YVONNE ELLIMAN TOPBILLS 'LOVE ROCKS' W/ DAN HILL AT THE DOME FEB 11
[PHOTO - On Feb. 11, Elliman will topbill the pre-Valentine concert Love Rocks at the Araneta Coliseum with Stephen Bishop and Dan Hill.]
MANILA, FEBRUARY 2, 2011 (STAR) FUNFARE By Ricardo F. Lo - Yvonne Elliman: She will still rock you!
She will forever be Mary Magdalene, the landmark role she plays in Jesus Christ Superstar (1967), the classic Tim Rice/Andrew Lloyd Webber rock musical that took Broadway by storm and later made into a movie directed by Norman Jewison. Baby boomers remember Yvonne Elliman for the song I Don't Know How To Love Him which she sings to a Christ (played by Ted Neeley) in sweet slumber prior to his betrayal by Judas (played by Carl Anderson). Other singers have done that song but never with the same infectious emotion that Yvonne does.
Yvonne has other hits to her name (I Can't Get You Out Of My Mind, If I Can't Have You among them) but not all of them are performed with the same impact as her "signature" song.
On Feb. 11, she will join Stephen Bishop (It Might Be You, Separate Lives, One and One, etc.) and Dan Hill (Can't We Try, In Your Eyes and Sometimes When We Touch which he sang with Manny Pacquiao in a US TV show before Pacquiao's bout with Antonio Margarito late last year) at the Love Rocks concert at the Araneta Coliseum, together with WT Greer as special guest and J. Michaels Band as featured performer.
Funfare did an exclusive phone interview with Yvonne. For effect, I played a DVD copy of Jesus Christ Superstar and turned the volume louder when the scene came in which Yvonne is singing, yes, I Don't Know How To Love Him. It was a fitting way to kick off our interview.
When you watch Jesus Christ Superstar now, what do you feel? What memories does it bring back?
"It brings me nothing but beautiful memories. It was a great team to work with. I was just a beginner; I had no idea what I was doing. Norman was so wonderful in directing me, he was gentle about it because he knew that I was an amateur. I remember doing the scene with Philip Toubus who plays Peter and I was signing Could We Start Again Please. We were in the middle of the desert and the crew was so far away that we could hardly see them. I was making huge gestures and Norman shouted 'Cut! Cut!' and started walking toward me and it took him forever because it was such a long way. And he said, 'It's an amazing number!' We shot the movie in Israel. There were a lot of strange happenings during the shoot."
Really? Like what?
"Well, when we did the crucifixion scene, it was a beautiful, sunny day. But the moment Ted delivered his line, 'Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit!,' dark clouds rolled in. It began to rain. We all turned mute; nobody could say a word because it gave us such a heavy feeling. One more thing. The still photographer drove his Jaguar to the Dead Sea; all the films were inside the trunk. And there was a flash flood and his car went into the Dead Sea."
When you said you were an amateur, what exactly did you mean?
"I wasn't an amateur as far as doing the role of Mary Magdalene was concerned because I had done it on Broadway. I opened the musical on Broadway. I just didn't know anything about acting, that's why I said I was an amateur. I didn't know the acting tricks. At that time, I also did an episode for Hawaii Five-O. I mean, the original show."
What were you doing before Superstar? Were you in school?
"No. Me and school didn't get along." (Laughs and laughs) "I did well in Art and Dancing, anything about music and art, but not in other subjects. I liked Science but not Math. I was asking myself, 'Should I be a waitress or a singer?' Well, I didn't end up a waitress, as you know."
It has been more than four decades since Superstar was shown but people still associate you with it. Do you mind?
"Oh, I don't mind it at all. Mary Magdalene is a fine figure. I love that role. You know, when I was offered the role I was singing at a club in London. The main act didn't show up so I pitched in for her. The owner of the club said, 'Just go on, Yvonne. Sing every song that you know.' I was about 17. So I sang every song that I knew --- Where Have All The Flowers Gone?, The Look of Love, whatever. After my act, this crazy-looking man with weird-looking hairdo came running after me and he said, 'You are my Mary Magdalene!' I didn't know who he was and I said, 'Mary who?' I thought he was talking about Mother Mary because she's the only Mary I knew. I had a very mixed upbringing as far as religion was concerned. My father, a Caucasian, is Christian; and my mother, a Japanese, is Buddhist."
So who was that man?
"Andrew Lloyd Webber. He took me to his flat and he asked me to sing I Don't Know How To Love Him which is a very beautiful song. I thought, 'How strange that a mother would be singing it to her son'."
It was so moving…the way you sing it.
"Thank you. It was one take. Just like that. I began loving the things associated with Mary Magdalene, more than just the song. I was lucky to be chosen. The role set me off on my career."
Mother Mary is not portrayed in the movie. I don't know why.
"I also don't know exactly why. All I know is that the story is told from Judas' point of view. They wanted people to see that Jesus was a man, too, besides a heavenly Father."
Are you in touch with the other members of the cast?
"Yes, I am. In fact, I did a show called One Night Only with Ted in L.A. It was great! Harrison Ford and Janet Jackson were in the audience. Of course, I sang I Don't Know How To Love Him. You know, when I'm singing the part I feel as if time hasn't gone by at all. It came so easy. My daughter was seeing it for the first time and she said, 'Wow, Mom, I didn't know that you could do that!'"
After Superstar, you performed for Eric Clapton as a guitarist and background vocalist for five years. How was the experience?
"Four and a half years, actually, and seven albums. You know, playing the guitar is where my heart is. I'd been wanting to go to London and be the first kick-ass star guitar player. It didn't turn out that way. But I just love rock…classic rock…and when Eric asked me to join his band, I felt so high that I couldn't say anything for a minute…" (Adding with a laugh) "It was great! I learned how to drink alcohol, which was contradictory to my Mary Magdalene image. We were forever on the road and it was crazy. Eric was a journeyman and I wanted to keep up with him and I didn't know what to do. So I started to drink, I tell you! But I had a great time with Eric."
You've performed with other artists, including Neil Sedaka, Robin and Maurice Gibb, and Stephen Bishop who's performing with you and Dan Hill in your concert in Manila…
"Stephen is an old friend of mine. You know, when I was on the road with Eric, he got hold of Stephen's Careless album and he played it over and over and over again on the bus, he was just crazy about it, and that's how we got to know Stephen. When Eric invited Stephen over, and that's how I met Stephen personally. Stephen lives in L.A. and I live in L.A. so we became good pals. We go to each other's house and we party together. Stephen is just a lovely guy. I heard he's been to Manila a few times."
You've been in Manila several years ago, right? I think it was for a party hosted by then First Lady Imelda Marcos.
"I remember only snippets of it. That was in 1978. I remember being taken to a place where there was a party for her daughter and teaching Bongbong how to play the guitar."
I wonder, do you have Filipino blood?
"No, I don't."
But you look very Filipino.
"You know, that's what everybody says. It's the East-West thing, I guess. I was born and raised in Hawaii where I have performed with some Filipino musicians. There are a lot of Filipino musicians in Hawaii. You've heard about the Kalapana and SOS (Society Of Seven)? The members are Filipino."
What have you been doing lately?
"You know, I haven't sung for 20 years. I was in a marriage and my husband didn't want me to sing. He was afraid that showbiz would take me away from him. He was paranoid. I didn't sing professionally; I sang only in church because that's the only singing he allowed me to do. I was kind of dying inside. There was a part of me that wanted to sing so badly. Then, I was offered to record a song in Hawaii. I grabbed the offer and left my husband with no intention of going back. Well, to make a long, long story short, I am back where I love to be, and I have a boyfriend now who used to be just my friend."
How many children do you have?
"I have two. My daughter, Sage, is a good singer. She's so phenomenal, very pretty. She's studying to be a nurse. My son, Ben, is an excellent chef."
During your concert on Feb. 11, please promise to sing I Don't Know How To Love Him.
"Yes, of course, I will."
(Note: Love Rocks is sponsored by etc, 2nd Avenue, Diva Universal, Jack TV, basketball TV and Solar Sports. It is also supported by Holiday Inn Galleria Manila, Manila Bulletin, BusinessWorld, RJ 100.3 FM and Easy Rock 96.3. Ticket prices are P4,500, P4,000, P3,500, P2,500, P1,500 and P500 [plus Ticketnet charges], available at all Ticketnet outlets and at the Araneta Coliseum box office. Call 911-5555.)
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Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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