Back in the late 1970s and early ’80s, there were a lot of great black musicals on the stage — “Bubbling Brown Sugar,” “The Wiz,” “Ain’t Misbehavin’” and, of course, “Dreamgirls. ” These days, it’s hard to find something that’s not a Tyler Perry or Perryesque farce. Enter Karen Smith, writer, director and producer of “3 Divas 3,” a musical about three jazz artists — representing the past, present and future — as they face the struggles and triumphs of the music world. Smith says it’s a show about being true to yourself and finding your own voice. PGN spoke to the multi talented artist about life in front of and behind the scenes.
PGN: As the song says, you’re a native New Yorker. KS: Yes, born in Brooklyn, I’m the youngest of eight kids. My older siblings were much older than me but I didn’t really feel like the youngest because I had nieces and nephews who were my age. I was very creative as a young kid. I loved to read and I loved to write. My grandmother wasn’t very well-educated but she could tell great stories and I would love to listen to her. She died when I was 10, and it inspired me to go on and listen to other storytellers until I became one myself. I also always knew there was something different about me. I wasn’t like the other kids; I played with boys but really enjoyed being around the other girls. I knew there was just something about them I liked better. Even back in kindergarten, I knew those feelings were there. I definitely struggled with growing up in a household and world where there were no gay role models. For sure, no positive gay role models back then. I think part of why I became an artist was so that I could create my own scenarios, my own world where I could express and understand what was going on with me. Fortunately, as a teenager I was able to escape to Manhattan and explore life and the theater world.
PGN: What did the folks do? KS: My mom was a housewife and my father worked for the railroads. He was a porter for the Long Island Railroad and eventually moved up to some kind of supervisor before he died. I was 13 at the time he passed. He also coached basketball and was a professional referee. He did his first game at Madison Square Garden right before he died.
PGN: So you were always a fan of literature. What was your favorite book as a kid? KS: “The Blueberry Pie Elf” [by Jane Thayer] and Maurice Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are.” PGN: What spurred your interest in theater? KS: In elementary school, we did a spring play each year. You had to be in glee club to participate. I wasn’t a great singer but I loved musicals and live theater, so in fifth grade I auditioned and got in. My first play was “Fiddler on the Roof.” It was an all-black cast. We didn’t play it as a black version — we did the original script — but it just happened to have black actors playing Tevye and Golde and all the parts.
PGN: What was the first play you ever saw that piqued your interest in theater? KS: It still sticks with me today: Geoffrey Holder’s “The Wiz.” I got to see it with the original cast.
PGN: Me too! I saw it in Philadelphia before it went to Broadway. KS: Yeah, I forgot that Philly used to be the place where all the Broadway shows used to come to try out the shows and fix all the kinks before they went to New York. I wish they still did that.
PGN: So where did you study theater? KS: I went to HB Studio in New York and studied there for a while. I also took courses at Brooklyn College and then after two years, I was like, Oh, I don’t need this. I want to get started doing theater. You don’t need a degree to be an actor, you just need to get out there. So I dropped out of school and started a career as an actor. Later on, I went back to school at Hunter College to study film and then left that after a year and got work doing theater in various positions, from onstage to backstage to the front of the house, dinner theater — whatever I could get my hands on trying to make it as an actor, then director, then writer, then all of the above.
PGN: What was a favorite role? KS: There was a play we did at the 13th Street Playhouse in the Village called “The Mothers” about women having children out of wedlock, and I played one of the unwed mothers. Even though I wasn’t the oldest cast member, I played the oldest character and I got to wear a fake baby bump. I’ve never been pregnant so it was fun to do. To this day, I’ve still never been pregnant.
PGN: So it wasn’t method acting? KS: [Laughs.] No, no.
PGN: Biggest disaster? KS: Auditioning to do Shakespeare. My acting teacher told us that, to be an actor, you had to be versatile and do a little bit of everything so, naively, I went and auditioned for the New York Shakespeare Festival. I did one of the monologues from “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf,” and it was a wreck. [Laughs.] I don’t think they even said anything when I was finished except, “Next!”
PGN: What was the first play you wrote? KS: I did a gospel musical for my church, “I Go to the Rock,” which was the title of a song.
PGN: Tell me about your current show. KS: It’s an original musical, jazz-influenced, about three divas trying to prove themselves in this crazy world of entertainment, trying to get to and stay at the top without being taken advantage of or losing their soul. There are seven main characters in the show. Alfie Pollitt and James Solomon did the music.
PGN: What are the most rewarding and frustrating aspects of directing? KS: The most rewarding is seeing all the pieces come together … eventually. You start with a mish-mosh of parts and they slowly gel into something better and then, in time, it blooms like a flower. As the director, you’re the one who plants the seed that hopefully turns into a beautiful rose bush. The worst part for me is wearing too many hats; I’m director, producer, writer, babysitter, coordinator, etc. I’d like to get to the point where all I do is playwright.
PGN: No crazy mishaps? KS: Oh, we have those! We’ve been doing presentations of the show and, of course, you have things like actors forgetting their lines, the music — which is on tape — going out, but no real big boo-boos so far. In one of my first plays, though, we brought in rented lights, which turned out to be too much for the theater’s power grid, and we blew a fuse. Knocked all the power out. We did a whole portion of the show in the dark, and then had to fix it during intermission. But that’s why I love live theater: You never know what’s going to happen. Working on Broadway, I’ve seen it all.
PGN: You may have discovered something new: theater in the dark. They have dining in the dark now, so why not? KS: Yes, and there’s theater in the round and theater in the park, so why not in the dark?
PGN: [Laughs.] We may have something. So, I mentioned at the top that the black musical seems to have died. What do you think happened? KS: I think the AIDS epidemic had a big effect on Broadway. A lot of creative folks died, and they hadn’t influenced or passed on the knowledge to enough people to keep it going.
PGN: Hopefully you’ll be the one to get it started back. KS: And that’s funny because I wasn’t even intending to write a musical. I prefer writing regular plays. But I needed to tell this particular story and it needed music to tell it.
PGN: So if someone comes to see the show, what should they expect? KS: They should expect to have a good time. They should be dancing in their seats and leave the theater humming the songs. It’s a family show so people can bring their kids — not little, little ones — but young ones would enjoy it. We have a young person in the show, about 11 years old. It brings back that ’70s style of show where musicals were fun and exciting. You didn’t need sex or trauma or special effects to enjoy them.
PGN: That’s good to hear. Now for some abstract questions. If you could name the street on which you live, what would you call it? KS: Trial and Error Boulevard. PGN: Who should play you in your life story? KS: Kimberly Elise. I love her. She starred in “Diary of a Mad Black Woman,” among other things.
PGN: Do you play any instruments? KS: Yes, I play the drums. I perform with poets and spoken-word artists at cafés and shows, and I run a drumming workshop.
PGN: How did you get into it? KS: I always liked rhythm, and I always liked to bang on things. When I was 11, I wanted my mother to buy me a drum set but she told me that drums were a boy’s instrument and signed me up for piano lessons. I didn’t like taking lessons, but I used to drum on the piano. The one good thing, though, was that it taught me to learn music. I never did get that drum set, but my cousin, who is a professional drummer, would let me play his drums and eventually sold me a conga for $50. That was a lot of money back then but it turned out to be well worth it. Actually, thinking back, I’m not sure I ever paid him.
PGN: Uh oh. Hopefully he won’t read this. What was a favorite performance? KS: Probably playing with Sonia Sanchez. She is the first official poet laureate for Philadelphia. I love playing behind someone as they do their thing. I’m going to be playing with her again soon.
PGN: What would you change about yourself? KS: Being idealistic. It’s a good thing but it can also get in the way of what’s really happening. And that can impede change, when you’re so idealistic you think it’s going to turn out OK, instead of facing reality and changing course.
PGN: What was the dumbest argument you’ve ever had? KS: The dumbest argument I have ever had is one with myself, telling myself I couldn’t when I truly knew I could.
PGN: Do you have a partner? KS: Yes, I do: Leslie, she’s in marketing. We’ve known each other for nine years and we’ve been together for seven.
PGN: What’s a romantic moment you recall? KS: Probably when she kidnapped me and took me to a beautiful bed and breakfast. I thought we were just getting together for dinner, and she whisked me off for a romantic night. It was magical. PGN: What’s your day job? KS: I’m a counselor for a drug and alcohol program. PGN: You must hear a lot of crazy stories with that. KS: [Laughs.] That’s for sure.
PGN: Is it hard to keep that optimistic side going when you hear so much? KS: Not really. I try to incorporate a lot of things that are important to me in what I do. I do a music-therapy group that helps clients deal with a lot of the pain that they are in or have experienced. We do a poetry café called “Too Live Tuesdays,” and it gives people a chance to vent their feelings. Everyone looks forward to it, even the ones who were resistant at first.
PGN: What fashion from another period would you love to wear? KS: I love pinstripes and suspenders. And tweed.
PGN: The best and worst parts of coming out? KS: The best thing about coming out, even today, is being true to myself. The scariest thing is still having males becoming attracted to me. PGN: Which historical event do you wish you could have witnessed? KS: Actually, I think about it all the time. Harriet Tubman’s first trip north. [Laughs.] When she got to the point where she said, “Enough. We’re out of here! Who’s with me?” I would have loved to be there to see her lead. I’d be interested in those who were brave enough to go with her and those who didn’t go. And the last trip, that would have been interesting as well. But I wouldn’t want to stay there in between trips. PGN: Did you ever want to be the opposite gender? KS: To this day, I tend to think it would be easier for me to be a male than a female. I’m just not interested in having surgery for it. [Laughs.] I’m sure God will get it right the next time.
PGN: Notable relatives? KS: Sammy Davis Jr. was supposed to be a distant cousin.
PGN: What’s next? KS: I’m writing a play called “A Piece of a Man,” and it’s a tribute to Gil Scot-Heron. It’s not about him or any particular person, but about different time periods addressed in his music. But I have to get through “Divas” first!
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