An Interview with Linda Eder: A New CD, Concerts; More Bway?

Linda Eder's career has taken her from small clubs in Minnesota to a 13-week Star Search winning streak to Broadway in Jekyll & Hyde and over the past several years tons of concert work around the country in support of several successful albums. With an upcoming run at Feinstein's, and other appearances in the area at the Bergen Performing Arts Center and elsewhere it seemed a perfect time to check in with the star about her latest projects, the chances of a return to the Broadway stage and more.

To kick things off, can you tell our audience what you've been up to lately? We're hearing rumors about a new CD just being in the early stages of production...  

Well, I've been working on a new record and that's my focus right now. I'm actually heading into Manhattan later today to record some vocals for that. I've been working on that for a while, putting it together and I'll be doing the recording part of it for the next year or so. We're looking at a possible release date around January 2008.

What can you tell us about that CD? Will there be a particular style or theme that runs throughout?

No theme, but the type of album that it is going to be is a little different again. It's going to be more "pop-ish" than what I've done in the past. The past few albums have been very heavy on Broadway songs and on standards, and it's been a while since I've sung pop.

Will these be existing songs or new material that's being written for you?

They're all new songs except for one song that I already know… I haven't decided completely, but I'm pretty sure that I'm going to include it on there. It has been recorded over the years but I'll be doing a cover of it, and that's "If I Could."  That's a ballad that I love and it'll fit on this type of a record.

And looking at your web site it looks like while working on that album, you've got a TON of concerts scheduled?

Yes, I'll be working on the album in between tons of concerts.  That's what I do all year long, a certain number of dates per month. That's because I don't want to be gone for an extended block of time so I try to do them mostly on the weekends so I can be here during the week for my son.

Are your concerts these days a mix of new material or previous material or?

They're always a big mix of standards and Broadway and everything else. I'll be performing that at the Bergen Performing Arts Center and elsewhere.

Later this year, May 5-12^th you'll be returning to Feinstein's at the Regency – will you be putting together a special show for that special room?

I played Feinstein's for the first time six years ago, I did a run there and I hadn't played such a small club in many, many years. Of course I started out playing small clubs like that, but I hadn't been back to sing in one for years. It was a little frightening because it's so small that the people are almost in your lap and you can see what they're eating and everything from the stage, but it was fun. I went back last year, and had a good time so we're going to do it again for two weeks in May.

We haven't figured out what we're going to do there yet, but we will as we put the show together soon. The first time I went there, I basically did what I normally do and it felt like I needed to be slightly different in that room. So, the last time I went we made things a bit smaller and scripted it to tie the songs together so they told a story a little bit more. This time, I'm not sure what I'm doing yet, but it'll be fun.

It brought back memories of when I first started performing and there's definitely something different playing a room that size. Of course when I play larger venues, I try to make them feel as if they're smaller in size, (and I'm told that I tend to do that, which is good to hear). There's no question that when it's that small of a room though, that it's such a different animal all together.

How do you choose material?

I generally choose all my songs… I usually have a basic idea of what I like and what sort of arrangement that I want, so then I work with the musical director until we get it right.

Speaking of "Feinstein's" I also see that you have a number of dates coming up with a "Feinstein" aka Michael Feinstein. How did that relationship begin?

We know each other for a while because we did a duet on one of my first albums ("Someone" on Angel Records' AND SO MUCH MORE) and we've known each other since then. We have always talked about putting together a show that's integrated and that stands on its own as its own show.

We wanted something different from what we do ordinarily, and that is to sing mostly duets. There's sections where we do our own stuff, but the majority is all duets and that's fun and also makes it different from my other shows. It's very different from our own solo shows so it's nice to have that variety for both of us. I like to think that this is a sort of throwback to the old Sonny & Cher, Steve and Edie sort of shows.

What sort of duets have audiences been enjoying?

We do a wide variety of types of songs done in a "standardeqsue" style from very old ones to newer – not ultra modern but newer stuff. We do a duet of "Both Sides Now" which was an idea of mine; we do "How Do you Keep the Music Playing" and then we go back to Nelson Eddy spoofs and things like that.

One thing that I know fans of your have been hoping for a while – would you like to return to Broadway one of these days?

Of course I'd love to, it was so much fun the last time. The problem is that the schedule is so ridiculous and it's almost impossible as a mother. Now that I have a son who's a second grader, on a regular school schedule, I know that I wouldn't see much of him at all because of the Broadway schedule of 8 shows a week. It's going to have to be something that's so great that I can't say no to it if it's offered to me.

There's a piece that's being written for me actually, developed for me and we've done a reading of the first act this past summer. It's funny and it's good so we'll see, but again, it's going to have to be so really good that I just can't say no to make me want to do it right now.

What can you tell us about the piece?

It's THE SEDUCTION OF SHEILA VALENTINE and it's a comedy about two women who are vying for the same movie role and they're past their prime as far as movie ingénue parts are concerned, but they both find out about it and it's a big competition to see who can get the role, which they're both wrong for to begin with!

Who's writing it?

Jack Murphy and Vincent Marini.

Are there any classic Broadway roles that you'd like to tackle on stage someday?

I'd love to be in the Man of La Mancha, but I'd definitely want to be him – Don Quixote. That's a good question, I've never thought of that too much – what would I be right for is the question?

Camille Claudel got some great notices out of town, might that show see the light of day again?

Well, I don't know. That was a great part. I loved it and became totally immersed in it. It was something that I felt I was good in, and I really studied hard and worked hard for it. It's a very dramatic dark piece, because it's a true story and it ends very sadly so it's very daunting to a producer to do a piece that's dark and is about a woman that not a lot of people know. I think that's what it got hung up on because it was a good work and people were really loving it, but I don't know. Frank never gives up on his things, but I tell him not to tell me about it until it happens. I say "Don't tell me until it's real, because I don't want to know!" It's too heartbreaking to get invested in something emotionally and then to have it not go anywhere.

What were some of your favorite shows growing up or things that you're a fan of?

My all time favorite when I first started listening to Broadway was Man of La Mancha because I loved the music, and that's more of the style that I really like. I like the very dramatic and the real emotional stuff to get totally immersed into the character and their emotions. That doesn't happen always because a lot of Broadway shows are comedies and I like comedies, but generally they're light comedies or as tragic as can be. I tend to go for the more emotional, dramatic roles.

To be honest, I don't see a lot of theatre, and I didn't see a lot growing up. My parents didn't really take us in very much. The first show that I ever saw was a tour of Evita and I think that's a part that I'd like to play. I didn't see another show until I moved to New York. I saw A Chorus Line and started with that, and I've seen things over the years but I'm not as immersed in it as some people are.

When I was on Broadway, I was in a show and in a dark theatre for 6 days a week, and the last thing that I wanted to do on my day off was to spend it in another dark theatre, so I tended not to see a lot while I was in theatre. Then I had my son, and you sort of begin to cocoon your life. I travel so much to perform, that when I'm home I tend to not want to go anywhere so I don't see a lot.

Have you seen anything recently?  

My last favorite thing that I saw was Wicked. I loved that, and I loved the retelling of the story, and I thought the performances were great too.

Well, all that travelling sounds like it doesn't leave a lot of time for theatre, but I'm guessing that you have a full iPod – what's on there?

It's very eclectic, and I've got everything from opera to "5 for Fighting". I listen to a wide range of things. I think "5 for Fighting" is my favorite guy singing at the moment. I really like his work, and his voice but then again I've got soundtracks. I love soundtracks, I've got the Old Marconi played by Yo Yo Ma too so it's a really wide range. That piece is absolutely gorgeous, I love that….

I know that many of our readers will be sure to check it out on your recommendation! Is there anything else that you'd like to share with our audience about your current plans?

That's pretty much what I'm doing - concerts and the records are my main focus!

To purchase tickets to the BergenPAC, click here. For more information on Linda Eder and for upcoming tour dates, visit www.lindaeder.com.