MICHAEL LONGORIA MAKES MOVIE MUSIC MAGIC AT THE GREEN ROOM 42

            At The Green Room 42 located at 570 10th avenue, cabaret fans are immediately transported into what feels like a movie set with the lush purple curtains, swanky stage, and graffiti print lounge seats- making the hip New York hotspot undoubtedly the perfect place to hear famed movie hits, and luckily, Broadway sensation Michael Longoria has done just that.

            In his most recent show at the midtown venue, the charismatic star put on a rousing performance to promote his latest album; “Kiss Me (Like They Do In The Movies,)” a fantastic homage to cinema’s greatest modern classics, with tracks like “My Heart Will Go On,” from “Titanic,” and “Take My Breath Away,” from “Top Gun,” making his show a very happy medium for Broadway diehards, as well as for audiences that aren’t as into show tunes. With the ambiance of the intimate theater a time machine all on its own, and Longoria’s classic style, sound, and demeanor extremely reminiscent of performers of the 50s and 60s, for anyone in the know it becomes almost impossible to sit through his set and be able to think of the finger-snapping star as anything other than a singing Sal Mineo- which by about an hour through, he shockingly openly admits to.

            In his titular self-written track for the album; “Kiss Me (Like They Do In The Movies,)” Longoria infuses a genius line that swiftly brings up the elephant in the room; “You be my James Dean, I’ll be your Sal Mineo,” where he not only brings up the obvious parallels between him and the famed “Rebel Without A Cause” star, but he also sharply seems to realize that within the film, Jimmy and Plato are the clear true romance.  Lyrically, the entire song is brilliant, and easily rivals most of the classic hits he is covering, if not beats them. Within seconds of him crooning the line, it seems as though the album and cabaret show was simply a long-winded audition/pitch project for the stage actor, as any casting agent/producer worth their salt would immediately see the gold before them; “Rebel Without A Cause” should get a Broadway musical treatment, and Longoria was clearly destined to win a Tony for playing Plato in it- it may very well have been the role he was born for. That is, until he changes tunes and ups the tempo for “That Thing You Do.”

            The title track from Tom Hanks’ 1996 directorial debut is a perfect fit for the smiley performer, and again, the entire show continues to work as one big pitch project as with him singing the song, it swiftly becomes baffling why “That Thing You Do” has yet to be brought to the stage. Stuck in the early 60’s in a good Lana Del Rey kind of way, Longoria would really be perfect for any part in it as he is both funny enough to pull off Steve Zahn or Ethan Embry’s comedic roles, and soulful enough to master Johnathan Schaech or Tom Everett Scott’s leads. In fact- many times throughout the show, the tongue-in-cheek talent frequently shows just how much he walks a fine line between the two extremes, cleverly making fun of his tragic sense of romance as his album should really be called “Break Up With Me” or “Die On Me” like they do in the movies, seeming as though most of the love stories he chose (“Titanic,” “Ghost,”) feature anything but happily ever after.

            Yet, with his broad smile and witty one-liners, the audience will never once feel anything other than delight no matter how much Longoria’s movie music picks seem intended to bum them out. With powerhouse vocals that shockingly come out of such a diminutive frame, and endless stage presence, the “Jersey Boys” star is constantly showing the crowd a good time- making it become a near must to check out his Christmas show at The Green Room 42 in mid-December. Perhaps the snarky talent will choose a slightly more uplifting set for the holidays, but, considering this entire movie-homage album stems from him dropping the tragic “Pretty Woman” tune  “It Must Have Been Love” from his set of Christmas carols, it doesn’t seem likely. But, for those of us with equally twisted senses of humor that think “Untamed Heart” is a Christmas movie (and I’m one of those people,) finding out what other dismal tracks Longoria considers are good for holiday cheer might very well be worth the price of admission. And if it’s not? His performance very much will be.

WINGMAN:  How did you first get into music, and who would you say are your musical influences.

MICHAEL LONGORIA: My mom got me started by teaching me how to sing Mariachi music.  But soon after, the radio waves introduced me to Mariah Carey, pop princesses, and boy bands.  I used to love *NSYNC.

WINGMAN:  We love The Green Room 42- it has an amazing ambience, and a phenomenal staff. Talk about performing at the awesome venue.

LONGORIA: This will be my first time on that stage.  I’ve seen some concerts there before and I love the room.  It’s intimate- which gives the audience a real up close look at an artist at work.

WINGMAN:  How would you describe your show for fans, and what was your process when it came to putting it together?

LONGORIA: This concert will be a celebration of my album release.  I’m singing all of the glorious arrangements with a band and two vocalists.  Hearing these lyrics sung out loud in a space like The Green Room 42 will give listeners a sweet space to rediscover these movie classics.

WINGMAN:  You have a holiday album, right? Are you a big fan of Christmas music, and what inspired you to make a Christmas album?

LONGORIA: Merry Christmas Darling, my romantic Christmas album.  It makes you long for that lover by the fireplace.  I took my favorite holiday love songs and put a 1960’s spin on them.  I even put two Mariah Carey songs on that album.  I fell in love with the concept of a guy all alone on Christmas Eve waiting for his lover in a snow storm.  What songs would he listen to think about that special someone missing that Christmas cuddle?

WINGMAN:  What is your favorite Christmas song?

LONGORIA: “Merry Me This Christmas.” I’m a little biased as I wrote this one with my Musical Director for the Christmas album.   When I was in “Hairspray” on Broadway I started to write songs.  This was the first one that I released on a record label, so it’s pretty special to me.  I made a video for the song on YouTube if you feel like getting into the Christmas Spirit soon!

WINGMAN:  You’re an accomplished actor as well- what stage production revival would you most like to perform in?

LONGORIA: I’d love to play Bobby in “Company,“ the Leading Player in “Pippin,“ or the Emcee in “Cabaret.“

WINGMAN:  Would you ever do one of those NBC live shows? Which one would you like to do?

LONGORIA: Absolutely!  I love those.  Another dream role is Seymour in “Little Shop of Horrors.”

WINGMAN:  In general, when crossing over to film and television, what kind of roles would you love to play and who would you love to work with?

LONGORIA: I want to play parts that make people see things differently in their world.  So many times, I’ll see a movie and leave a changed man…  just by watching actors pretend and tell a story. The kind of movies that make you leave the theater thinking about your own life and how it relates to the scenario in the film.  We relate to these stories because our human experience is the same.  We all want to live and be loved.  Simple as that.  All of the songs I chose to sing on my album and my live concert, came from the heart.  A lot of them have lessons taught and learned in the lyric.  The melody informs the journey of the songwriter’s emotions.  When you can connect that deeply to a song, you can feel like it’s your life the song is about. 

WINGMAN:  What song that you perform in your show means the most to you, and why?

LONGORIA: “Kiss Me (Like They Do In The Movies.)” I wrote this song specifically for this album.  I wanted to have my own movie love song after recording so many gorgeous classics.  It means a lot to me to share my heart and story in music.  I spent so long waiting for someone to write me material or to discover me and give me an opportunity to show my talent.  What I’m realizing more and more is that only when I create my own work can I truly have my voice heard. Not just my singing voice but the voice inside that drives what the song is about.

WINGMAN:  Where did you get the idea of remaking movie soundtrack songs?

LONGORIA: When I was recording Merry Christmas Darling, I fell in love with a song from the movie “Pretty Woman” called “It Must Have Been Love.”  I thought it was fascinating that it used to be a Christmas break up song, but when they made a version replacing the phrase “Christmas Day” to “Winter’s Day,” it became a just a break up song and it was added to the  Soundtrack. It didn’t make it on Merry Christmas Darling because it didn’t lend itself to the 1960’s sound I was looking for.  But after I released my Christmas album, the song kept lingering in my ears.  I thought it would be interesting to explore other movie love anthems and sing them through my experience.  Let them transform from my nostalgic memory of them and let them talk about my life.  That’s the sign of a good song- when you forget where it came from and all of a sudden it’s about your experience. 

WINGMAN:  Are there any other songs you wanted to put on the album that didn’t make the cut?

LONGORIA: “Eye of The Tiger” from “Rocky III” and “Cruel Summer” from “The Karate Kid.”

WINGMAN:  Is there a story behind the original song, “Kiss Me (Like They Do In The Movies)” that you wrote?

LONGORIA: I draw from my life when I write.  I went through a major break up this year.  It made me question notions of romance and intimacy.  Is it possible to have a love like they do in the movies?  All of these epic love stories that ultimately are fabricated and told by actors with movie magic give us expectations of how love should be.  Can you know it all in one kiss?  That’s the main idea behind “Kiss Me (Like They Do In The Movies.)”  The troubadour asks his lover to “kiss me like they do in the movies.  Like you would in the last row, come on let’s go.  You have to show me now”.  He wants to find out if his love is real.  It’s the question all of us ask ourselves when we are in a relationship.  Is this right? Am I in love?  And it’s true what Cher said in the 1990 film “Mermaids”; “If you wanna know if he loves you so, it’s in his kiss.  That’s where it is!”

WINGMAN:  Where else can fans check out you and your music coming up?

LONGORIA: Follow me on Facbeook and Instagram @michaellongoriasings

Or Twitter @longoriasings – I’m always posting my singing videos from whatever stage I happen to be on.  You can really get to know me and my singing better that way.  

Be sure to follow Longoria for more movie music!