Arts Alive San Antonio

By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor

You recently appeared in “The Best of Woodlawn – Revue” at the Woodlawn Theater, a show that reopened that space for in-person performances. Tell us about that experience.
Oh, it was so great, so great! To be told for so long that you couldn’t even go inside a theater, it was like a dagger in the heart! It was so sad. So, to be back on stage was wonderful. We rehearsed with masks, special singer masks, that are OK until you start moving around. Then there’s that little oxygen deprivation. For the dress rehearsal we were told to remove masks while on stage.

The show was 42 songs that {artistic director Chris Rodriguez) picked from nine years of doing musicals. Every three minutes, you were on stage doing something different! It was delightful! And to have a live audience there makes all the difference. At one point, the lights went over the audience, and it felt so good to see people out there in the theater! (Laughs remembering that feeling of excitement). You get so much energy from the audience.

This past Saturday, I did a show at The Cave Without a Name, also a reopening after 15 months. I only had one rehearsal with the Rudi Harst’s band that I was appearing with, so, I was a little nervous. But as soon as that audience got in there it was like (she mimics a huge sigh of relief). Some 200 people showed up. I had a blast. The lights were turned off for 20 minutes at some point, and I got to sing a cappella in pitch black. It was quite an experience.

The Public Theatre has announced its 2021-22 season and it’s a season of musicals.  Are you going to audition for any of them?
Their season is man-heavy. Also, the casts are small. I don’t think there are roles for me in that lineup.

How do you define your voice and how do you keep it in good shape?
Alto/mezzo soprano but I can sing soprano parts, too. I have quite a large range. I used to practice regularly, but then COVID came around and my whole family was here at our house, it became uncomfortable for me to work at the piano with people sitting around me. But when the Woodlawn announced their revue show, I knew I would regret it if I didn’t go to audition. Since I was out of shape vocally, I had to work hard to get where I needed to be.

What are your favorite musical theater roles?
There are quite a few. I loved “Evita” where I played Eva Peron; I loved playing Judy Garland in “The End of the Rainbow.” I had to be talked into it, but I also loved Mame (from the eponymous musical) and Mrs. Lovett (from “Sweeney Todd”). Also, Maria Callas (in “Master Class”). Notice, several are real women, icons! I enjoyed learning about them; did research on them. But in the end, there’s a script and you have to play that role but you can bring your understanding of who the person was to the scripted character.

How did you develop your love of theater and performing?
Oh, gosh! I’ve always liked it. I was born in Italy, outside of Livorno, and when we were returning to the U.S. by ship, my mother told me how I enjoyed it when people on the ship applauded as I was toddling around, learning to walk. It just went on from there… I have always loved that audience response. In school, when the teacher said “We are going to do this play or read these parts,” I was always right there, the first to volunteer. Also, as a child, I had balance problems, so my mother always enrolled me in some kind of dance class.

Now that we are returning to normal life following the COVID-19 pandemic, what are you looking forward to?
Travel! Being together with my extended family and, of course, live theater.

We all have to do housework. Which tasks are you good at?
I am the chef; I am the cook! And I am the one who likes to keep everything tidy.

If you could live in another historical period, which one would appeal to you?
So many choices… Probably the early 20^th century. The ideas were changing so quickly, the world was changing, fashions were changing, women’s voices were emerging. I think it might have been exciting to live at that time.

What do you like best about San Antonio and what would you change if you had the power to do it?
Obviously I like it. I’ve been here for 30-plus years. I like the weather. If I was Pooh-bah, there would always be someone who makes sure that the roads are in good condition; we all travel on those roads. Like Lady Byrd Johnson, I would like all the roads and public places to be beautiful. And, I would make sure that people are not living on the streets.

What’s the best advice you have given to your daughters?
Get an education and stand up for yourself.

Do you like surprises and can you remember one that you really appreciated?
Of course I like surprises. Who doesn’t? When I was pregnant with Tessa (her first child), I came home from work one day, and Bruce (her husband) said, “You need to pack a bag. We are going to Santa Fe for the weekend.” That was a total surprise, and it was exciting despite the fact that I was having problems with my pregnancy and could not walk around that much.

Tell us about your grand, old house that is 100 years old.
When we first moved to San Antonio, we didn’t have a whole lot of money. We just wanted a little house to live and start a family in. A month or so later, we were driving to audition for the Master Singers, and Bruce pulls up at this intersection and stops the car, looking at a big, old house. He gets out of the car and points to the house: “It’s that house! It’s the house that we need!” And I was like, “Whose life are you living? Get back in the car.”

When this house came on the market, we didn’t look at it right away. I think it was on the market for four years because there were lots of problems inside. We eventually went to look at it, and it was one of those things – it was everything we wanted. It had not been messed up by people redoing the house and changing its character. It took a couple of months to decide whether we could actually buy it and we couldn’t have done it without the help of his family.

So, what do you enjoy most about living in this elegant old mansion?
Entertaining. I have to think of an appropriate way to celebrate the house’s 100^th anniversary. We’ll probably do a 1920s-inspired party.