It’s been six years since Telly Leung last appeared in Los Angeles. After his role in Glee he went to Broadway. He’s had major roles in several Broadway shows including a revival of Godspell, Allegiance and In Transit. Just last month he concluded a nearly two-year run as the title character in Aladdin.
But there was a two-year gap between Godspell and Allegiance. Those were troubling times for Leung. And it is his journey through those times that form the foundation of his cabaret show, Sing Happy. Leung will be performing that show on Monday, March 18th Upstairs at Vitello’s in Studio City.
Two days after he finished his run in Aladdin we spoke about the surgery that could have ended his career, how personal his cabaret shows are and whether Broadway really is the impossible dream.
Can you talk about the surgery you had and why you had it?
There’s a surgeon coming for your vocal chords with a knife. It’s frightening. Knowing the story of Julie Andrews, it’s frightening. [The star of Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music was diagnosed with non-cancerous nodules on her vocal chords. After the surgery her gorgeous singing voice was ruined.] When you have a vocal injury you think it’s taboo and you can’t talk about it. I was sidelined for six weeks and that time allowed me to heal my voice and my life. I had never said “no.” There’s a deep-seated fear that an actor will never work again. So you just say “yes” to things without considering if this is healthy for me to do. In that six weeks I had a lot of time with my family and my husband and his family. In many ways it was the best thing that happened and the worst thing.
This surgery is fairly common. Why is it taboo in the theatre community?
You’re damaged goods. So many people that I know as singers had this exact same thing happen. And they recovered and were fine. Why are we afraid to talk about it? I felt like there was this aura of mystery around it. After I went through it I felt it shouldn’t be a mystery. When athletes hurt themselves they get sidelined and they come back. That’s what happened to me. Why can’t we talk about it when athletes can? Me telling this story has helped other people. What I do well is cabaret shows and I’m able to tell my story in a creative, fun and musical way.
You performed Sing Happy at Birdland in November. Did you make any changes in the show since that performance?
I always make changes. When I did the show at Birdland nobody knew the story. I did it for an audience that knew me, but didn’t know what had happened. Now that I talk about it, the story is different. I haven’t sung in Los Angeles since 2013. When I do a show for an LA audience I get to revisit some fun Broadway stuff I don’t have to do for New Yorkers.
I last saw your cabaret show at the Magic Castle in 2010. What have you learned about cabaret shows since then?
Oh my gosh. That was the first time I ventured out doing a one-person show like that. I’d just come off doing Rent. There’s a level of comfort I have now doing it. When audiences come to see me in a cabaret show they are coming to see me. I feel like I want to give a piece of me away at the show. That is so much easier for me to do now. The stories I’m doing now are a little harder and I have more courage.
Part of the story in that 2010 show was about your parents coming to terms with your career choice and your sexuality. I assume they are thrilled by both your career and your marriage?
If you had asked me then, “Hey Telly. You’ll be married to this person and your parents will be there and be okay with it.” I would have said, “That’s crazy.” We got married at Sardi’s. Both of our parents come from religious families, his in Indiana and my Chinese family. They did not meet until the wedding. They’ve really come a long way and I really have to give my parents the credit for evolving.
Speaking of Sardi’s, you were recently added to their gallery of Broadway stars with portraits. That must have been a special night.
It was very special. I think the folks at Sardi’s knew what that meant to me because of our marriage. To be in a big Broadway show, my seventh Broadway show, was a wonderful opportunity for me as an Asian-American actor. They felt this was the time. It was an honor. That’s your community saying “job well-done.”
There’s a lyric in the song “Sing Happy” (from the Kander & Ebb musical Flora, the Red Menace) that I’d love you to respond to:
“Tell me tomorrow’s gonna be peaches and cream
Assure me clouds are lined with a silver lining
Say how you’ve realized an impossible dream
Sing me a happy song”
That lyric refers to a dark cloudy time wondering if I was ever going to sing again. There is a time where you are mute and don’t talk and you talk to the voice inside your head. But I hoped for a silver lining. This is a crazy dream for a lot of people. There are so many who dream of being on Broadway. I am living proof that it is possible. Broadway is attainable. It may not happen when you want it to. But if you really want to be a part of this community – and it may or may not be a part of performing – there is something for you. The doors are open in theatre. Our arms are open wide for you to come and join us. I don’t think Broadway is that impossible dream.
Telly Leung will be also be performing Sing Happy at Martini’s Above Fourth in San Diego on Saturday, March 16th.
Main photo by Michael Kushner. All photos courtesy of Telly Leung.