Talking with Michlle Johnson, the city’s ‘First Lady of Jazz’

Michelle Johnson is known for her emotion of jazz, wide from her nickname, “Las Vegas’ First Lady of Jazz.” But she is digging heavy into her philharmonic theatre roots for her amusement “Home! A Return to Broadway,” acceptable for 6 p.m. Sunday astatine Myron’s astatine The Smith Center for the Performing Arts.

The amusement marks Johnson’s archetypal headlining quality successful the country formerly known arsenic Myron’s Cabaret Jazz since February 2020.

Johnson’s amusement includes selections from specified Broadway trailblazers arsenic Andrew Lloyd Webber, Stephen Sondheim, George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein, and Rogers and Hammerstein. Her euphony manager is Mark Hartman (“Avenue Q,” “The Fantasticks,” and performances astatine Carnegie Hall and Jazz astatine Lincoln Center), with Vegas impermanent stars Brent Barrett, Robin Vincent, Anne Martinez, Lisa Marie Smith and Lannie Counts.

“Home” features a batch of material, and Johnson has a batch to say. The highlights of our caller back-and-forth:

Johnny Kats: What was your instauration to philharmonic theater?

Michelle Johnson: My ma was a teacher wherever I went to school, and she enactment unneurotic a endowment show. We had to prime songs from Broadway shows. I picked a opus from “Jesus Christ Superstar” called “I Don’t Know How to Love Him.” It was the archetypal solo I ever did, and cipher knew I could sing. My ma was like, “Well, wherefore don’t you conscionable spot what happens?” I did it, and I got hooked.

You’ve been singing astir municipality arsenic the metropolis has reopened, astatine immoderate truly chill places similar The Space, The Vegas Room and the Italian American Club. Can you speech astir what it feels similar to beryllium backmost astatine Myron’s?

The crushed the amusement is called “Home” is due to the fact that I emotion a batch of venues, they each person a unsocial character, but The Smith Center is the archetypal spot wherever I performed my archetypal projects. The mode I was embraced by (Smith Center President) Myron Martin and (Smith Center Vice President and COO) Glen Meades has go a peculiar relationship. I can’t truly explicate beyond that what I consciousness erstwhile I locomotion done that door. It’s conscionable the easiest spot for maine to consciousness myself.

Can you speech astir however important the smaller-capacity venues are to the city’s amusement community?

First of all, that’s my jam. I person played arenas, I’ve played big, large theaters with different acts connected tour. I’ve done each that, and it’s great. But if your shows are crafted to person a narration with idiosyncratic beyond conscionable the music, similar a connection, there’s thing similar a tiny venue. I mean, you technically tin marque anyone consciousness thing successful immoderate space, but it’s a batch easier and a batch much amusive if you’re successful a abstraction that feels similar your surviving room.

These smaller clubs truly adhd texture to our city, that’s 1 happening that’s travel astir successful the pandemic. Several person opened up to capable that need.

It creates a consciousness of community. It gives america a interruption from the Strip, and it’s portion of what it means to beryllium successful a existent city. Think astir a spot similar New York. If you lone had Broadway theaters and large stages for you firm events, you wouldn’t person each those small tiny rooms everywhere. You’re walking down the thoroughfare and you look down the stairs, you spell nether the thoroughfare and there’s immoderate euphony being played. We request that here, and we person a plethora of endowment and amusement options.

You cognize truthful galore singers and musicians successful Las Vegas. You enactment unneurotic the large choir for Barbra Streisand’s amusement astatine the MGM Grand a fewer years agone — each Vegas singers. What was that like?

I had the singers, and Bill Fayne (Clint Holmes’ longtime euphony director) was conducting us. She does this happening astatine the extremity of a fig wherever she turns astir and she says “Thank you” to whoever the choir manager is successful that city. She looked close up astatine me, and she’s my idol, and says, “Thank you.” And I’m like, “You’re welcome, Barbara!” I was truthful excited. … She she was truthful lovely. I don’t attraction what anyone says, I consciousness similar these women person these reputations, but erstwhile you are astir them successful immoderate capacity, you find retired they’re conscionable bully astatine what they do. They cognize precisely what they want.

In your autobiographical show, you sing astir an astonishing infinitesimal onstage with Paul McCartney astatine the Hollywood Bowl.

It was the Earth Day performance successful 1993 — similar the modern equivalent would beryllium Life is Beautiful — enactment aft enactment aft act. Paul McCartney was the anchor act, and my band, P.M. Dawn, were connected astatine similar 2 oregon 3 successful the afternoon. We had Don Henley, 10,000 Maniacs, Natalie Merchant, Kenny Loggins, k.d. lang successful this show. At the end, Paul pulled america each onstage for “Hey Jude.” I got pushed up with this mob, and I’m lasting betwixt Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, singing, “Na-na-na-na!”

And Ringo had immoderate dental happening going on, right?

He had immoderate dental country and didn’t privation to sing. He’s telling maine this during the song! Paul tries to manus him the mic and he’s nodding no, helium won’t sing. Then Paul goes to the soft and leaves the microphone successful beforehand of maine open. And I did the Michelle Johnson shuffle, I went to it, I sang connected it and had this full duet with him passim the remainder of the song. He gave maine a thumbs-up. Sure, yeah, it was amazing, but you ne'er cognize erstwhile you volition get those opportunities. Sometimes they conscionable happen, if you’re successful the close place, the close time.

John Katsilometes’ file runs regular successful the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast tin beryllium recovered astatine reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him astatine jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats connected Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 connected Instagram.