Tom Wopat is bringing his jazz stylings to the Honeywell Center in Wabash.
By the time he's done, Wopat said in a telephone interview Tuesday afternoon, audiences may forget he ever played Luke Duke in "The Dukes of Hazzard".
"I appreciate the fact that people enjoy it and people still get enjoyment from it," Wopat said of the television show that ran from 1978 to 1985. "But I compare that to high school. I had a great time and made lots of memories, but that was a long time ago. The iconic stature doesn't hurt. But at the end of the evening, people aren't going to be thinking about 'The Dukes of Hazzard'."
For his Oct. 8 show at 7:30 p.m. at the Honeywell, Wopat said he and his musicians do a mix of a couple of Broadway tunes in the jazz format, half the show is standards, and the last third or so of the show is pop tunes jazzed up. Wopat sings one of his own originals, as well as tunes from artists like Joni Mitchell and Bruce Springsteen.
Wopat said it makes for a nice, unscripted evening. He gets to talk about whatever he likes, but he stays away from politics.
"Right now, it's kind of up in the air," he said of the current political landscape. "... We live in interesting times."
Wopat said he has been singing all his life. He studied music at the University of Wisconsin, including opera. He also had his own rock band during the day. He tried country music in the early 1980s.
"I've always had an eclectic taste," Wopat said.
Before the "Dukes", Wopat appeared on stage in productions of "West Side Story", "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "South Pacific". After "Dukes" went off in 1985, Wopat returned to musical theater in "Carousel" at the Kennedy Center. He's also appeared in the Tony Award-winning musicals "City of Angels" and "Guys and Dolls". In February 1999, Wopat created the role of Frank Butler to Bernadette Peters' Annie in the Broadway revival of "Annie Get Your Gun". Wopat earned a Tony nomination as Frank.
When the cast of "Annie" was recording the original Broadway cast album of the show, Wopat was asked to do a jazz album. Doing that album connected him to the music he heard when he was young, and got him into doing jazz shows.
Turning age 60 next year, Wopat said the music gives a certain amount of comfort to him. Some of the songs he knows are more than 40 years old, and they have a different meaning to him now than before.
The jazz gigs are also different every night, Wopat said. His players are great and they have a sort of synergy on stage.
Wopat only does 20 to 25 shows a year, picking and choosing when and where he wants to perform.
"This show (at Honeywell) was probably booked more than a year ago," Wopat said.
By not overloading his schedule with tour dates, Wopat also can keep working in theater, television and commercials.
He recently finished "Sondheim on Sondheim" where he and actress Vanessa Williams were two of the headliners.
"I got to do songs that normally I don't get to do," Wopat said.
In late November, Wopat will start working on a musical featuring the music of Bruce Hornsby.
"I've known Bruce since I was a kid, in my 20s," Wopat said. "We shared different musicians. He played with me in a band at a theme park in Nebraska."
Early next year, Wopat said, he will start working on the musical "Catch Me If You Can" based on the Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio movie of the same title.
Wopat said he started being taken seriously as an actor when he performed in the show "Glengarry Glen Ross". He was nominated for a Tony for "Annie Get Your Gun" and "A Catered Affair".
"I wanted to win," Wopat said. "I'm a football fan. I like to win, but it's an honor to be nominated."
Wopat appeared in the movie "Jonah Hex" this year, which came and went at the box office. In his opinion, he said it was not a very good movie. He also filmed an episode of the television show "Medium" and has started doing voice overs for commercials.
Anyone who comes to the Oct. 8 show at the Honeywell will be able to get Wopat to sign an autograph. Wopat said he signs autographs with fans before and after every show. He also will have his CDs available for purchase.Tickets to Wopat's show at the Honeywell Center are $15, $25 and $35, and may be purchased at the box office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; by calling 260-563-1102; or visiting online at www.honeywellcenter.org
