Interview: Tony Yazbeck Brings His Tapping Feet & Warm Vocals to ALL GERSHWIN at The Hollywood Bowl

The first all-Gershwin concert in history Cuban Overture will be re-created July 11, 2024 at the Hollywood Bowl as All-Gershwin.  Former LA Phil Associate Conductor Lionel Bringuier reprises the night with Gershwin’s iconic classical, jazz, and Caribbean rhythms, while celebrating Rhapsody in Blue’s 100th anniversary, The evening will feature the Los Angeles Philharmonic, pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet,   and vocalists Isabel Leonard and Tony Yazbeck. Tony graciously took time to answer a few of my queries.

Thank you for taking the time for this interview, Tony!

Do you know what you’ll be singing at the Hollywood Bowl July 11th?

I will be singing and dancing to a few different tunes from the Gershwin catalogue. Some of them are: “Can’t Be Bothered Now,” “Fascinating Rhythm,” “Our Love is Here to Stay,” and “I Got Rhythm.” 

With your lengthy Broadway resume, you have yet to do a Gershwin show, right?

I have performed Gershwin music my entire life in some way but never yet on Broadway. I hope to change that one day. I was part of the Encores! production of an old musical gem called Pardon My English 20 years ago in New York City. That was my first time performing Gershwin in New York. One of my favorite shows I have been a part of my whole life in some way is Crazy For You. I performed the lead role first in High School after seeing the Broadway production in New York on a school trip. I was blown away by the joy that was generously shared on that stage. I then had the privilege of performing the role again years later at Lincoln Center directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman. I still hope the show is revived for a longer stay on Broadway. I think the world needs that joy. 

Have you seen any shows at the Hollywood Bowl?

I have never been to the Hollywood Bowl. It’s been on my bucket list to be there for years. I’m so excited to be able to perform there with that orchestra! 

Besides the Los Angeles Philharmonic, you’ve sung with a number of orchestras before. Which do you prefer singing with: a three-or-four combo or with a full orchestra?

I think they both have a lot to offer. Of course, performing with a full orchestra is electric and for my experience, does create a world of storytelling that feels timeless. Sometimes performing with a full orchestra helps the audience enter in that world in a way they never could expect. Now, when I’m with my trio in my solo show or even if it’s only just my MD on piano and me with tap shoes on, there is something that brings the audience closer in for a more intimate look at what is honestly on display. I really enjoy the vulnerability of letting the lyrics and the storytelling do their work, and watching an audience use their imagination to journey within themselves. 

What can you tell us of the process of your first audition that you aced at the ripe young age of eleven for the role of newsboy in Gypsy starring Tyne Daly in 1989?

I was eleven years old and I was living in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania at the time. I had been dancing since I was four. Gypsy on Broadway was looking for their first replacement position for one of the newsboys. My mother drove me into the city to attend this audition on the stage of the St. James theatre. My father drove in separately as they were divorced since I was six. There were at least 100 boys auditioning for one spot. All the parents were in the mezzanine of the theatre observing. I was in the first group of ten to perform on that stage. We had to sing a song, dance a combination, and then play an instrument (preferably clarinet). Well, I did all three. I was in the marching band at the time, and I played the clarinet. After I was done, Stuart Howard (casting director) brought me personally down to the basement and into the wardrobe room. My mother and father followed behind. Stuart offered me the job on the spot and told me that I start rehearsals in two days. He then said I have only three days to learn the whole show and I would then be performing eight shows a week on Broadway. I couldn’t believe it. I remember jumping up in the air really high and yelling, “Yes!” When that was done, I remember hearing all the boys upstairs on the stage auditioning for a spot that was clearly no longer available. That part was my first introduction to how brutal this business can be sometimes.  Anyway, I was driven back and forth to New York from Pennsylvania for the next two years every day except Monday. Two hours each way. But it still remains the best theatrical experience of my life. It was bliss every show. 

How great you must have felt revisiting Gypsy when you were cast as Tulsa in the Patti LuPone version of Gypsy in 2008?

When I was a kid, I would watch (from the wings) Robert Lambert play Tulsa and just love how he effortlessly story told that entire scene song and dance. It was all about his heart on that stage. I knew I always wanted to play that part one day. I pinch myself to think that I was able to fulfill that dream years later alongside Patti LuPone. I think that segment in the show is one the best and most complete moments in any musical ever written. I’m very grateful to have had my experience as a child and then to be able to have infused my character on Broadway years later with that experience. 

How would you complimentarily compare the two Mama Roses?

Tyne Daly and Patti LuPone are both powerhouses. Not only did I adore both of them, but they were both incredibly supportive of me while I was part of each production. Tyne felt like a real second mother to so many of us in that show. She really embraced the cast, and her acting was astounding to watch. You really felt for her Rose. As a child, I couldn’t believe how lucky I was. I feel even luckier now knowing that she was loved and respected by so many. Patti was an animal on that stage. She ate the theatre with her performance. She performs from her gut. Sometimes Patti would watch my number from the wings in support and she would always bring me into her dressing room to meet the celebs that would come to our show. She kept me under her wing. I’m grateful for that. 

Gypsy isn’t the only show you’ve played twice in different roles. You did A Chorus Line at the Gerald Schoenfeld as Al DeLuca and at New York City Center as Zach. Was A Chorus Line already embedded in your brain as you learned your new role?

A Chorus Line feels like it is part of my DNA. It’s a tough show to do eight times a week as a performer on that line but I loved the challenge. The great thing about that show is that as you get older, the music hits harder and you connect even more to its message. When I played Zach, what I loved most was giving myself to my fellow actors. I invested into really listening and being in the moment with them. That music still and will always fill my soul. I hope to play Zach again sometime soon! I believe that show should always be running on Broadway. It is classic and really all about love. 

You performed On The Town in 2007 for New York Center Encores and then reprised your role of Gabey at the Lyric Theatre in 2014. You did Chicago at the Ambassador in 2011, 2012, reprising Billy Flynn in 2017. Did the roles of Gabey and Billy Flynn feel like putting on a comfy slipper?

On the Town was the most incredible and yet the toughest job I have ever had in my life. So, no I would not say it was comfy at all. In fact, I had to embrace the pain it took to get through eight shows a week for a year. But that made me grow. I loved playing Gabey in that show. Oftentimes, onstage I felt like a fully open heart in the stillness of time and at other points in the show, I felt like a war hero who conquered the earth after a dream ballet. That music is like no other. Bernstein is so fully open-hearted and unapologetic without a wink. I love that honesty. And to dance like that and then sing big ballads on that stage at the same time with the same character? That’s once in a lifetime stuff right there. 

For the show Chicago, I was one of the youngest Billy Flynn’s they had hired at the time at age 32. When I first did the show, they had given me a vest to wear because they wanted to add some dance into the show for me as I am a dancer. The vest had just been used for Usher when he was in the show. I was in good company. Chicago is a blast to be a part of and perform. I have one costume, entrance and exit applause, and a few very fun numbers to perform. Not to mention, I get to play tough and confident, and the same time play with wise guy comedy. I have loved my several stints as Billy Flynn on Broadway over the years. I will always feel like a part of that family. 

Would you say one word or one sentence about your other shows in your lengthy resume?
The national tour of Thoroughly Modern Millie:

Traveling the country with a cast of friends making memories forever. 

Oklahoma! at the Gershwin:

My first Stroman musical where I learned theatre from a totally different angle which was the springboard to help me grow to start directing in the future. 

Never Gonna Dance at the Broadhurst:

Noah Racey and Nancy Lemenenger dancing to “The Way You Look Tonight” in a scene set on a roof top. Magical. I love that song and I loved to watch them every night. 

White Christmas at the Marquis:

Joyful fun singing and dancing to Irving Berlin where I started to really find my own style. 

Finding Neverland at the Lunt-Fontane:

My love for children in full display. 

Prince of Broadway at the Samuel J. Friedman:

An honor to work with the legendary Hal Prince. 

Flying Over Sunset at the Vivian Beaumont:

A beautiful cast who stuck together through COVID and sought connection with each other. 
What’s in the near future for Tony Yazbeck?

I have concert work coming up in the next few months and I will be recurring on the new Ryan Murphy tv series American Sports Story: Gladiator this fall. Very exciting! 
Thank you again, Tony! I look forward to your smooth Gershwin Vocals and nimble hoofing.

For tickets to this one-nighter July 11, 2024; click on the button below:

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