Performance: Stamford, CT
04-Nov-04

THREE MO' TENORS: RAISIN' THEIR VOICES FROM OPERA TO BROADWAY

By Thomas Mellana

It was 10 years ago that Marion J. Caffey got the idea.

"I was watching The Three Tenors live at Dodgers Stadium and I was struck of the lack of versatility of their voices," Caffey says. "They sounded outstanding singing opera, of course, but when they started singing Broadway, they sounded like opera singers singing Broadway."

Caffey, a veteran Broadway performer, choreographer, and director who brought a production of "Cookin' at the Cookery" to Stamford two years ago, knew there were singers out there, classically trained ones, who could more naturally move between genres.

What he didn't realize at the time, was just how many styles they'd be able to navigate. From Puccini to Ellington, Broadway to the blues, the Three Mo' Tenors make stops all over the map on a long and winding ride through the world of music in a show that kicks off a new national tour in Stamford tomorrow.

"It struck me that there was something there worth creating, a showcase for classically trained African-American singers," says Caffey during a short break this week during rehearsals at The Rich Forum, where the Three Mo' Tenors will perform tomorrow and Saturday.

There is a simple reason why black classical singers, as a rule, have an easier time switching styles than their European counterparts, says Caffey -- they've had more practice. While there have been a handful of black opera stars over the past century, it's far and away been a white person's game.

"By necessity and due to lack of work in opera, they had to do other things to survive," says Caffey. "I mean, we've still got white people doing Othello and it's 2004."

The Three Mo' Tenors debuted in 2000, but this is the first tour that will feature two separate casts. The tour opens Friday with Ramone Diggs, Kenneth Gayle and Marvin Scott. On Saturday James Berger, Victor Robertson and Duane A. Moody take over the show. Each of the singers is classically trained and has performed in professional opera productions, some extensively.

"The vocal demands are such in opera that, if you look at any opera, they never ask singers to perform more than three, or at the most four, nights per week," says Caffey. "But in order to make money -- we are not icons who can fill 50,000 seats -- in order to make money, we need to do eight shows, so we need the two casts."

The selections sung by the full trio remain the same from night to night, but each soloist has his own material, so the show is different depending on the cast you see.

A typical performance will start with opera, "La Donna E Mobile" from Verdi's "Rigoletto" and "Recondita Armonia" from Puccini's "Tosca"; visit Broadway with "Bring Him Home" from "Les Miserables" and "Make Them Hear You" from "Ragtime"; swing over to jazz with Cab Calloway's "Minnie the Moocher"; sample soul with a medley of "Love Train"/"My Girl"/"Stop Look Listen"/"Midnight Train to Georgia"; honor the nation with "America the Beautiful"; and finish on gospel with "Let the Praise Begin/Just Come" -- with several other stops along the way.

"To watch them negotiate these styles of music is fascinating," says Caffey. "We ease into each style. We don't go from Puccini into Fat Joe, but we end up there."

Despite the sonic terrain the singers cover during the evening, there are common threads that follow them around every turn -- the first being the simple love of music.

"For people who love music, that love of music is not limited to just one style of music, Caffey says. "Even in their homes, if you look at an opera lover's music collection, they will also have jazz and other kinds of music."

Caffey's original idea was to give black classical singers a place to sing so they could get noticed. Fewer and fewer black singers were even training classically because there wasn't a market for it. But the show has turned into something of its own.

"The Mo' concept is alive and well," says Caffey.

And one whose appeal is not limited to black audiences.

"It transcends race, creed and color. They're not onstage crying 'We haven't gotten our fair share,'" Caffey says. "They are just onstage celebrating their voices, and celebrating music."

Given the range of music performed, Caffey says it's one of the few shows that actually does have something for everyone, from teenagers to music lovers in their 90s.

"Everyone says that," he says, laughing. "But you really can believe the hype this time."

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