Interview: Catching Up With STUDIO MUSICIAN Dorian Woodruff

Fresh off of a successful run of his musical cabaret STUDIO MUSICIAN: THE MUSIC OF MANILOW, singer (and one-time studio musician himself) Dorian Woodruff just can't get enough of the music. Just last Sunday, the respected long-time member of the music industry turned up at Sue Matsuki & Gregory Toroian's monthly Jazz Brunch, to commune with his fellow acolytes of the business of show and raise his voice in song. Frequently seen in the audience of nightclub acts or at master classes around town, the former employee of the Grand Ole Opry who actually had a short association with Mr. Manilow himself, has made music his life and his passion. Having overheard the gent say he had five new shows in development, Broadway World Cabaret reached out with a request to hear more, and the lifelong Fanilow shared a brief q&a with our team to share his thoughts about his life in music, needlepoint, and the cabaret family of Manhattan.

This interview was conducted digitally and appears with minor edits.

Dorian Woodruff, welcome to Broadway World!

Thank you, I'm happy to be here.

You have just completed a really successful run of your show STUDIO MUSICIAN: THE MUSIC OF MANILOW, your first show back since the lockdown. How was your return to the stage experience?

Superb! Brilliant! Scrumptious! Titillating! Easy! Welcomed! Loved! So many things!!!!

The show received much praise and very impressive attendance, often by other performers. What is your immediate reaction to getting so much support from the members of the cabaret community?

I am very grateful for the members of the cabaret community who attended the show. It's a great feeling when your peers support you. It's equally great when you don't know half of the audience, which happened at three of the shows. We love this.

During your final performance, you mentioned that you have ideas for five new shows. What does it look like, usually, when a new show idea hits?

The wall behind my piano is a floor-to-ceiling tack board. I have the outlines for 5 shows and an album project posted. Black ribbon separates them. There are colored index cards. Pink: Title of Show, Green: Title of Song, Blue: Patter/Story. I can move things around and write new patter, insert a new song, or change the Working Title of the show.

Some of these shows have been there for a while but, when a show clicks, the story and the arc needed for that show falls quickly into place and I know this is the show to fully develop.

I also must reign in some folks who try to push me to do another show too quickly. The idea and the story need to have a gestation period. It's essential to be in my bones. Second nature if you will.

Part of this is controlling the money. Performers can create and can do all of their pre-work before meeting with your director and music director. 95% of the work can be accomplished on your own.

When I write patter/story, I write an extreme amount. With the Welcome Home and the Manilow shows, I presented my director with over 30 pages of stories. Directors would rather have too much material than not enough. Everything won't make it into the show but, you have options to tell your story.

You are well-known for the detail that you put into the exploration of your material. How long has this deep dive into your work been a part of your process, and how did you develop and nurture that process?

The deep dive wasn't there when I was in my early teens. I saw a PBS special on a little black and white television where this man was explaining the research he was completing for a song. A single song! I listened intently and it clicked. Years later, I realized he was talking about subtext. SUBTEXT! What a great word.

I journal every song. I have three columns. Center: the lyric, Right: I answer the questions to every line, Left: Subtext (the backstory). I will spend hours at the New York Performing Arts Library. It is a magical place. It's the best place to jump from the 10-meter platform.

When Lina Koutrakos and I looked at each other and said that Copacabana should be a ballad that's when I knew I had to write Lola, Tony, and Rico's, AND the Copacabana's backstory. I told the story from an observer sitting at the bar, watching Lola 30 years later. This was a sung poem in 4 acts. What I didn't tell but kept to myself was an ending. The epilogue: I walk over to Lola and say, "Mom, it's time to go home." Is the observer telling this story Tony's son, or Rico's?

You tend to choose Pangea as your cabaret home base - what is it about the establishment that attracts you?

It feels right! I have performed at many clubs, but Pangea feels like home. Stephen Shanaghan is amazing. He has become a champion of cabaret and live music and has created a space that feels like a living room. It is intimate and inviting. Recently, someone told me, "That room fits you. It's not that you can't excel in other rooms, but this is home."

You frequent the Pangea Jazz Brunch, sometimes as a participant, sometimes as an audience member. What would you say to someone who is considering a first-time visit to the monthly series, to paint a picture of the experience?

"Come on in! You are welcome here!" Jazz Brunch is an inviting experience. You can try new material or patter or a new arrangement. It may work and it may not, BUT you tried it. You learn from trying. The Nashville Jazz Workshop has a motto, "Hear it, Learn it, Share it!" This is the inviting atmosphere of Jazz Brunch.

Your work as a musician and as a singer has afforded you many experiences as a performer. What has been the highlight of your long career?

I've been lucky to have experienced a great amount and the luck to learn from and perform with some incredible musicians. Some may not consider this a highlight, but it is more of a feeling than anything. It is one of those feelings of, "this is a perfect moment in this perfect place in this perfect time."

I stepped onto the stage of a small concert hall as a fill-in. The other singer had taken ill, and it was announced that I would be singing. I stepped on stage as my name was announced and they cheered. For me! They didn't know me, but they were happy I was there. I was happy I was there!

How many pillows did you needlepoint during the last two years of the pandemic?

32. Once I have a design vision I start working. I'm a very fast stitcher. All but two of them have become pillows. Some have been given to friends.

You continually take class and you insist on seeing as many shows as possible. Why is it so important for you to be so active a participant in the industry and the community?

You never stop learning! I am constantly learning! Class/Workshop/Master Classes are very important and integral to your growth as a singer and a performer. I learn from class and I learn from other singers. How they turn a phrase. How they place a vowel. Etc. This list can go on forever. One thing to learn is when to speak up in a class. There is a teacher/clinician there for a reason. It is their class/workshop. You are there to learn from their point of view or you wouldn't be there. Respect the process! There have been times I didn't connect with a certain teacher/coach. I kept my mouth shut and moved on. Then, I connected with another teacher/coach and the lightbulb appears. Respect the process!

In this process, you forge friendships, you support one another, and you become part of a community. I've helped folks learn to build an audience, to write a press release, to create a graphic for a postcard. If I haven't been able to assist, I can always show them to the person who can.

Dorian, what is your very favorite Barry Manilow song, and why?

Wow! That's a loaded question. So many!

The Old Songs - It is almost autobiographical. "Maybe we'll start to cry and wonder why we ever walked away. Maybe the old song will bring back the old times and make him want to stay."

Everything on the Here at the Mayflower album. I think I want to do a concert version of this album alone.

Studio Musician - It is every musician's story.

Weekend in New England - There is a bit of fantasy to it and a giant satchel full of truth.

Dorian Woodruff, thank you for visiting with Broadway World Cabaret today, and have a sweet transition into Spring.

Thank you for thinking of me and thank you to Broadway World for all the wonderful support. And let's have a cool transition into Spring.

Dorian Woodruff has a YouTube channel HERE.

Read Bart Greenberg's review of Studio Musician HERE, Gerry Geddes' review HERE, and the Broadway World review HERE.

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