Give My Regards...Philip Fortenberry

Several years ago I was visiting the Liberace Museum along my sister and as we were approaching the end of our visit we were told that it would be closing soon, for good.  One of the last performances of a one man show at this location was about to begin.  As we entered the museum's cabaret theater I noticed one of Liberace's pianos onstage. A man then sat down at it and played some of Liberace's songs with amazing talent and grace. After that he did something I'll always remember. He said, "I'm going to look around the room at each and every one of you for a few moments and play what sound I feel when I do." He then proceeded to do just that, looking at each person for a few moments and one by one played a melody; some soft and slow, others strong and more up-tempo but all a bit different and incredibly beautiful.  That was the first time I ever met Philip Fortenberry.

Recently my sister and I repeated the experience of seeing Philip perform a one man show, this time at Myron's Cabaret Jazz. Philip's one night only show, "Give My Regards," was a salute to the music of Broadway and musical theatre. It was also a story about how that music played a part in his life and career. He shared some of those stories with the audience.

Philip Fortenberry "Give My Regards"...Photo Credit Myron Martin

"As a pianist in New York City for many years, and now Las Vegas since 2004, I've been playing the music of Broadway and musical theatre for much of my life. The music in this concert is reflective of my career, and because I have played many of the shows represented, this music is very personal to me. Indeed, I was the original pianist for several of these shows and the first musician to play some of this music. This is respectfully, my own salute to Broadway."  - Philip Fortenberry

After his opening song Philip told the audience he was born and raised in rural Mississippi. He said at the age of four he was outside by himself and suddenly felt this overwhelming urge to go inside and play the piano. He had never played before, and knew nothing about it. They had a piano but nobody ever played it. He sat down at it and performed two entire songs. The housekeeper immediately contacted his parents at work and said to come home quick, Philip was playing the piano! That discovery of his gift was the seed that planted his career. Following that experience he took lessons from his aunt, who happened to be one of only two piano teachers in town.

After he graduated from college the first musical he worked on was in Mississippi with Patti Lupone and Kevin Kline. Philip followed that performing in the production "Forbidden Broadway," a spoof of Broadway shows which required constant updates to stay relevant and humorous.

His next show he was thrilled to be involved in because it was in New York City and a real Broadway show. It was called "Cleavage," but unfortunately as sometimes happens on The Great White Way, it had a very short run, to say the least. Following that he toured with a group that performed the music of Andrew Lloyd Weber. Michael Crawford, who was the original "Phantom of the Opera," was part of that tour. Philip then played some of Weber's music for the audience; Don't Cry for me Argentina, and I don't know how to love him, followed by The Phantom of the Opera and All I Ask of You, among others.

He shared his experience as a musician in "Ragtime" and played a song from that show. After that was a stint in "Seussical the Musical" where Philip worked with Stephen Flaherty and was the first to play the music for that show.  He then performed Solla Sallew for the audience. Building on that theme he followed with songs from animated musicals including the theme song from "Beauty and the Beast", A Whole New World, from "Aladdin," and Can you Feel the Love Tonight, from "The Lion King." 

Then, mentioning Ira Gershwin as another inspiration, Philip performed Gershwin's Embraceable You and Someone to Watch Over Me, among other songs. He then talked about how he lived in New York City during the 9/11 attacks on our country and shared the impact that had on him and his fellow New York City artists and what they did to help cheer people up. He added that not surprisingly the first Broadway hit after 9/11 was the upbeat "Mamma Mia!"... He then played Dancing Queen and Mamma Mia,  plus a ballad from that show. 

Although he said he has not yet had the chance to play any of their songs as part of a full musical production, he featured some of the music of Rogers and Hammerstein in his show.

Philip in China...Photo Credit Shelley Mansholt Thomas

Philip talked about how he had just completed a 14 city tour of China introducing the songs of Broadway to a younger generation. About this trip he said, "As an American pianist with a career in theater, and much of it from the Broadway world specifically, the audiences in China seemed intrigued by every element of that," and "The music of Broadway always has some kind of story, a context in which it is to be shared. The repertoire I performed in China was precisely that, and as a pianist I could allow the power of music as the universal language to share those perspectives."

Philip said that although he has performed in amazing venues all over the world, one of his best performances and one of his favorite places to have ever played was the historic Union Station in Washington, D.C. It was specially decorated for a party that night for the late Margaret Thatcher.  He had performed Memory with Laurie Beechman who played Grizabella the Glamour Cat in "Cats." Laurie passed away not long after. He closed with Memory as the final song for "Give My Regards."  

Philip Fortenberry is a magnificent pianist. The night was sensational! 

"Give My Regards" was produced by PK Music.  

The Cocktail Cabaret Celebrates 100th Performance

I've been a fan of "The Cocktail Cabaret" since it opened last winter. The show is cabaret style with a touch of modern flair and has a start time of 6pm, which makes it the perfect kick off to an evening out in Las Vegas.

Before the 100th performance celebration of the show Friday night I was chatting with Derek and Hailey, a couple from Kansas seated at our table with us. Hailey said to me "I told Derek I wanted to do something tonight we've never done, and we've never been to a cabaret show, so I chose this."

For those like Hailey who are not familiar, a cabaret show is one usually performed by an ensemble that involves song, dance and banter in an intimate venue. When talking before the show with host and performer Eric Jordan Young I asked what he likes most about performing in "The Cocktail Cabaret" and he said, "Actually the whole show in its entirety because many people don't know what cabaret style is, that it's audience interactive, and we get to show them that."

L to R Philip Fortenberry, Daniel Emmet, Niki Scalera, Keith Thompson, Maren Wade, Eric Jordan Young  Photo credit: Ross Kyker Photo

The show starts with a rousing performance of the original song "Cocktail Cabaret." Written by Keith Thompson, the song sets the tone and brands this show as its own unique production and much more than a night of cabaret style compositions of popular hits. After that Maren Wade slinks onstage and into her slow tempo version of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, followed by another original from Thompson, The Man at the Piano which is an interactive duet with Philip Fortenberry and Daniel Emmet (a current season contestant on "America's Got Talent").

The next highlight for me was the duet with Young and Emmet of Now or Never which becomes a bit competitive between the two, but don't worry it's all part of the act! By the time Niki Scalera lifts her bedazzled arm high to launch into her chilling version of Diamonds are Forever, the audience is fully engaged in this production for the remaining of the 19 songs and medleys; some even breaking into mid show spontaneous standing ovations. After one of Daniel Emmet's songs where he went back and forth between English and Italian lyrics, Hailey leaned over to me and said, "He just brought tears to my eyes."

By the time the show was nearing the end with a dynamic rendition of Raise Your Glass, our table of four was in high spirits. After exchanging contact information with our new friends, my husband and I headed out of the venue and on to the rest of the evening carrying with us the bubbly energy of "The Cocktail Cabaret."

"The Cocktail Cabaret" was created by the founders of PK Entertainment, Keith Thompson ("Jersey Boys," "The Composer's Showcase") and Philip Fortenberry, (award winning pianist with multiple Broadway credits). The band is Josh Jones, Don Meoli and Eric Tewalt. It runs about 70 minutes with no intermission in the 150 seat floating Cleopatra's Barge lounge at Caesars Palace. Wednesdays - Saturdays 6pm