The Grant Norman Experience: ArtsFest Day 5

For me, one of the first things that comes to mind at the mention of “opera” is The Phantom of the Opera. This was more than fitting for the circumstances Monday night, because Grant Norman, who played The Phantom in the Broadway musical, was set to perform with the Central Florida Lyric Opera at the Plaza Theatre.
I was thrilled to think that I would be watching the show!

The first thing that happened upon my arrival at the Plaza Theatre was that I was shown backstage, at which point I tripped over a cord and sent a four-figure microphone crashing to the ground. The sound technician was friendly enough as he picked it up, but all the same, I hurried downstairs into the dressing room and away from the scene of the crime. I met Sam Reynolds, the self-proclaimed “upping-coming” stars of the Central Florida Lyric Opera, and he cheerfully joked with me for a while about that night’s show. He introduced Jake, a fellow student at the University of Central Florida, and neither one of them could find a bad thing to say about Grant Norman.

Grant Norman is a graduate from the Central Florida Lyric Opera's Training program. It’s where he got his start. In fact, the pianist of the show and Executive Director of CFLO, Maestro Bill Doherty, was the one who taught Grant.
To anyone unfamiliar with Grant, he has become a regular on Broadway. He’s played a variety of roles, from the leading man in Miss Saigon to the "Beast" in Beauty and the Beast, and he even played in London in Her Majesty’s Theatre!
We were so lucky to catch him for ArtsFest!

As I took my seat and waited for the show to start, I didn’t know what I should anticipate. I’d seen some of the girls backstage wearing evening gowns and some serious jewelry, so should I expect to see the rest of the performers in costume as well? As far as I was aware, any sort of opera necessitated some kind of fantastic getup, usually including a cape and possibly even a mask. Turns out that this is just not the case. Grant Norman entered the stage, guitar in hand, dressed normally enough. He candidly addressed the crowd, and then kicked off the show by performing Elvis’s “Hunk of Burnin’ Love”. I was thoroughly impressed, though clearly not as impressed as the elderly woman behind me who I heard remark, “He’s just so sexy.” I couldn’t help but notice the disappointment in her voice when she learned that he was married.

After Grant finished a few sets, current students of the Central Florida Lyric Opera performed numbers from The Phantom of the Opera, Beauty and the Beast, Camelot and others. The performance was spectacular. I can honestly say that I’ve never heard so many beautiful voices together under one roof. To end of the night on a perfect note, all of the performers gathered onstage and joined in together in a tear-jerking rendition of Nessun Dorma. They then bowed together, to tumultuous applause and a standing ovation from the crowd, and exited the stage, beaming all the while.
Afterwards I managed to snag Grant Norman for a quick talk. I’d been pondering throughout the performance what I wanted to ask him if given the chance, and I’d finally come up with a couple worthwhile questions.

“What advice do you have for aspiring artists?”
Being the gentleman that he is, Grant was more than happy to respond in full detail. But the just of the message was this: Work hard, be open to criticism, and make sure you’re having fun and learning something along the way. I think that these are words of wisdom that any artist should take to heart.

Day 5 seemed to come and go so quickly, and I still am feeling a little star-struck about talking to Grant Norman. I’ll be back at the Plaza Theatre tomorrow for more great performances, and I can’t wait to experience something new!

Have a happy ArtsFest!