“Love and Hope” The Big Event comes to CBI

By Martin Finston, Q&A with Rabbi Hazzan Jonathan Angress

Congregation B’nai Israel’s Big Event this year will feature Lauren Molina, a multiple award-winning actress and singer.  Ms. Molina’s Broadway recent credits include leading roles in the Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd and the Broadway run of Rock of Ages.  Ms. Molina’s co-performer will be our own Rabbi Jonathan Angress, who kindly agreed to this interview with the NMJJ.

How do you know Ms. Molina?

I saw Lauren in Sweeney Todd and in Rock of Ages. We were introduced personally in 2014 by my voice teacher, Paul Schoeffler.  At the time, I was looking for a performer with Broadway experience for a concert performance at my synagogue in Florida.  I sang with her in that concert.  But to get ready, I had to work really hard on my performance skills.  I took voice lessons, rehearsed, and even took lessons in acting and stagecraft.

Various critics have described Ms. Molina as having a “soaring voice” (Chicago Sun Times), as a “sweet voiced soprano” (New York Times), as having a “powerful and flexible voice”, and as a singer whose “vocal diversity ranges from pop belting to coloratura soprano”.  Will this full range be on display at the Big Event?  

Yes, for sure.  Lauren and I selected a program to showcase her full stylistic range.  By the way, a music critic I know described Lauren’s wide-ranging vocal gifts as “a freak of nature”, and I can’t disagree.

How did you pick the theme of “Love and Hope”?  

It couldn’t feel out of place given the turmoil we’ve been seeing the last couple of years, worldwide and especially, in the Jewish community.  “Love and Hope” seemed just right for offering our audience some respite from anxiety, and for reminding everyone of the power of love and unity. This was never meant to be a “Broadway concert” as such.  Instead, we looked at popular music, show tunes, and contemporary and historical Jewish compositions and put together a very diverse program with a unifying theme.  One piece from the cantorial tradition honors my own professional roots, and one piece sung in Ladino honors the Sefardi contribution to New Mexico history.  And we included some humor as well.

Did you select any pieces that are personally meaningful to you or to Ms. Molina?  
We love all these songs.  But there is one song that I think is very special to Lauren.  In 2012, Lauren co-starred with Jason Tam in a new version of the musical Marry Me a Little, a revue in which songs from earlier Sondheim musicals were set in a dialogue-free drama about social isolation. Lauren was very much involved in re-creating this musical, and we’ll be singing a selection from it.

We know that Fiddler was the first musical you fell in love with.   Do you have any favorite musicals these days?   

My current favorites are Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera.  I especially like Phantom for the story.  But I have a special attachment to Les Mis.  I first encountered Les Mis in high school, when I was selected for the role of Javert in the spring musical.  In those days, I was very shy and reserved.  But that acting experience went a long way toward drawing me out of my shell.  It also taught me the social skills I needed in order to find acceptance with my peers.  I look back on that production as the time I first started to blossom as a person.

Historically, Broadway has been heavily influenced by Jewish composers and librettists.  Is that still true, or do you see it changing?  

It’s still true.  You know, it’s an old cliché to refer to Broadway as a Jewish club for artistic and creative individuals.  But I’ve seen a shift recently, to a greater prevalence of Jewish or Jewish-related subject matter in the plays themselves.  I’m thinking, for example, of the 2023 Broadway revival of Parade, which deals with the lynching of Leo Frank in 1915 Georgia.  Or the 2024 Broadway revival of Cabaret.  Also, I’m seeing surprisingly many revivals of Fiddler on the Roof, regionally and even internationally.  I interpret all of these as gestures of solidarity with the Jewish community at this time of uncertainty.

What advice would you have for a young person who is considering a career in vocal performance?  

Leave no stone unturned.  By that, I mean take advantage of every opportunity to perform.  Find someone to study with.  If you have questions, don’t hesitate to ask them.  Never be shy in pursuing your craft.  Also:  Remember that practice makes permanent, not perfect.  So recognize bad habits and fix them before it’s too late.

What would you say is the biggest reason to come hear this concert?  

Come to this concert to hear a phenomenal singer with Broadway credits, in a more intimate setting than you will find in a typical theater.