Untitled - Marche Bacchus

cumin
POWER LUNCH
WITH MUSICAL MAESTROS KEITH THOMPSON AND PHI
by leslie frisbee. photos bysabin c
In a city where entertainers are a dime a dozen, and shows open and close faster than a Penn & Teller sleight-of-hand,
15 minutes of fame seems more a rite of passage than a cliche.
However, there are those rare few, whose star is destined to shine, even in the middle of rural Mississippi, thousands of
miles from the glitz and glam and where the only neon light belongs to the local Motel 6. This is precisely the case for
musical maestros Keith Thompson and Philip Fortenberry.
While their names may not be instandy recognizable, collectively, their professional credits include some of the most
world-renowned musical dieater productions on Broadway and the Las Vegas Strip.
During the past 25 years, the William Carey University graduates have performed in such shows as Jesus Christ Superstar,
We Will Rock You, Mamma Mia!, Hairspray, The Producers, Saturday Night Fever and Jersey Boys.
I recendy caught up with the dynamic duo at power lunch spot Marche Bacchus in Summerlin.
Before sitting down to a gourmet lunch prepared by Executive Chef Dave Middleton, Bacchus' owner, Rhonda Wyatt,
assisted Thompson and Fortenberry in selecting a Tavel rose—the perfect complement to the stunning lakeside setting.
On the menu: torchon of foie gras, roasted beet salad, seared sea scallops and crab cakes
Why is Marche Bacchus your favorite power
lunch spot?
KT: It's about being out on the water, where I don't feel
like I'm in Las Vegas. When we found this place, we were
instantly enamored; it tends to inspire you—feelings,
emotions and creativity.
PF: It's an oasis. When I leave here, I feel like I've been
somewhere. It's the antitiiesis of what you drink of when
you think Vegas.
You both have worked together and collaborated on
several projects: Hairspray, We Will Rock You, Jersey
Boys etc. Is there one project that stands out more
than the others?
KT: I would have to say We Will Rack You. I had been offered Mama Mia! here in Vegas a year and a half before
and I turned it down. However, when the opportunity to
work with Queen came around ... I just couldn't pass it
up. The music, band and musicians are some of the best
I've ever worked with. It was, for me, my favorite musical
and theatrical experience.
PF: I had come from working on nine shows on Broad-'
way, prior to We Will Rock You ... playing music in the
style of [Queen] is one thing, but being spoon feed music
by Queen's Brian May is the real deal. GodUves in Glass is
also a performers dream.
I had the great fortune to see God Lives in Glass and
•was very moved by the production. Tell me how that
came about.
KT: I was working at New York University in 2002 when
the director I was working with introduced me to Robert
Landy, who wrote the book God Lives in Glass. He suggested we do a musical version of it. And having just
come out of 9/11, it seemed like such a great way of
bridging the gap of the cultural division that was going
on at die time. The experience of writing that was unlike
any other experience I've had.
PF: As a pianist, it's incredibly significant to have a composer write a piece knowing the hands that will ultimately
play it were the inspiration for the material ... there's
nothing quite like that experience.
Composer's Showcase is such a treat for both entertainers and locals. Tell me how that came about and
how the community has received it?
KT: Michael Brennan, who was the conductor of Mamma
Mia!, and I are both writers. We thought it would be interesting if we had a night where we did a showcase that
just featured original music. So, we got four composers
and began doing it every month. We found a home at
the liberace Museum ... at the time, no one knew about
us. Now it's gone from this tiny idea at this litde gay
cabaret on the Fruit Loop to the Jazz Cabaret at The
Smith Center.
DIAMOND:
:
CUISINE
PF: The thing about entertainers is, we have to do this;
we have to find an outlet. The locals know we're going to
create something to feed our artistic self. So, it's the local
people who've seen everything on the Strip who look for
us. And many of those same people, who now come to
the Jazz Cabaret, would show up an hour early to Liberace Museum just to make sure they could get a table.
Phillip, I understand that you play Michael Douglas'
fingers in Behind the Candelabra. What was that experience like?
PF: I'm the piano double. Initially, they were looking for
a hand double—someone whose hands looked like Michael Douglas'. Then they wanted to make sure I could
play. It was really intense. I not only had to learn Liberace's mannerisms, I had to learn his entire repertoire.
You are both part of Jersey Boys, which, undoubtedly, is one of the best productions in Las Vegas.
Tell me what it's like to be part of that production.
KT: I went after this job. I heard they were coming, so
I contacted them and I was told there wasn't a job for
me. So I flew myself out to New York, went through
the training. After doing that, they let me conduct it on
Broadway as my audition, and I go the job. It's very exciting to have a great job in a great show. It's a wonderful
script and so beautifully directed. And the music is the
music I grew up with
PF: Las Vegas and Broadway are all about who you know.
Keith had gotten the job, and I guess he told them he
would like me as his associate ... and it was just a given.
It's wonderful to be part of something so great.
What was the first professional musical production
you saw and where was it?
KT: A Chorus Line. It's about dancing, but it's a remarkable piece of music. So, when I was in college, [A Chorus
Line] was brand new and everyone was listening to it ...
then I got to go to New York and see it. I was hooked.
PF: The show that affected me most deeply was Sideshow.
The opening number is called Come Look at the Freaks. I
was 4 years old when I realized I was gifted to play the
piano—like I play now. People would come from all over
to see me play, so I always felt like a sideshow attraction.
If you weren't in the entertainment business what
would you be doing?
KT: Wine. When I was doing Hairspray, they closed us
with one-week notice. So, I found a course starting the
day after Hairspray closed, and 10 months later, I was a
sommelier.
PF: I would love to work for CarMax
think I would make a great salesman.
I love cars. I
If you could have power lunch -with one person living or dead, who would it be?
KT: I would probably choose Karen MacNeil, who wrote
The Wine Bible; it's my favorite wine reference book.
PF: Liberace, mainly because I would love to gain access
to that business savvy and marketing expertise that made
him an icon. ^
30
NOVEMBER 2012
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