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Jon Jon Briones, producer Enda Markey on their show 'Do You Hear The People Sing?' at the Hollywood Bowl
Enda Markey was only two when his mother took him to the movie "Grease."
"When we sat in the cinema, I stood in the seat and stared at the movie for the full two hours. I was completely enthralled by it, and it never happened before," he recalled with a smile.
Then the following year, his parents took him to see Annie in Dublin, and he had the same response. "I remember it so, so vividly. I was completely enthralled and completely in love with Jacinta Whyte, the girl who played Annie. She was also Ellen in Miss Saigon in the West End. And that changed my life. I remember it and I never, ever wanted to do anything else."
Now a successful theatrical producer, the Irish-born, Sydney-based former singer and actor is behind such productions as "Side by Side by Sondheim," "Blood Brothers," "Defying Gravity: The Songs of Stephen Schwartz," "Bobby Fox: The Irish Boy, Ruthie Henshall - Live & Intimate," "Anna O'Byrne - Becoming Eliza," and "Do You Hear The People Sing?"
The latter production, in fact, which premiered at the Shanghai Grand Theatre in 2013, at Resorts World Manila in 2014 (with Lea Salonga), at Taipei International Convention (with Jennifer Paz) the same year, then at the Sydney Opera House and Arts Center in Melbourne in 2022, is debuting at the Hollywood Bowl on July 28 with no less than Jon Jon Briones and Emily Bautista (former Kim in Miss Saigon in 2017).
Other artists joining Briones and Bautista include no less than Patrick Wilson, Skylar Astin, Nikki Renee Daniels, Rachel Tucker and Marie Zamora. Kevin Stites will be the conductor.
As for having Briones and Bautista in the show, Markey revealed, "I saw Jon Jon in Miss Saigon. I missed the US tour when Emily took over. But I saw her on Broadway. The cover came on Broadway, and she took over in the US tour and played Eponine in Les Misérables as well. She just finished playing Eponine in Les Misérables at The Muny, which was successful. So, I'm excited. She's fantastic. And Jon Jon is a legend.
He added, "Both have incredible voices, but Jon Jon is a force of nature. There's nothing that anybody can do that's like what he does. And that's been demonstrated. He's just finished a run in Hadestown on Broadway. His huge success in Miss Saigon in London and on Broadway and on DVD is a testament. And let's not forget, he's been a part of Miss Saigon since 1989, since the very, very first cast in London. So, he's got form with this show."
Asked how his collaboration with Boublil and Schonberg started, Markey narrated, "That was one of those amazingly fortuitous things, just the right place at the right time. I produced my first ever show, the first ever big show in Australia, which was the Stephen Sondheim review, Side By Side By Sondheim. And Ruthie Henshall, who was a big West End and Broadway star, had come out to do three songs in that concert.
"And afterward, we'd been talking about what I wanted to do next, I said I'd love to do a Boublil and Schönberg concert, but they've never granted permission for one before. There have been things they've been involved with but never granted to a third party. Ruthie, who knew them from her time in Les Misérables and Miss Saigon introduced me. It's been 12 years now that we've been doing this show. So, I owe her. I'm very grateful."
Asked why Hollywood Bowl was his first choice for his first US show, Markey replied, "Hollywood Bowl is everyone's first choice. People have said to me when I've been telling them about it, 'You'll never take this off your resume.' It's true because it's a milestone in anybody's career, no matter who you are. I was there a couple of weeks ago talking to the security guard at the car park because there's a big LED screen at the front and I went down to take a picture of the "Do You Hear The People Sing?" marquis and I was a bit embarrassed about it, and he said, 'We see the biggest stars in the world going down there to see their name on the Hollywood Bowl sign. It doesn't matter who you are, it's really exciting.' It's my first show in the US as well, so that's exciting in itself."
His show, in fact, will be the first show he will see at the Hollywood Bowl. "That's kinda cool!" he said. "I'm there for a week and I'm hoping to get to see some stuff on the week that we're there, but I don't know if I'll have time. They program great stuff, so lucky to have it."
We asked the former singer and actor how he got involved with theatrical production. "That day when I had that conversation. So, I had been in 'Side By Side By Sondheim,' we were touring Australia, and it was quite successful. When we decided to do the big concert version of it and there were four or five other male singers in it, I was sitting watching it and I thought, if I was casting this as a producer, I'm not thinking would I cast me or would I cast any of those people? And I thought I cast them first.
"It was a moment of clarity where I got to go, 'I'm enjoying this bit more than the stress of going on stage and all that stuff.' It was the best decision I ever made because I've been doing it for 12 years now. I've had the opportunity to travel the world and to meet amazing people and work with my musical idols at every turn. It's amazing. And now I'm doing a show at the Hollywood Bowl, which I still can't quite believe it. But yeah, it was a great choice those years ago."
Markey, who also worked with Lea Salonga and Jennifer Paz in the earlier versions of the show, has only praises for the two talented singers.
He gushed, "I love Jennifer Paz. They're the best singers in the world. Filipinos are the best singers in the world. Lea did the first version of this concert before I came on board when there was a symphony concert in the US, and then she did it in China for me.
"Ten years ago, we did a concert in Manila where we had Marie Zamora, who's at the Hollywood Bowl with us, who was the original French Cosette, and David Harris and Lea, who were part of the international tour at that time. Then we had all these amazing Filipino artists who have been part of Miss Saigon since its beginning. So, Menchu Lauchengco, Michael Williams, Carla Guevara-Laforteza, all these amazing people.
"We did two nights at Resorts World, as it was called, in Manila, and raised enough money to build 200 homes and a school room that had been devastated by Typhoon Yolanda.
Manila Show
Other performers at the Manila show include Joreen Bautista, Mikkie Bradshaw-Volante, David Ezra, Jep Go, and Esang De Torres.
The fundraiser show at Resorts World Manila in January 2014, in fact, raised $550,000 for the rebuilding of 200 homes devastated by Typhoon Yolanda. So how was he able to pull that off, we asked.
"I wish I could take the credit for it. There's a great team there. They have full-house productions with their in-house production company. And we had a great relationship from working with them last time. And so last year when they asked about doing it again, we jumped at the opportunity to go back. So, they do all the hard work. We just arrived and put the show together, but they rehearsed it. Gerard Salonga, who's Lea's brother, is our conductor. So, all the work is happening already before we get there."
The idea for the fundraising concert happened, he recalled, when he was in Taipei doing the show there "when we'd seen the news. We were with Lea, and we saw the news, and said, well, what can we do to help? And our wonderful team got together, and it was the quickest it's ever happened. I think that was January, and we were in Manila in March. So, it was very quick, and we had all the stars aligned to make it work."
While he was in the Philippines, "somebody tried to make me eat balut. There was a skeptic in part of me. But I did eat adobo and I do cook adobo fairly regularly because it's delicious. And there's a sour soup, sinigang, that I'm going to try next time. I've been to Manila a few times and I've always been impressed with the hospitality."
After the Hollywood Bowl performance, the show will be in Manila on August 2 (Friday) and 3 (Saturday) at the Newport Performing Arts Theater (formerly called Resorts World Manila). Markey explained, "Five days after Hollywood Bowl, we will be in Manila. We leave the morning after the Hollywood Bowl and we get there on a Tuesday, by which time they'll have done two days of rehearsal. And then we're on Friday and Saturday night."
Markey shared that "a couple of the cast are staying longer in the Philippines and they're going to Palawan, a beach resort with these amazing huts and beautiful blue oceans. The next time I go there, I'm definitely going to stay a bit longer. The first time I was there, I didn't leave Resorts World. Apart from going to the airport and back, I didn't actually leave the building because we were so busy. The last time I was there, I got to be a tourist for a little while, see some shows, eat some food, and catch up with some friends."
So, after Manila, is he planning to tour this production somewhere else?
"After Manila, we're on a break," Markey said. "I'm doing 'Carousel' in Australia. And we're working on more international dates for 'Do You Hear The People Sing.' And I've got another show called 'Defying Gravity: The Songs of Stephen Schwartz,' so we're looking at 2025 as well. So, I get a little rest at the end of this year, but not for long."
As for the secret of his success, Markey shared, "I'm very passionate about what I do. I'm very passionate about musical theatre and I think that helps because it can be hard work sometimes. I'm diligent and I've got attention to detail. I like to focus on the detail. I've also got a great team of people with me now. Which is something that's happened quite recently. But it's nice to have people that I trust. Our tour manager Andrew Katz has been with me since I was a performer, for 20 years now. So, from all the tiny, tiny gigs in clubs and cabaret rooms in Australia to the Hollywood Bowl. So, I feel like it's paying off for him now."
Jon Jon Briones
The award-winning actor recalled how he first got the gig when we interviewed him via Zoom. "I think I got the offer before Hadestown came. I could be mistaken but I've worked with them forever, since the beginning. I love them and I love their work and I love 'Miss Saigon,' I love 'Les Misérables.' So, I said, yeah, sure. And also, like you said, it is my first time at the Hollywood Bowl. It's going to be my debut. So, I'm excited about that."
Jon Jon, who was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance as the Engineer in "Miss Saigon," will be singing "American Dream" and "Master of the House" from Les Misérables. "And then I'm joining three or four other songs with the whole company, which is going to be amazing because two of them will be at the end of the finale, both 'Les Misérables' songs," he told us.
"It's gonna be exciting and I think a lot of people who are fans of Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil would love this. They will enjoy it because they know the songs they grew up listening to. Watching concerts and events at the Hollywood Bowl is always a special event."
He will also be performing with another "Miss Saigon" star, Emily Bautista. "I'm looking forward to it," he revealed. "I haven't seen Emily since 'Miss Saigon' when they were here at the Pantages. I can't remember the year now, but that was the last time I saw her. So, this is going to be exciting to reconnect with her."
The multi-talented 58-year-old thespian admitted that he has not met producer Enda Markey yet. "I haven't met Enda yet, only through emails," he said. "We've been emailing back and forth. So yeah, another exciting meeting I'm looking forward to."
Does he have any favorite songs of Alain Boublil and composer Claude-Michel Schönberg, we asked. "That's a good question. That's hard to answer because a lot of, especially 'Les Misérables,' even before I learned 'Miss Saigon,' I've been listening to 'Les Misérables.' 'A Heart Full of Love,' 'One Day More.' All those songs, I love those. And of course, 'I Give My Life For You.'
"It would be so nice to revisit them because I did 'Les Misérables' in the Philippines. And so, to revisit singing those songs again, I'm looking forward to it. I'm so excited."
Jon Jon revealed that he didn't see any of the earlier versions of the show. "The only one I saw was the 10th anniversary when Lea (Salonga) was singing Eponine. That was the one I saw. Of course, it was done in England.
"And I feel like British people feel like 'Les Misérables' is an English musical because it was first done there. Just like Miss Saigon, Filipinos think it's a Filipino musical because a lot of Filipino talents started their careers doing that show."
We asked Jon Jon if he plans to join the group after Hollywood Bowl to the Philippines. "I don't know," he replied. "As far as I'm concerned, it's just this one. So, let's take it one at a time. Let's see what happens first. They might even go, 'Oh, why did we...' No, I'm kidding. But you know what? If they ask me to do it, why not? But the thing is, there are so many great talents in the Philippines right now and in Australia, Filipinos or what have you. So, whatever they decide on, it's going to be great."
When Jon Jon and daughter Isa performed together on stage as Hermes and Eurydice respectively in Hadestown on Broadway, they made history by becoming the first Filipino American father and daughter to be on Broadway stage together.
Jon Jon recalled, "That was such a magical experience. It was such a blessing, a gift because when we were offered this, I was trying to research what other father-daughter duos had done it on Broadway, I couldn't find any.
"It's an experience of a lifetime. It's a once-in-a-lifetime happening, and to do it with my very talented, very beautiful, and amazing daughter, Isa, my God, every night was so special. I have the best seat in the house because I'm always watching. The character is always watching everyone. And I get to see her, I get to watch her, and I get to listen to her. And she is such a beautiful, beautiful actress. I miss it already. It was such a blessing."
Some other parent-child pairings on Broadway include Laurie Metcalf who co-starred with her daughter Zoe Perry in "The Other Place" in 2013, and Debbie Reynolds starred in the 1973 revival of Irene with her daughter, Carrie Fisher.
Jon Jon admitted that it was hard to control his tears and he got emotional when he saw his older child performing with him onstage, Isa's Broadway debut even.
He revealed, "Yeah, when we were rehearsing, I would miss my cues, especially after her scenes because I'm just watching her, and I would be crying. And our artistic director would go, 'Jon Jon, pay attention!' I go, 'I'm sorry. She's so beautiful. Look at her.'
" It's so good that we get to rehearse that, so we get that out of the way, the crying and being distracted. The show is so beautiful. Just a beautiful thing to experience with my beloved daughter."
—MGP, GMA Integrated News
