Broadway singer makes cabaret debut at Wolf Trap

Broadway diva Jeri Sager returns to her roots with an intimate evening of songs that have illuminated her career and her special favorites from the great American songbook. Since debuting on Broadway in the 25th anniversary production of “Fiddler on the Roof,” she has starred in “Les Miserables,” “Evita,” “Pippin,” “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” and”City of Angels” among many musicals, and performed her signature role as Grizabella in “Cats” before audiences far and wide. Her appearances as Fruma Sarah in “Fiddler” at both the Filene Center and National Theatre and as Grizabella in the touring production of “Cats” at National Theatre in 1997 brought friends from West Springfield High School and Harlequin Theater and fans alike. Backed by her music director, Scot Woolley, she looks forward to greeting them again in this, her Barns debut, rescheduled because of the snowy February. By the time Sager entered Catholic University as an opera major, she had developed stage presence singing in church and reigning as a Junior Miss. Every chance she got, she stole across to the theater department, but was not permitted to take advanced classes because the two departments were territorial. Finally certain that she did not want to pursue an operatic career, she dropped out in her junior year to become a production singer on a cruise ship. Back home, she worked for a D.C. architectural firm until she picked up a newspaper and saw an audition listed for Harlequin Theater. Her first role was as chorus member with a single line in “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.” It was followed by meatier local roles until Broadway beckoned. “When I went to New York, my interest was pop opera,” she said. “My first cabaret act is of music from shows I did and I have a good time in the second act going back to Rodgers and Hart, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Gershwin and so many other musical geniuses of their time. My main thing about a song is the lyrics combined with hummable and singable melodies. As much as I like Sondheim, he’s not a singer’s writer. I look for songs that soar. That’s why I never get tired of singing ‘Memory.'” Sager’s versatile career has taken her to Japan, Europe, Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, a USO tour with Bob Hope and the Grand Ole Opry. For four years, she was co-host of “RV Today” for TNN, later the Outdoor Life Network (OLN) based in Nashville, Tenn., where she and her husband still make their home. She had great fun demonstrating to viewers ways of enlarging closet space, fixing screen doors, repairing leaky toilets and taking down the satellite dish before traveling on. In September, her three popular CDs will be joined by a fourth, “This One,” based on her concert repertoire. She just completed the most recent addition to her film credits, “Love Don’t Let Me Down” starring Gwyneth Paltrow, and will soon head to England for a concert. Next season, she will tour throughout the Midwest. Sager laments the decline of musicality in popular styles current today and refuses jobs on cruise ships that rely on tapes instead of a live orchestra. “Texture doesn’t exist in that situation because you’re boxed in with no room to move,” she said. “A successful performance is when you can soar. My wish is for the return of musicality. I’ve loved Wolf Trap all my life and the great friendships I’ve made there, so I’m excited about singing my favorite music in the Barns.”