Sam’s Club

Entertainer Sam Harris gives back with a benefit concert for the Actor’s Fund

BY JEREMY KINSER

Since he dazzled television viewers with his virtuoso singing and impressive fourteen week winning streak on Star Search in 1983, Sam Harris has become a consummate performer’s performer. Who can forget Oprah Winfrey’s breathless declaration that “Sam could make Jesus walk through the door!” after inviting him on her show the week following Sept. 11, 2001 to sing “You'll Never Walk Alone?“ With hit albums, acclaimed turns in films and sitcoms, and award-nominated Broadway stage performances on his resumé, Harris now returns to what he does best — standing in front of a microphone and simply singing. On Dec. 3 the voice that’s dazzled famous friends like Liza and Rosie will perform a benefit concert for the Actor’s Fund at Hollywood’s Pantages Theatre. At a coffee shop near the Silver Lake home he shares with his partner of twelve years, Harris chatted animatedly about his career, his famous friends, and advice for young singers.

FRONTIERS: You got your big break as a Star Search winner, what’s your take on American Idol?

SAM HARRIS: I don’t watch American Idol so much. There’s a lot of great talent that’s come out of it. I’m not crazy about criticism that encourages people to be the same. The reason they want them to sing like someone is because that person was original. The idea of conformity and “this is what a star is” is a little bullshit to me. But I love it as a platform for talent.

I’m not saying that Clay Aiken is gay, but there seems to be a lot of evidence. Do you think he'd be happier if he followed your example and just came out already?

During my first record at Motown, every body in the industry—certainly everyone I knew—knew I was gay. There was a thing in the press where they couldn’t ask me any personal questions, I had to use the term “they” and vague terms and that was pretty awful. It was a different time then. Gay has become pretty and fancy and educated and it wasn’t that way so much. So yes, anyone would be happier I think. On the other hand, if someone is not comfortable with themselves and they live in that kind of fear, they’re not necessarily a good role model anyway. So I’m not into the dragging-somebody-out feel. We need people who are strong and who can stand up and say “This is who I am and what’s the big deal?”

Speaking of strong, a friend of mine swears that you have a strong black woman inside you who comes out when you sing.

[Laughs.] I grew up listening to Aretha and Patti LaBelle. I learned to sing from listening to those women. I always wondered “how the fuck did they get those notes?” I learned how to sing from church and from listening to them—absolutely.

I know that you and Liza are besties. What do you two like to do when she visits?

There is nothing more fun than driving around with Liza in Los Angeles and you hear this history because she lived everywhere. “Here is where my father did this and here is where my mother did that.” You get this incredible Hollywood history that’s better than any guided van tour.

You've been sober for several years. Any advice to gay and lesbian people with substance problems or the Britneys of the world?

Nobody can take you there until you’re ready. The great thing about being an alcoholic, especially in Los Angeles, is we don’t have to do it alone. Everyone of us—whatever our issues are—thinks we’re the only one experiencing this. There is nothing I have experienced that a gazillion other people haven’t experienced. In short, my advice would be when you’re ready, you’re ready. Put up the white flag and you will be saved.

Sam Harris will perform on Dec. 3 at 8 p.m. at the Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., L.A. For tickets, call (323) 933-9244 ext. 59. For more information on Harris, visit www.samharris.com.

LIMITED RUN

THE MISMATCH GAME

Just in time for the holidays, Dennis Hensley and his company of L.A.'s fastest, craziest, funniest comic talents returns for a new edition The Mismatch Game. Renberg Theatre. Fri., Nov. 30. 8 p.m. $15. www.lagaycenter.org.

BOB BAKER’S NUTCRACKER

Will showcase an extravaganza of over 100 puppets including Sugar Plum Fairies and the Mouse King. From marionettes to shadow puppets, this hour-long production of a timeless holiday classic runs through Dec. 29. The Bob Baker Marionette Theater. 2:30 p.m. & 10:30 p.m. $10.-$15. 213/250-9995. www.bobbakermarionettes.com.

LOVE SWEET LOVE

Theater League presents the world premiere of Love Sweet Love, a new musical featuring 31 songs by famed composers Burt Bacharach and Hal David, celebrating the 50th anniversary of their legendary collaboration, and book by C. Ben Wolfe. Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. Dec. 4-9. 2 p.m. & 8 p.m. $39.-$42. 213/480-3232. www.lovesweetlovethemusical.com.

HOMO MUST

THE WINTER WONDERETTES

This sequel set six months after the end of popular The Marvelous Wonderettes, finds the girls returning to their hometown for a holiday celebration with their family and friends, complete with renditions of '60s holiday tunes. El Portal Forum Theatre. Nov. 24-Dec. 30. $45.-$45.95. 888/505-7469. www.marvelouswonderettes.com.

ON STAGE

Shakespeare's R&J

Chandler Studios, through Dec. 3
**

Well, I'll go so far as to admit that Derek Charles Livinston has staged this cleanly, but the sense of the piece is missing altogether. Joe Calcaro's script just seems to leap from repressed boys' school Latin drills to an all-male staging of Romeo and Juliet and there never seem to be any stakes involved. What is the danger, exactly? Who are these boys to each other? And why are they compelled to do this particular piece at all? Eric Fagundes, Topher Brattain, Wyatt Fenner, and David Pintado approach their roles with vigor, and even if there's not a lot of nuance the performers are always engaging. Though Pintado would seem to have the soft, rounded features of a born Juliet, the lanky, angular Fenner works the ingénue better than one would expect. Brattain's decision to play the Nurse as Darth Vader, however briefly, may have been pushing the boyish thing a bit far, though. —WENZEL JONES

Tonight at 8:30, Part I: If Love Were All

Deaf West Theatre, through Dec. 23
****

There's something delightfully old school about this production, in which eight Noël Coward one-acts, four per evening, are performed in repertory. Casts for Part I are split between the Mad Dogs and Englishmen companies but there was plenty of cross-pollination on opening night, making it possible to see actors such as the delightful Susan Sullivan, the dapper Bill Brochtrup, or the estimable Anne Gee Byrd in at least two and probably more roles. These are not the arch, brittle showcases of Private Lives and Blithe Spirit, but rather lighter fare with a bit more heart and drama. There are also great lashings of silliness, particularly in the offering "Hands Across the Sea," a sterling lesson in the importance of good manners in carrying one through just about anything, in this case the arrival of houseguests who are not at all who the hosts think they are. See them all, see them twice, it's grand. —W.J.