Kate Baldwin: “The audience will float out of the theatre after seeing FINIAN’S RAINBOW”

Kate Baldwin has appeared on Broadway in THE FULL MONTY, THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE and WONDERFUL TOWN, as well as in Sondheim´s OPENING DOORS at Carnegie Hall. Her regional roles include SOUTH PACIFIC, HELLO, DOLLY!, THE PAJAMA GAME, MY FAIR LADY or WHITE CHRISTMAS, among others.

Kate Baldwin performed the role of Sharon McLonergan in the successful Encores! production of FINIAN´S RAINBOW last spring. Now, a complete staged version of this show written by Burton Lane and E. Y. Harburg will open at the St. James Theatre of Broadway next October. Baldwin will reprise the role of Sharon, next to her fellow actors Jim Norton as Finian McLonergan and Cheyenne Jackson as Woody Mahoney.

Also on October PS Classics will release her debut solo album entitled `Let´s See What Happens´, a tribute to the songs written by Lane and Harburg.

On this interview, Kate Baldwin talks about the new Broadway revival of FINIAN´S RAINBOW and about the making of her first album, while she remembers her experience in some of the musicals she has worked in.

YOU WERE ON THE ‘FINIAN´S RAINBOW’ CONCERT VERSION OF CITY CENTER ENCORES!, AND YOU WILL STAR AGAIN IN THE BROADWAY PRODUCTION THAT WILL OPEN NEXT OCTOBER. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE PART OF THIS SHOW?
The Broadway production will be a wonderful chance for this show to be seen by a wider audience. Our City Center run was limited to only five performances, but now everyone who missed it will be able to see it.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THIS MUSICAL? WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO PEOPLE TO CONVINCE THEM TO COME AND SEE THE SHOW?
It is simply beautiful. The songs have some of the best melodies ever written for the Broadway stage. We have a cast who are ideally suited to their roles. The sets and costumes provide a very romantic atmosphere. I think the audience will float out of the theatre after seeing FINIAN’S RAINBOW.

‘FINIAN´S RAINBOW’ HAD ITS BROADWAY PREMIERE IN 1947, AND HAS HAD THREE MAJOR BROADWAY REVIVALS (1955, 1960 AND 1967). WHY DO YOU THINK THIS SHOW CONTINUES TO APPEAL NOWADAYS AUDIENCES?
The show deals with several stories, each with a theme that resonates with modern American audiences. We have a story about two immigrants who find a new home in the United States, as well as a story about a racist man who learns the error of his ways. There is also a very interesting economic subplot which makes the show feel extremely timely.

HOW ARE GOING REHEARSALS FOR THE BROADWAY PRODUCTION? HOW IS THE WORK WITH DIRECTOR WARREN CARLYLE, WHO ALREADY DIRECTED THE ENCORES! VERSION?
Rehearsals are fun. It’s lovely to have the cast assembled and eager to work anew on this project. I think Warren is the most eager. He is full of positivity, excitement and new ideas. His energy in infectious.

CHEYENNE JACKSON AND JIM NORTON WILL ALSO REPRISE THEIR ROLE FOR THE NEW BROADWAY PRODUCTION. COULD YOU COMMENT ON YOUR FELLOW ACTORS? HOW IT IS WORKING WITH THEM ON STAGE?
Cheyenne and Jim are two of the most easy going men I’ve ever meet. Jim has an extensive theatre history which makes him a person I trust and value. I’m always asking his opinion on how to approach the scenes, especially when it comes to my Irish accent. Cheyenne is everything a leading man should be. He has a natural honesty and openness that is appealing to audiences and colleagues alike. And he can pick me up with one arm. I do appreciate that.

‘FINIAN´S RAINBOW’ HAS A SCORE WRITTEN BY BURTON LANE AND E.Y. HARBURG. PRECISELY, YOUR DEBUT ALBUM IS A TRIBUTE TO THIS TEAM, WITH SONGS THEY WROTE TOGETHER OR WITH OTHER ARTISTS. WHAT DO YOU LIKE THE MOST ABOUT THEIR SONGS?
Burton Lane is a sweet melodist. Yip Harburg is a sharp lyricist. Their work compliments each other’s beautifully and I think listeners will be delighted and surprised by how much they will like all these songs—familiar and new.

Kate Baldwin and Cheyenne Jackson in FINIAN´S RAINBOW

WHAT PEOPLE WILL FIND ON ‘LET´S SEE WHAT HAPPENS’? HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE ALBUM?
The songs are a mix of the romantically witty and the cleverly sweet. They represent the best of what each author has to give. In addition, I’ve invited my friends to orchestrate and arrange the tunes in a way that will make them feel fresh and new. Hopefully, listeners will have a deeper appreciation for these two masters as a result.

WAS IT DIFFICULT TO CHOOSE THE FIFTEEN SONGS THAT ARE IN `LET´S SEE WHAT HAPPENS´? WHAT PROCESS DID YOU FOLLOW TO DO IT?
I started with a list of about forty songs. I chose the seven I loved the best, which included ballads and uptempos, and recorded them first. Then my music director, Rob Berman, and my producer, Tommy Krasker, and I listened to what we had. We chose the final eight songs with the idea that they should balance out the previous seven, so variety was important to us. We also wanted to give both Lane and Harburg equal airtime and I think we did just that.

‘LET´S SEE WHAT HAPPENS’ HAS MUSIC DIRECTION BY ROB BERMAN. WHAT WOULD YOU STAND OUT FROM HIS WORK IN YOUR ALBUM?
Rob is genius. His arrangement of “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?” is one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard. I feel so lucky to have his guidance and impeccable taste to rely on.

JONATHAN TUNICK FEATURES A SPECIAL APPEARANCE ON YOUR ALBUM, AND HE HAS ALSO DONE SOME OF THE ORCHESTRATIONS. HOW HAS BEEN THIS COLLABORATION?
I met Jonathan four years ago, but had admired his work a long time before that. He was looking for an opportunity to record his big band, The Broadway Moonlighters. I had seen them perform at Birdland and thought they were outstanding. And what girl doesn’t want to sing with a big band?

YOU HAVE APPEARED ON BROADWAY IN ‘THE FULL MONTY’, ‘THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE’ AND ‘WONDERFUL TOWN’. COULD YOU COMMENT ON THESE WORKS?
THE FULL MONTY is one of the best shows written for the Broadway stage in the last ten years. I think David Yazbeck, Terrence McNally, Jack O’Brien and Jerry Mitchell are some of the most talented creators working in musical theatre today.
THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2002 and I’ll never forget that night. We stood on the stage at Radio City Music Hall and hugged each other and celebrated what was a pinnacle moment for all of us who had worked so hard.
WONDERFUL TOWN was an absolute blast. The show and the production were both a valentine to New York and I loved performing it every night and was truly sad to see it end. It was the kind of show I could do forever.

OTHER OF YOUR REGIONAL ROLES INCLUDE ‘WHITE CHRISTMAS’, ‘SOUTH PACIFIC’, ‘MY FAIR LADY’, ‘A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC’ OR ‘THE PAJAMA GAME’, AMONG MANY OTHERS.DO YOU KEEP SPECIAL GOOD MEMORIES OF ANY OF THE SHOWS YOU´VE BEEN IN?
The months I did SOUTH PACIFIC were formative ones for me. I learned how to trust myself onstage in a way I never had before due to the guidance of our director, Molly Smith. She taught me how to be a leading lady and because of her support, I grew in countless ways. That experience is what gave me the confidence for all the work that is to come.

Kate Baldwin in SOUTH PACIFIC