Betty Buckley: “I am very fortunate to have “Memory” as my signature song”

Next year Betty Buckley will celebrate 40 years of career on Broadway, for her debut was in 1969 performing the role of Martha Jeferson in Shermand Edwards and Peter Stone´s musical 1776. She has been named "The Voice of Broadway" by the American press. Winner of a Tony Award for her performance of Grizabella in CATS, she has also starred in musicals like SONG AND DANCE, CARRIE, TRIUMPH OF LOVE or Andrew Lloyd Webber´s SUNSET BOULEVARD, where she performed the role of Norma Desmond both in London and New York.

Buckley has also recorded 13 solo albums, "Quintessence” is the latest one. Currently, she offers concerts accross the country with a repertoire intimate and personal. Betty Buckley talks about some of the most important moments on her career and explains her points of views about her music and her profession.

FOR MANY PEOPLE NOWADAYS YOU ARE AN INSPIRATION AND A MODEL TO LOOK UP TO. WHO WERE YOUR REFERENCES WHEN YOU BEGAN YOUR CAREER, THE PERFORMERS OR SINGERS THAT INFLUENCED YOU?
The director Bob Fosse (the first show I saw as child was the original Bob Fosse production “The Pajama Game” ), the singers Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald, Nancy Wilson and Judy Garland and years later Joni Mitchell, Led Zepplin and Jefferson Airplane.

YOU MADE YOUR BROADWAY DEBUT WITH 1776, WHEN YOU HAD JUST ARRIVED TO NEW YORK. WHAT THIS SHOW MEANT TO YOU?
It was incredible, it was my Broadway debut.  I was 21 years old and cast in the show my first day in New York City.

ONE OF YOUR CHILDHOOD IDOLS IS BOB FOSSE. YOU HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH HIM ON THE MUSICAL HIT PIPPIN, WHERE YOU PLAYED THE ROLE OF CATHERINE. HOW WAS THE EXPERIENCE? WAS IT A DREAM COME TRUE?
Yes it was a dream come true.  He was an amazing guy and I was very, very fortunate to get to work with him.

ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS SONGS FROM A MUSICAL IS ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER´S "MEMORY". HOW DOES IT FEEL TO HAVE BEEN THE ORIGINAL (AND TONY AWARDED) BROADWAY´S GRIZABELLA IN CATS?  IS IT POSSIBLE TO PERFORM THIS SONG NOWADAYS AND STILL BRING SOMETHING NEW TO IT?
I am very fortunate to have MEMORY as my signature song.  I am lucky to even have a signature song.  The lyrics of MEMORY were written by the brilliant director of CATS, Trevor Nunn.  This song is very universal, it is beloved by young persons and older.  I’ve never once grown tired of the song.  The character Grizabella, is a dear friend, soul mate who continues to reveal beautiful insights about life to me when I visit her through her song.

YOU WERE NORMA DESMOND IN SUNSET BOULEVARD, A ROLE ALSO PERFORMED BY ACTRESSES LIKE GLENN CLOSE, PATTY LUPONE, ELAINE PAGE OR GLORIA SWANSON IN THE ORIGINAL MOVIE. WHAT DO YOU THINK WAS YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO THE CHARACTER?
I think I brought a very human interpretation to the role of Norma.  I played her from the point of view of “there but for the grace of God go I.”  It was my opportunity to paint a portrait of an iconic character in an essential way that connected her to the audience’s immediate expererience.

YOU HAVE WORKED IN BOTH LONDON´S WEST END AND IN NEW YORK´S BROADWAY, EVEN STARRING IN TWO PRODUCTIONS OF THE SAME SHOW (SUNSET BOULEVARD). WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ONE PLACE AND THE OTHER? IS THE AUDIENCE DIFFERENT?
There is nothing like a New York Broadway audience.  And the British audience was extremely generous as well.  There is an essential cultural difference in our senses of humor.  Laughs occurred in different places in New York and in London.

DO YOU THINK THAT BROADWAY AND MUSICAL THEATRE HAS CHANGED A LOT THROUGH ALL THE YEARS YOU’VE BEEN PART OF IT?
I think it has evolved and continues to evolve.  I love anything by Stephen Sondheim and I love the work of Adam Guettel.  I love new and innovative musicals.

You have achieved a wonderful career in musical theatre, but your credits also include tv (from "Eight Is Enough" to "Oz" or "Law and Order") and cinema (from "Tender Mercies" to "The Happening"). Do you consider yourself as an actress who also has a musical career, or as a musical performer who also plays non singing roles?
I think of myself as a storyteller.  Whether the form is in film, television, theater or the musical theater.

YOU ALSO GIVE A LOT OF SCENE STUDY AND SONG INTERPRETATION CLASSES. WHAT KIND OF ADVICES YOU GIVE TO PEOPLE ATTENDING THOSE CLASSES?
I teach people how to meditate to learn to focus their minds in a one pointed way.  I also teach a universal spiritual philosophy as the foundation for making essential human choices to communicate their songs and stories.

IN YOUR CONCERTS AND RECORDINGS, YOU SING MASTERPIECES FROM COMPOSERS LIKE STEPHEN SONDHEIM, LLOYD WEBBER OR RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN, BUT YOU ALSO PERFORM THE WORK OF NEW COMPOSERS LIKE JASON ROBERT BROWN OR RICKY IAN GORDON. HOW DO YOU SELECT THE SONGS FOR YOUR CONCERTS AND RECORDINGS?
I look for songs that have an immediate resonance in my own life.  If it strikes me as something I know about then it’s a candidate for a possible arrangement.  I love songs with very visual lyrics, beautiful music and beautfiul language.  And I love good story songs with a beginning, middle and an end.  They are hard to find.

THIS YEAR YOU HAVE RELEASED QUINTESSENCE, WITH MUSICAL DIRECTOR KENNY WERNER. CAN YOU COMMENT ON YOUR PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH WERNER, WHO HAS BEEN A LONG TIME COLLABORATOR OF YOURS AND WHO HAS MADE SOME BEAUTIFUL ARRANGEMENTS FOR MANY OF YOUR RECORDINGS?
My relationship with Kenny Werner is the longest retlationship, professional or personal, that I have ever had, excluding my family of origin.  There is no greater joy to me than to stand on a stage and sing songs in the environment of our music.  I have been very blessed by our collaboration all these years.  I think QUINTESSENCE is our finest studio album to date.

LAST WEEK OF SEPTEMBER YOU OFFERED SEVERAL CONCERTS AT THE JAZZ CLUB BIRDLAND IN NEW YORK WITH YOUR JAZZ QUARTET. ARE THESE CONCERTS VERY DIFFERENT FROM YOUR “USUAL” CONCERTS? DO YOU PREFER ANY SPECIFIC KIND OF CONCERTS –BIG THEATRES, SMALL CLUBS...- OR DO YOU ENJOY THEM ALL THE SAME?
Our concerts at Birdland titled “The Music @ Birdland” did not include any Broadway show tunes.  I have very eclectic taste in music and our song selections come from all different categories of music.  I love working with my ensemble with the freedom to choose the songs I want to sing.  I love working in beautiful concert halls and jazz rooms with rich histories of musicianship.

DO YOU HAVE ANY PROJECTS TO PERFORM ON A MUSICAL SHOW?
From February 10 – March 7, 2009, I will be doing a 4 week engagement of a new show “Broadway: By Request” with the pianist, comedian Seth Rudetsky.  The show is directed by Richard Jay Alexander.  We recently presented the show in Dallas in July for three sold out concerts.  We are very excited to present the show in New York City.  It includes some of the great songs I have been privileged to sing on Broadway with the stories behind the songs.  It is a very fun show.

Betty Buckley as Grizabella in CATS