Wade Preston Of Broadway’s Movin’ Out Now Entertains New Audiences
Playing a major role in a major Broadway show about a major musical luminary can present, well, major challenges for even the most talented performer. Just ask Wade Preston, who played “Piano Man” in Billy Joel and Twyla Tharp’s Broadway hit Movin’ Out for its entire run, and starred on and off in the national tours for the next few years, while still finding time to do occasional concerts with the Movin’ Out Band.
Preston recalls his circuitous path to securing the coveted role. “I was 20 when I landed a touring gig playing keyboards for Rock and Roll icon Chubby Checker,” he says. “I learned from that experience about the ebb and flow of a set list, something Chubby was great at, and how if you play upbeat song after upbeat song you can really drive an audience into an enthusiastic frenzy.”
The tour also introduced him to Southern California, a region of the country which he grew to love. He was raised in Massapequa Park, Long Island, New York, but after he left Chubby Checker he moved in with a friend in Marina del Rey, CA, and in a very short amount of time started playing up and down the coast as a solo act, which proved to be a tremendously valuable experience.
He was well known on the west coast as the preeminent boogie pianist, revered for his rollicking performances, stunning technical abilities, spirited versatile singing and sense of humor. He developed such a following that he was able to hire a band, the first Wade Preston Band, and that and the solo act was his main focus for many years, close to a decade and a half on the west coast.
“I was feeling frustrated in California,” he says, “and I felt like I had hit the ceiling of what I could accomplish on the west coast. There was plenty of work, but even though my original act had a pretty decent following and the clubs loved us, the record labels and management companies I solicited thought I was too eclectic for any commercial success. I was getting pretty depressed. So, I was really hoping, praying, that somehow I could share the gifts I felt like I was given with a larger audience. I felt like I was going to waste.”
Out of the blue his old friend Tommy Byrnes, Billy Joel’s guitarist, called and asked if he would like to play Billy Joel on Broadway. He says, “I’m not a dancer or an actor or anything, so when would a piano playing singer like me ever get a chance to perform on Broadway? So, naturally I accepted. The timing was quite perfect for me.”
Michael Cavanaugh was the number one guy from the beginning, but Preston was the best keyboard player to audition. “So they asked me to be the keyboard player in the band, with the unlikely chance that I could be a number three piano man if they ever needed one,” he says. Preston thought about that for a minute and then said, “Sure, sounds like a lot less pressure.”
When he got to Chicago where Movin’ Out opened before premiering on Broadway in June, 2002, he was suddenly told, “Oh, by the way, you’re the number two piano man,” which meant he would be doing the lead Piano Man chair for matinees on Wednesdays and Saturdays. He says, “I admit I was pleased, but also terrified.”
According to Preston, the show got off to a rocky start. “Thank goodness we opened in Chicago because those first previews in Chi-town got pretty bad reviews,” he says. “They loved the music, of course, but couldn’t understand the story. If we had attempted to start in New York I don’t think the show would have survived. The show went through major changes during that time, often on a nightly basis, trying to figure out what would work best.”
He adds, “To her credit, Twyla, while we were still in the formative days in Chicago, had taken everybody aside and asked what their favorite part was, what they thought overall and if they had suggestions. I think that was a brilliant move on her part. It was kind of a major collaboration that made the show work. By the time we brought it to Broadway it was a hit.”
The first time Preston tried to do the Piano Man chair in rehearsal Tharp immediately stopped him. Stuart Malina, music supervisor, arranger and orchestrator, took him aside and said that Tharp had simply gotten used to hearing Cavanaugh do the lead Piano Man chair and was using it to accommodate her choreography.
“We went back to my apartment and went through the whole show, literally note for note, finding the differences in my performance verses Michael’s and sorting them out,” he explains. “I will always be eternally grateful for Stuart’s kindness and patience, helping this total stranger through this difficult time.”
Eight shows a week over the course of six days puts a tremendous strain on one’s voice. “Keeping the voice together was hell of a challenge, especially when you’re the only narrative of a Broadway show and hundreds of thousands of dollars are riding on your voice,” he says. “I start seeing Joan Lader, vocal coach to the stars, for help. That was huge. I would estimate she saved my career at least a dozen times or so if not more.”
Preston would always bring his cell phone onto the stage and hide it in the piano (something you’re definitely not supposed to do) for virtually every show. He says, “Just before I sang, She’s Got a Way, I would speed dial my mother, who was living in West Virginia at the time, and sing to her from the Broadway stage. After a while, she started to figure out just when I was going to call, invite her friends over for tea, And when I called, she would put me on speakerphone and entertain her friends as well. That made my mom very proud.”
One night Michael Cavanaugh got caught in traffic and they didn’t have another synth player. Preston had to play the Piano Man chair and the synth chair at the same time, quite an accomplishment which saved the show.
When the show closed in December 2005, Byrnes was so impressed by Wade’s performances that he asked him to do the rehearsals and sound checks for Joel’s historic Last Play at Shea along with other concerts; Job description “Stunt Billy.”
Acting on the advice of close friend and guitarist Robbie Walsh, whom he met while touring with Checker, Preston eventually found his way to northeast Pennsylvania. When not traveling to big ticket shows that take him away from the immediate area, he captivates local audiences with his virtuoso keyboard ability and affable personality along with his vast repertoire as a soloist. He performs regularly at Ritter’s Farm Winery & Cidery, Mount Cobb, and sits in occasionally with Old Friends, a popular band.
He has a new version of the Wade Preston Band, a trio including Jon Ventre on bass and Steve Kurilla on drums. They are featured on Preston’s latest CD “Lost In the Noise” that was recorded at Windmill Agency Recording Studios, Mount Cobb, which under the direction of Eric Ritter has evolved into a hotbed for both local and New York based artists. The CD, which features 16 original songs and highlights Preston’s trifecta talents as a musician, singer and composer, is available on iTunes and all digital formats.
Through some challenging setbacks along with great successes, the resilient Preston has landed solidly on his feet. Now at age 61 with an amazing portfolio of experiences, he says, “The people here are just wonderful and I always love coming home from out-of-town gigs. I’m so grateful that I ended up here.”
Accolades
“Wade is a brilliant musician and entertainer. He’s a monster pianist, one of the best boogie woogie players I’ve met. He can sing anything and brings to his performances a sincerity and joy that audiences adore. He’s also a truly lovely person. I believe Wade did more performances as the Piano Man in Movin’ Out than any other performer. He certainly was not only in the original Broadway cast, but also every subsequent tour. It was a bit of a bumpy ride at first. He had several auditions, culminating in a final, stressful one for Billy. In the early stages of rehearsal, he struggled with our demands to make his performance closer to what Michael Cavanaugh was doing. Wade and I put in long hours together in Chicago, during the pre-Broadway run. I don’t know that I’ve ever experienced someone with his work ethic. When we opened on Broadway, and the show was a hit, Wade’s performance evolved and became more his own. This is a good thing, as we had two amazing guys doing very different things with Billy’s music. I believe this is one of the things that kept the show so fresh over the years.”
Stuart Malina, music supervisor, arranger and orchestrator, Movin’ Out, current Music Director and Conductor of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra.