THE VOCAL EMPRESS
Before her first concer t in Bangkok on Monday, musical actress Pia Douwes recounts her professional life
lose your eyes. Hear the sound around you. Feel the environment in the room. Think of fear. How does it make you feel?”
Step-by-step, the teacher with piercing eyes instructed her students, hoping to bring the class to a musical transcendence.
“Now think of joy. Something that makes you happy. How does it make you feel? Feel different tensions and breathing?” She shifts to another emotional zone. “Don’t worry if you can’t feel it. Tell yourself you are about to take a step to grow. Be gentle to yourself.”
It was not a mediation or motivation class. Pia Douwes, one of Europe’s top musical divas, filled the room with her commanding yet soothing voice as she coached a group of selected singers and ingénues in an exclusive workshop at Yamaha music studio in Bangkok earlier this week.
While her name rings the loudest for musical lovers in Europe and the US, many Thai audiences would also raise their eyebrows at the actress and singer. Their next opportunity to do so? A charity concert on Monday at Thailand Culture Centre, Douwes’ firstever show in Bangkok, where she will perform songs from Broadway.
Her first name “Pia” is an acronym for Petronella (her Mom’s mother), Irene ( goddess of peace), and Allegonda (her Dad’s mother). It’s “peace between two grandmothers” and “I was born on Princess Irene’s birthday, so it’s the whole story in one name”, as Douwes explained to TV host and impresario Kanyarat Jiraratchakit, who brought the singer to this shore. Kanyarat was introduced to Douwes during her trip to Europe early this year and instantly fell in love with her vocal talent — so passionately so that she invited the songstress to perform in Thailand.
“I thought it was a joke when I was invited to Thailand, so I said, ‘ Sure, I’ll come’. And then the offer arrived. It’s serious! So I actually set my time. And now that I am here, I believe it’s real,” Douwes said in Bangkok this week.
The programme on Monday will consist of songs from musicals from her solo CD, entitled After All This Time, released late last year, a culmination of three decades in European showbiz, where she has taken on some of musical theatre’s most powerful roles, such as Grizabella in Cats, Sally Bowles in Cabaret, Eva Peron in Evita, Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard, Clara in Passion, Mrs Wilkinson in Billy Elliot, The Lady of the Lake from Spamalot — Monty Python, as well as Velma Kelly in Chicago, both for the West End and Broadway productions. In addition, she has embodied original powerhouse characters such as Mrs Danvers in Rebecca, Milady de Winter in Three Musketeers, making her the most sought- after leading actress in German, Dutch and Austrian musical theatres.
“My quality [ lies in my ability to] express my emotion through my voice. I think I am a storyteller — with my voice. You can hear every emotion in the voice. There are a lot of vocalists that sing beautifully. Mine is maybe not as beautiful but definitely very expressive, very authentic,” she described her vocalisation.
Her concert will be accompanied by pianist Bernd van den Bos, along with Thai talents including the VieMus Orchestra, the VieTrio, The Sound of Siam and Koh Mr Saxman.
The concert will feature such big numbers as I Dreamed A Dream, Maybe This Time, With One Look, Memory, Don’t Cry For Me, Argentina, and All That Jazz. Three songs originally performed in German and Dutch were also translated into English by Charles Hart, the lyricist for The Phantom Of The Opera.
But nothing compares to Elisabeth, the role that gave her a big break in 1992.
“Elisabeth is a big part of my life. It made me famous in Europe. As a performer it is a role that I really grow into. I perform a little girl and an older woman, and a whole life so the role really makes me who I am in my career.”
Elisabeth is a Viennese, German- language musical that portrays the life and death of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, aka Sissi, through the lens of her growing obsession with death as her marriage and her empire crumble around her at the turn of the century. Written by Michael Kunze and scored by Sylvester Levay, Elisabeth has been translated into seven languages and seen by over 10 million spectators worldwide, making it the most successful German-language musical of all time.
“It is a role of a lifetime and I still perform it — at 54,” said the actress who just arrived and celebrated her birthday on Aug 5 here in the City of Angels. Her solo album also features the musical’s theme song, I Live This Life For Me, which she crooned in seven languages including English, Dutch, German and Japanese.
But the path to success is not paved with rose petals. Following its premiere, the Viennese papers levied scornful criticism on the show, denying Douwes any talent in singing and acting.
“I was definitely burnt to the ground by the critics. But the critics abroad really liked what I did. I think criticism is not harsh when it’s constructive. When there’s a truth to it that you can do something about it. Criticism becomes harsh when it’s just lashing out because that’s what they want to do, then it becomes something personal,” she said.
“I decided not to read any critics anymore after 2002 because it’s the audience that comes. It’s the audience that decides if it likes the show. So when they keep coming, I’m like…” she paused with a shrug. In fact, the acclaimed star has reprised the title role, Elisabeth, numerous times since.
For Pia Douwes, 2018 is a special year. In spring, she was seen in Vienna in the world premiere of the musical EinWenigFarbe, written especially for her, and in the Netherlands she appeared at the garden of Soestdijk Palace for Elisabeth In Concert. This autumn, she will play Morticia Addams in a new Dutch adaptation of the Broadway hit-musical The Addams Family.
“Performing is about telling stories so when you tell a story at a different age, you tell it differently because you got different spirits. And I think to keep things fresh is to always think about there being something that you can grow into, or something different to tell.”
Asked if we could expect to see her in any lighthearted musicals, like a Disney role, she replied: “No, that’s not my type of role. But if there’s anything I’d love to play, it would be Cruella de Vil from 101 Dalmatians. I think she’s hysterical.”
What about a male role?
“Oh yes, Jesus Christ Superstar!” she replied in a heartbeat. “It’s just one of the most amazing scores that has ever been written. I sang Judas, I sang Jesus, all these roles, and I was cursing the fact that I was a woman because I want to play this show so much.”
From a nurse wannabe to a ballerina and a musical diva, what is her take on this journey?
“Wow. I don’t know. It happens!” she paused. “It’s probably like getting on a train — with your backpack. It’s empty at the beginning of life. You get off the station. You learn something and you put that in your backpack, then move on. And the train keeps going. Until the train crashes, and then you’re dead.” Then, she burst out laughing, just like what we would expect from Cruella de Vil.
To become a professional performer, she said talent alone would not suffice. “You need discipline and perseverance to pursue your goals. You need to have passion in what you do. I love what I am doing. And I still keep learning to do it well,” she said.
The charity concert “Pia Douwes Live In Bangkok” will take place on Monday at Thailand Cultural Centre at 7pm. Tickets cost 5,000 baht at thaiticketmajor.com.
I think I am a storyteller — with my voice. You can hear every emotion in the voice