoring these great artists that I admire is a real joy for me, and a great challenge.
Pohl: Speaking of the challenges, what would you say are the challenges of performing and recording covers?
James: I love singing songs that I write the most, but I couldn’t be a writer and a singer without all of the other people who came before me and wrote great songs. People I admire like Nina Simone and Aretha Franklin always peppered in their favorite songs of the day that they wanted to cover. It’s such a long tradition of interpreting songs that I admire. It’s challenging because I typically pick people that are really iconic, and/or have difficult music. Joni Mitchell’s music is not easy. And when we did The Beatles, we did all of the original keys. That makes it challenging, because they are male keys, so I had to figure out where I fit. But a great song never goes out of style, so that’s the beauty of that.
Pohl: You have also appeared on Broadway in shows like “Motown: The Musical” and “Godspell.” Do you have any thoughts on returning to Broadway again one day, and are there any dream roles you’d love to perform?
James: It’s not on the horizon anytime soon, just because I’m touring full-time. Obviously Broadway is beyond a full-time job. But if I were to go back, I would love to do something original. I would love to do something that was written for me. Or I would love to do something incredibly iconic, like one of the classic ingenues or leading ladies. I think it would be really fun to do something that would surprise my fans.
Pohl: What would you say is the difference between the rigors of touring and performing on Broadway?
James: Well, they’re both really tough. I think that the Broadway schedule and lifestyle really prepared me for a life of touring. There’s nothing harder than doing eight shows a week. It prepared me for my life now, where I might only have one day off a week. There’s no rest there, and those actors and dancers and singers work so incredibly hard. One of the differences that I enjoy is that I like it to be different every night. Even if I do the same set, I can change what I do. And I’m singing my own music, I’m choosing what I’m performing and I can call the shots. That creative freedom is really satisfying.
Pohl: You worked very hard to realize your dream of being accepted into The Juilliard School, and have found success in the music and theatre industries. Can you tell me about your perseverance as an artist?
James: I would definitely say that stubborn and perseverance are two of my top qualities. I don’t know if that’s good or bad. In the businesses that I’ve chosen to be a part of, it’s not a meritocracy. It’s a very difficult business to be in. In my experience, I have definitely had more rejection than I have had approval. So far, it always fuels me to get to the next rung of the ladder, or the next place on the map. It’s difficult to get used to, but I’ve been used to it for so many years. It took me 10 years to get on Broadway. I was rejected by every single record label in New York and L.A. until I was signed by one that rejected me in the first place. I was waitlisted at Juilliard. The list goes on and on with the roles that I have lost, but then the things that I got were meant for me. I think Einstein said something like, “it’s not that I’m smarter than anyone else. It’s that I stick with the problem longer.”
Pohl: What can audiences expect at the Wharton Center with The Best of Bernstein’s Broadway?
James: This is a really special show to me because Teddy is one of my best friends. And this is the last time that we’re going to be performing this program. We’ve been doing it for three years straight in-between other jobs and touring. It’s a project that is really close to my heart because I hand-picked every single one of these selections with Teddy. We are such Bernstein fanatics and aficionados. I think that we have a lot to say about it. I wanted audiences to hear things they already knew, and things they’ve never heard. I think my favorite is “Simple Song” from “Mass.” I think audiences will really come away with new favorites.
Pohl: When you’re on tour, do you have any must-haves on the road?
James: I travel with my husband and my Cavalier King Charles spaniels Luther and Eunice, so I’m very lucky. They are my must-haves. I have a steamer, and I always get lemon and honey and ginger in every dressing room. Those are the essentials for me.
Pohl: How do your dogs like touring?
James: They love it! Because they love being with humans. So as long as they’re with humans, they don’t care where we go.
Pohl: Looking ahead, are there any other cover albums that you’re itching to do?
James: The thing about covering an album in its entirety is that it has to be an album that is iconic front-to-back. It’s a lot of work to get inside an entire album. I think that I’m going to take time off of the covers for a minute. But there’s another D’Angelo album, “Voodoo,” that is celebrating an upcoming anniversary. There are lots of Joni albums if I was going to do that. I love Sting and Paul Simon. Maybe the right Aretha record.
Pohl: Well, if you do Paul’s “Graceland,” I would be delighted.
James: That’s one of my faves. They had a big anniversary for that one a couple of years ago, so I missed it. But you never know.
Don’t miss a wonderful night of music at the Wharton Center this weekend. The Best of Bernstein’s Broadway, featuring Morgan James and conductor Teddy Abrams, is Saturday, February 16. Click here for show and ticket information.