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POWER LUNCHWITH MUSICAL MAESTROS KEITH THOMPSON AND PHI

by leslie frisbee. photos bysabin c

In a city where entertainers are a dime a dozen, and shows open and close faster than a Penn & Teller sleight-of-hand,

15 minutes of fame seems more a rite of passage than a cliche.

However, there are those rare few, whose star is destined to shine, even in the middle of rural Mississippi, thousands of

miles from the glitz and glam and where the only neon light belongs to the local Motel 6. This is precisely the case for

musical maestros Keith Thompson and Philip Fortenberry.

While their names may not be instandy recognizable, collectively, their professional credits include some of the most

world-renowned musical dieater productions on Broadway and the Las Vegas Strip.

During the past 25 years, the William Carey University graduates have performed in such shows as Jesus Christ Superstar,

We Will Rock You, Mamma Mia!, Hairspray, The Producers, Saturday Night Fever and Jersey Boys.

I recendy caught up with the dynamic duo at power lunch spot Marche Bacchus in Summerlin.

Before sitting down to a gourmet lunch prepared by Executive Chef Dave Middleton, Bacchus' owner, Rhonda Wyatt,

assisted Thompson and Fortenberry in selecting a Tavel rose—the perfect complement to the stunning lakeside setting.

On the menu: torchon of foie gras, roasted beet salad, seared sea scallops and crab cakes

Why is Marche Bacchus your favorite powerlunch spot?

KT: It's about being out on the water, where I don't feellike I'm in Las Vegas. When we found this place, we wereinstantly enamored; it tends to inspire you—feelings,emotions and creativity.

PF: It's an oasis. When I leave here, I feel like I've beensomewhere. It's the antitiiesis of what you drink of whenyou think Vegas.

You both have worked together and collaborated onseveral projects: Hairspray, We Will Rock You, JerseyBoys etc. Is there one project that stands out morethan the others?

KT: I would have to say We Will Rack You. I had been of-fered Mama Mia! here in Vegas a year and a half beforeand I turned it down. However, when the opportunity towork with Queen came around ... I just couldn't pass itup. The music, band and musicians are some of the bestI've ever worked with. It was, for me, my favorite musicaland theatrical experience.

PF: I had come from working on nine shows on Broad-'way, prior to We Will Rock You ... playing music in thestyle of [Queen] is one thing, but being spoon feed musicby Queen's Brian May is the real deal. GodUves in Glass isalso a performers dream.

I had the great fortune to see God Lives in Glass and•was very moved by the production. Tell me how thatcame about.

KT: I was working at New York University in 2002 whenthe director I was working with introduced me to RobertLandy, who wrote the book God Lives in Glass. He sug-gested we do a musical version of it. And having justcome out of 9/11, it seemed like such a great way ofbridging the gap of the cultural division that was goingon at die time. The experience of writing that was unlikeany other experience I've had.

PF: As a pianist, it's incredibly significant to have a com-poser write a piece knowing the hands that will ultimatelyplay it were the inspiration for the material ... there'snothing quite like that experience.

Composer's Showcase is such a treat for both enter-tainers and locals. Tell me how that came about andhow the community has received it?

KT: Michael Brennan, who was the conductor of MammaMia!, and I are both writers. We thought it would be in-teresting if we had a night where we did a showcase thatjust featured original music. So, we got four composersand began doing it every month. We found a home atthe liberace Museum ... at the time, no one knew aboutus. Now it's gone from this tiny idea at this litde gaycabaret on the Fruit Loop to the Jazz Cabaret at TheSmith Center.

DIAMOND: :

C U I S I N E

PF: The thing about entertainers is, we have to do this;we have to find an outlet. The locals know we're going tocreate something to feed our artistic self. So, it's the localpeople who've seen everything on the Strip who look forus. And many of those same people, who now come tothe Jazz Cabaret, would show up an hour early to Lib-erace Museum just to make sure they could get a table.

Phillip, I understand that you play Michael Douglas'fingers in Behind the Candelabra. What was that ex-perience like?

PF: I'm the piano double. Initially, they were looking fora hand double—someone whose hands looked like Mi-chael Douglas'. Then they wanted to make sure I couldplay. It was really intense. I not only had to learn Lib-erace's mannerisms, I had to learn his entire repertoire.

You are both part of Jersey Boys, which, undoubt-edly, is one of the best productions in Las Vegas.Tell me what it's like to be part of that production.

KT: I went after this job. I heard they were coming, soI contacted them and I was told there wasn't a job forme. So I flew myself out to New York, went throughthe training. After doing that, they let me conduct it onBroadway as my audition, and I go the job. It's very excit-ing to have a great job in a great show. It's a wonderfulscript and so beautifully directed. And the music is themusic I grew up with

PF: Las Vegas and Broadway are all about who you know.Keith had gotten the job, and I guess he told them hewould like me as his associate ... and it was just a given.It's wonderful to be part of something so great.

What was the first professional musical productionyou saw and where was it?

KT: A Chorus Line. It's about dancing, but it's a remark-able piece of music. So, when I was in college, [A ChorusLine] was brand new and everyone was listening to it ...then I got to go to New York and see it. I was hooked.

PF: The show that affected me most deeply was Sideshow.The opening number is called Come Look at the Freaks. Iwas 4 years old when I realized I was gifted to play thepiano—like I play now. People would come from all overto see me play, so I always felt like a sideshow attraction.

If you weren't in the entertainment business whatwould you be doing?

KT: Wine. When I was doing Hairspray, they closed uswith one-week notice. So, I found a course starting theday after Hairspray closed, and 10 months later, I was asommelier.

PF: I would love to work for CarMaxthink I would make a great salesman.

I love cars. I

If you could have power lunch -with one person liv-ing or dead, who would it be?

KT: I would probably choose Karen MacNeil, who wroteThe Wine Bible; it's my favorite wine reference book.

PF: Liberace, mainly because I would love to gain accessto that business savvy and marketing expertise that madehim an icon. ̂

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30 NOVEMBER 2012