Interview: Lena Hall On Bridging Musical Genres In Her SONGS FROM THE NIGHTCAR

Tony and Grammy Award winner Lena Hall will return to the Bourbon Room October 11th with her latest cabaret act SONGS FROM THE NIGHTCAR. A steadily working actress, Lena will include some of her Snowpiercer covers combined with her own originals. Had the chance to throw out a few queries to the very game Lena.

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

How was your first live show post-pandemic at City Winery earlier this month?

It was wonderful. Felt like there was no such thing as a pandemic. It was a glimpse into the past. The amount of joy I felt from the audience was so wonderful. After doing all those shows on Zoom during the pandemic that were quiet.

Will SONGS FROM THE NIGHTCAR be your fifth solo cabaret show (SIN & SALVATION, THE ART OF THE AUDITION, OH! YOU PRETTY THINGS, THE VILLA SATORI: GROWING UP HAIGHT ASHBURY)?

A portion of it is but not all of it. Half of the show are songs that I covered on my TV show Snowpiercer, and the other half are originals that will be released as an album eventually. I think eventually I'll have two shows come out of this one. One that is strictly Snowpiercer related and the other that is all original music. The show right now is a highbred of a cabaret and a rock & roll show. Now thinking about it, I have a back log of cabaret show albums that I gotta do, especially ART OF THE AUDITION and OH! YOU PRETTY THINGS. I appreciate the reminder.

Did you start working on NIGHTCAR during these lockdown months?

I came up with the idea when I was asked to do a show at City Winery. I had been filming Snowpiercer in Vancouver for half of this year, so the experience is fresh on my mind. I have also been working on these original songs for quite some time so I thought it might be cool to give the audience some familiar music along with the original stuff.

You've been fortunate to have been working on Snowpiercer the last year. Were major health precautions enforced?

Everything was done to whatever standards were put in place by SAG/AFTRA as well as the Canadian government. So there were a lot of precautions and I never felt unsafe on set.

Do you know yet who your musical director Justin Craig is bringing along to accompany you at the Bourbon Room?

Justin cannot join me this time due to a family trip he had planned from a long time ago. He hasn't seen his family for almost two years, and I wouldn't make him change that. For the show at the Bourbon Room I have Matt Katz Bowen (Keyboardist/Guitarist from Blondie) and Brian Fishler (drummer from Richard Cheese) on drums and percussion. I will be playing piano/keys and percussion at times for certain songs. I love keeping things stripped down and more like my Obsessed series, for the time being.

NIGHTCAR will be including songs from your upcoming album Lullabies For The End Of The World. When will that be released?

I am not sure of release date at the moment. I want to make sure I have everything in place before I release an originals album, especially one that has taken this long to write. I have yet to release any original music myself so it's important I don't rush the final product.

Who came up with the novel idea for you to play both Hedwig and Yitzha in the national tour of HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH in 2016?

I really wanted to play Hedwig and the idea had been kicked around in casual conversation. But David Binder was behind it, and I am so grateful he offered it up!

How hard was it for you not to pick up on Hedwig's cues when you were Yitzha? And vice versa?

It was easy to play one or the other. Each role is a complete opposite journey from the other. So right off the bat at the top of the show I feel so one character or the other it was easy to keep my head on straight.

What do you remember of the night your name was announced at the Tony Awards as the Best Featured Actress in a Musical?

I don't remember a ton but I do remember that I have never felt so loved and supported by my Broadway community in all my life! There is nothing like live theater and I miss it every day.

You originated the role of Nicola in the Broadway production of KINKY BOOTS, credited as Celina Carvajal. What made you change your professional name to Lena Hall?

I changed my name for a few reasons. I was in a rock band and was using the name Lena Hall because I felt like it sounded more like a singer. I loved the symmetry of the name, and to me it looked more rock & roll when written down. Also, people could remember it faster and look me up more easily. Another reason is because Carvajal was actually a stage name taken generations back. Garcia is my family's true last name. I love my Filipino heritage and I came from a long line of artists from there and felt I was honoring my family tradition by changing my name to another stage name.

What do you remember of the night in 1999 you debuted on Broadway in CATS?

Absolutely nothing! This is a trend in my life. Whenever something really good or really bad happens to me my brain decides to go on vacation and have an out of body experience, like the first time I go onstage for any role. I do remember the first time I walked into the Winter Garden Theater. That was incredible! It was the very first Broadway theater I had ever been in, and I was in complete awe. I miss being backstage and getting ready for a show. I miss the sound of an excited audience before the lights go down. I miss the smell of the old theaters and the feeling these places give you.

What's in the near future for Lena Hall?

More Snowpiercer! Season 3 is coming out soon. More music! New music and covers songs are all on the horizon.

Thank you again, Lena! I look forward to seeing/hearing you at the Bourbon Room October 11th.

For tickets to Lena Hall's one-nighter at the Bourbon Room October 11, 2021; log onto BourbonRoomHollywood.com