Broadway performer enjoys summers spent in Whitefish

Actress and singer N'Kenge has a hard time picking a favorite song she'll perform during a trilogy of original shows brought to the stage this month by Alpine Theatre Project.

She finally settles on three — “Dat's Love,” “Jai Ho!” and “The Impossible Dream.”

In explaining her choices she notes that “Dat's Love” comes from the musical “Carmen Jones” and is the same arrangement in a new musical inspired by the life of legendary singer Dorothy Dandridge. She says “Jai Ho!” — a song from the movie “Slumdog Millionaire” — has a pop beat and gives her the chance to sing in both Hindi and English. She says she loves singing “The Impossible Dream” because its words speak volumes and “no matter where you are in life you can dream anything.”

Her three choices are a great example of the range of songs theater goers will experience during Alpine Theater Project's trilogy of new original shows titled “Life, Liberty and The Pursuit of Happiness.” The shows debut this week.

“The shows are really the Broadway experience,” she said. “The three shows are highlights, but it's not just singing, there is full choreography. This is different takes on these different musicals with rock and bluegrass. It's the best of all these different shows.”

Known for originating the role of Mary Wells in Broadway's “Motown: The Musical,” N'Kenge graduated from both the prestigious Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music. She has performed in a number of roles in musical theater and performs solo concerts at venues like Carnegie Hall.

Sitting in the lobby of the Whitefish Performing Arts Center between rehearsals, N'Kenge recently sat down with the Pilot to talk about why she enjoys working with ATP and the chance it has given her to experience new things with her daughter.

The Alpine Theatre Project's summer season opens at the Whitefish Performing Arts Center July 13 with shows running through July 29.

Directed by Betsi Morrison, the cast also includes, Amelia Cormack, Nyssa Duchow, Mike Eldred, DeWitt Fleming Jr, Eric Michael Krop, Erin N. Moore, Halladay Quist, Soara-Joye Ross, Dan Sharkey, Rebecca Spear, Becky Stout and Luke Walrath.

The three shows are original music revues containing 90 songs in 15 different languages in 20 different musical styles performed by 14 Broadway singers and dancers, and five professional musicians.

“Life — The Broadway Experience” opens the series. It's described as a “celebration of the shared moments in life's journey through the music of classic Broadway shows.”

“Liberty — The American Experience” looks at those pivotal moments in time that have shaped American history though soaring Broadway melodies.

“The Pursuit of Happiness — The Global Experience” is a celebration of the world through music and dance.

N'Kenge said the cast and crew have collaborated together to create the three shows almost from scratch in just a few weeks time.

“We brainstorm,” she said. “Director Betsi Morrison has a vision for where she wants to go and all of us the artists get together and brainstorm. Normally you maybe have a week to put the show together, but you already know what you're doing. This is much more challenging, but it's inspirational.”

She pointed to a song that comes from “Smokey Joe's Cafe” that was adapted to be sung by all of the women in the cast. She enjoyed getting the chance to write new verses to the song so her character would have lines to sing and putting her own personal touch on the version the cast will sing for the ATP performances.

“This has been one of the most challenging summers working for ATP,” she said. “I'm using my opera background in a way I don't usually get to in musical theatre and I'm singing in five different languages. I love using my mind and figuring out new ways to perform the songs.”

This is N'Kenge's third summer preforming with ATP. She stared in “Little Shop of Horrors” before returning for a second time performing in the repertory season for “Chicago, “Big Fish,” and “Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash.”

After that first summer, she was ready to return.

“I fell in love with Whitefish,” she said. “After that I was like, I'll be here whenever I'm available. And now I'm back and we're doing something completely different.”

N'Kenge returns to Whitefish this summer with her 2-year-old daughter. One of the best experiences they've had outside the theatre here has been the opportunity to visit a farm where mother and daughter got the chance to milk sheep and collect chicken eggs.

N'Kenge grew up and still lives in New York City, but when she was a child her mother would send her to Florida to visit her great-grandmother who lived near a farm.

“Living in the city and now being able to expose my daughter to that is very special,” she said.

N'Kenge's daughter will also appear in one of the shows playing her daughter during a few musical numbers.

“This is her first experience on stage with lights and an audience,” she said. “I'm excited to be right there when she is having that new experience. It's exciting to have that versus sometime when she is on stage with her friends for her first dance recital.”

For tickets and more info on Alpine Theatre Project, go to http://www.atpwhitefish.org.