Actor pursues first love with ‘Kiss’ at Ahmanson
Dorian Harewood returns to singing as Valentin in Terrence
McNally classic
By Jennifer Richmond
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Actor Dorian Harewood got his start singing with Bette Davis in
the musical, "Miss Moffat." It was the legendary star who convinced
him to focus on a career in acting.
But now, a decade later, he’s returning to his first love –
singing.
"I decided to take (Davis’) advice and audition for my first
acting job, not thinking anything was going to come of it,"
Harewood says. But he got the job and that led to a movie and a
string of other roles.
Because of this steady stream of acting work, Harewood says he
had a hard time getting back to music. But he finally decided the
only way for him to return to singing was to be more selective when
it came to acting offers.
"I love to work and I love acting, but I love singing more, so I
figure the only way I’ll get back to singing is to turn down some
of the acting," he explains.
The chance to play Valentin in Terrence McNally’s "Kiss of the
Spider Woman" (showing at the Ahmanson through April 21) came about
during this stream of acting offers.
"They asked me about this and I said, ‘This is a chance for me
to step up and do what I say I’m going to do.’ So, I decided to do
this because it was something that gave me an opportunity to sing
and expose a side of me to a public that didn’t know I sang," he
says.
The musical, which is based on the 1985 film starring Raul Julia
and William Hurt, not only allows Harewood to renew his singing
ability, but it also gives him the chance to share the spotlight
with Chita Rivera, whom Harewood says has been a delight to work
with.
"I learn so much from her every night. It’s hard to describe how
good she is," Harewood says as he searches for the right
compliment. "She really sets the tone for this entire company;
she’s a giving performer. She doesn’t act like a star. She makes no
excuses. I mean, she’s the hardest worker out there. She’s got the
most energy of everyone. It’s an honor to share the stage with
her."
Although working with Rivera and the rest of the cast is a joy
for Harewood, he has the most fun with the musical numbers. Of the
23 songs, his favorite is "Marta" because of the number of emotions
it explores.
"I think it’s sweet and has a lot of feeling and goes in a lot
of different directions," the actor explains. "It’s got a lot of
tender moments, as well as big moments. That’s probably my favorite
song and not because I’m doing it, but because it’s a very powerful
song."
Harewood says its power stems from the fact that it’s a
we-shall-overcome-type song.
"It’s a different song, but it’s saying the same thing.
Valentin, his supporters and the people trying to overturn this
oppressive government are saying that ‘we will do it today and if
not today, the day after that, or the day after that or the day
after that’ and they’re not blindly saying it; they’re committed to
doing that or die."
Harewood says the audience understands that passion and embraces
it along with his performance. This is a great response for him,
considering the singer only had nine days to learn his part and has
only seen the complete musical once.
Harewood says the show is actually very different from when the
musical first appeared on stage. One big change is that neither his
co-star, Juan Chioran, nor himself originated their characters.
"Coming into the project, you basically have to fit into what
was done and then you find things that you can do yourself to make
(the part) yours," Harewood explains. "Juan’s done that and I’m
just beginning to find things that would be more unique for
me."
The actor knew from the beginning he would be very different
from Dawson. Because they act and sing differently, Harewood says
the show was completely changed from the moment he stepped on
stage.
"Once I was comfortable with the way I was directed, I had to
start questioning whether that was the best way to do it. Then I
brought in my ideas of how Valentin should do things," Harewood
explains.
One number he’s changing for himself is the trio, "Anything for
Him." He feels it should be a very dramatic scene because Valentin
is contemplating seducing Molina, his male cellmate whom he knows
can deliver a message to his fiancee.
"There should be a lot of levels of discomfort, of trying to
decide what to do or if he should even do this thing. I mean, he’s
(Valentin) literally deciding to have sex with him just to use him
to deliver this message," Harewood continues. "The overriding
frustration my character has is that he really cares about this guy
now as a friend. But politically, he needs to get this message
through.
"So, this whole song, as directed to me, was you look here and
you sing, then you look there and you sing," Harewood says. "Now
I’m starting to question that and figure out ways to up the stakes
a lot more as far as his final decision.
"Those are the things that I think I can bring to make the song
richer and to ultimately make the whole show richer."
In doing this, Harewood’s bond with his co-star becomes tighter.
He says there are different rhythms between himself and Chioran
than there were between Chioran and John Dawson, the actor who
originated the touring role of Valentin.
But Chioran and Harewood are "really starting to mesh," Harewood
says. "It’s those kinds of things that make it interesting, so that
every night it’s a different show; it’s not the same thing over and
over again."
STAGE: "Kiss of the Spider Woman." Through April 21 at the
Ahmanson Theatre. Performs Tuesday-Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 7
p.m., with matinees Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. TIX: $15-$65. For
more info call (213) 365-3500.
JENNIFER TAN
Dorian Harewood brings new life to the modern classic, "Kiss of
the Spider Woman," by Terrence McNally.
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