Ali Ewoldt got her start in a Disneyland show but is now a Broadway veteran, with major roles in “Les Misérables,” “The Phantom of the Opera” and “The King and I” on her resumé.
Live at Orinda! brings a welcome warmth to the increasingly colder weather with the appearance of Ali Ewoldt on Nov. 9 at the Orinda Theatre.
Making her Broadway debut as Cosette in the first Broadway revival of “Les Misérables,” the impressive Ewoldt went on to portray Christine in “The Phantom of the Opera” on Broadway for over two years, which also made her the first Asian-American to perform the role.
Her notable career continued its upward trajectory with “The King and I,” “The Fantasticks,” “The Secret Garden,” “Guys and Dolls” and many more.
In between shows, Ewoldt performs her solo cabaret concert at such prestigious venues as Feinstein’s 54 Below and sings with symphony orchestras throughout the United States as well as appearing in films and television shows.
Not bad for a psychology major from Yale who made her first professional appearance as the Jasmine understudy in the Aladdin show at Disney’s California Adventure in Anaheim.
Ewoldt noted, however, that her psychology degree has come in handy dealing with the mental challenges of life as a performing artist.
One such challenge was “being on Broadway with these incredible peers that I had looked up to for so long and trusting that I can do this,” Ewoldt said. “It’s important to take care of your mental health, tapping into things that bring you joy and comfort.”
Reflecting on her career so far, Ewoldt lists “Phantom of the Opera” as one of her most formative experiences.
“I had auditioned for the part for 10 years before I finally got to play Christine. It was such a dream come true. I was there for the 30th anniversary of the show, and as the first woman of color to play the part, it was very special,” said Ewolt. “During my two-plus years in the role, I heard from some wonderful young and not-so-young folks who said they didn’t think roles like that were possible for someone of color. It was an amazing sort of bonus gift to know I was helping to create a legacy and to leave the door open for others to follow.”
Although she’s still working on her final song list for the Orinda concert, numbers from “Phantom” and “Les Miz” will definitely be included as well as “She Loves Me.”
“It’s such a sweet show and so beautifully written. I fell in love with it immediately and felt like it had been written for me somehow,” she said. “The music is so beautiful, and Amalia is such a complex, fun character, romantic and goofy at the same time.”
As to future career plans, Ewoldt would love to play Marian the librarian in “The Music Man” and do a show with her husband, actor Matt Hostetler. She is also finding such joy in performing concerts that she hopes to do more.
“It’s wonderful doing concerts where I can talk about these wonderful opportunities I’ve had and share them with audiences and sing songs I’m choosing to do,” she said. “It’s such an intimate connection with the audience that is truly special.”
Although she has never been to Orinda, Ewoldt did travel to San Francisco this past August to perform in the Pistahan Filipino Festival, to the delight of her mother and her Bay Area relatives who were born and raised in the Philippines.
Ewoldt will not only be bringing her gorgeous voice and fun stories to Orinda, but also her sought-after accompanist Laura Bergquist.
“I have been a big, big fan of hers and have watched her conduct all over the country. She’s my dream collaborator who is also an arranger, composer and music director. She has put together some wonderful arrangements for the Orinda concert.”
Ewoldt loves having the chance to take familiar songs from the various musicals she has done and tweak them slightly to fit her own personality.
“Singing the songs in concert allows me to use all I know about the characters from performing the shows – but to deepen the lyrics in a way that’s wonderful in concert. Laura and I have this dreamy, ethereal arrangement of ‘I Have Dreams’ from ‘The King and I’ that we’ll bring to Orinda,” Ewoldt said.
Also on the concert list are selections from a new show by Jason Ma entitled “Gold Mountain.” It takes place in Sacramento as Chinese workers help build the Central Pacific Railroad.
“We premiered the show in Utah a few years ago, which is where the completion of the railroad happened. It was so exciting to help develop the character with Jason,” said Ewoldt. “I’m really looking forward to sharing all these songs at the Nov. 9 concert. Laura and I will also have some fun mashups of musical theater and more for Orinda.”
The Live at the Orinda! concert series takes place at the Orinda Theatre, 4 Orinda Theatre Square, beginning at 5 p.m. For tickets, go to orindamovies.com/live-at-orinda/.
