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| “The really fun thing about the Tulsa shows is,” Harris says, “I usually create a specific show just for Tulsa.” |
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By RITA SHERROW World Television Editor
4/20/2007
Harris' concert promises a little music, a little comedy and a lot of love
Sam Harris is coming home this weekend.
No, not for good. This multi-talented, homegrown artist will make the trip from the West Coast to Tulsa to present two nights of concerts. Very special concerts, he says, just for Tulsa. It's something that has gotten a little easier to do over the years.
"For years and years, I was terrified to play home," the Sand Springs native said in a recent phone interview. "In fact, I had toured all over the country and not been to Tulsa because I thought, 'These are my peers, this is where I grew up. What if they don't like me?' I had this crazy sort of insecurity. Then I did it and it was so fulfilling and thrilling and has now become a staple."
With his first season on CBS' situation comedy "The Class" over and not knowing until May if the show will be picked up for fall, Harris is gearing up for several new projects including possible films, television shows and live performances.
"I was able to do the show and some events and benefits and different things -- to sort of sing for my soul now and then, which was fantastic," he said. "The really fun thing about the Tulsa shows is, with rare exception, I usually create a specific show just for Tulsa.
"My longtime music director Todd and I would say, 'What would be fun there? What would be new here,' because it's like playing for an old friend."
For those old friends, they planned 90 percent new material with some old favorites, including standards, Broadway tunes, pop songs and some original material. The songs will include everything from "Cry Me a River" to "Close Every Door" (a song he performed in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat") to favorites like "Bridge Over Troubled Waters."
His show also will include topical comedy ("The Class," to Anna Nicole Smith to Brangelina) and, rumor has it his character from "The Class" -- Perry Pearl -- will be there to read from his advice column "Pearls of Wisdom" (pending his availability, of course) plus a performance of "The Dirty Rotten Low-Down, Who Am I Gonna Vote for Blues."
Including comedy is important to Harris, who said his shows in Tulsa must contain at least a third comedy.
"We've done some pretty crazy stuff on the stage," he laughed. "I'm not a closet standup comedian but I love to write and love to do funny stuff. I have found that the comedy serves a larger purpose, that it is an entree to something richer.
"In other words, if I can laugh at something or laugh at myself or what's going on, it's a conduit to what lies beneath."
For his Tulsa shows, get ready for a "theatrical roller-coaster that goes from the ridiculous to the poignant, from the absurd to the topical . . . which is pretty absurd," Harris said.
"At its heart, this is a concert with a lot of great songs. But I like to try to do something that you wouldn't typically see. And Tulsa has always been a place where I can really go out there. The audiences are amazing and it's like this love-fest. I can't wait."
Being home again brings Harris, whose heady credits include singer; songwriter; stage, film and TV actor; multi-platinum selling recording artist; writer; producer and director, back to Earth.
"I'm also sober three years, and that foundation is a constant grounding for me every time I start to spin out of control in my head and in my ego.
"Also, being a sober guy, I know what you are saying about the roots of home. It's about releasing from ego, staying true to yourself and listening to the truth," he said.
"I do find that the truth lies in my roots, which probably is the reason I was afraid to play Tulsa for so long. Now, it's most comforting and reassuring and grounding.
"Life really is fantastic."
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