Patinkin 'happiest guy on the planet'
"I just love doing what I do. I love going around the world, and I'm the happiest guy on the planet," Patinkin said, calling from New York. "When I was a young actor I thought, 'man you never want to leave New York.' But I've been doing it for 20 years, and I just immediately fell in love with it. It's actually become my favorite thing to do."
Which may seem hard to believe since Patinkin is a Tony Award-winning actor (1980 "Evita"), was nominated for his work in "Sunday in the Park With George," has done numerous other Broadway shows, and won an Emmy for his work in the CBS series "Chicago Hope."
"If I could do one thing for the rest of my life, I'd choose the live concert venue," and maybe that does make sense since his live concerts have received wide critical acclaim — having been called the "the greatest entertainer on Broadway today. Period."
Patinkin's enthusiasm is hard to keep up with as he gushes about the song library, the "songs are just genius," and finding music that is relevant to what's going in the world — "I never leave the hotel without watching the news."
Has the "traffic jam" left him at a loss for words in front of a live house? "Absolutely! But once you're 55 you can refer to that as a senior moment," he jokes.
When Patinkin takes the stage Thursday night, he and his long-time piano player, Paul Ford, will have completed a 30- minute warm-up, this after Patinkin did his own warm-up at the hotel, and that's when they decide what songs they'll do.
"I have a general list of songs I use for a season, and it changes every night. We have about 10 hours of material we work with." Patinkin also noted that the talents of Ford allow him to change things up last minute, and if he accidentally skips to another part of the song, "Paul always follows."
Known for his pure, clear tenor voice, Patinkin uses a morning workout to also work out his pipes. "I sing on the Precor every day. I sing through a concert — I run it so I don't lose it."
He also does the same thing while hiking, one of his favorite ways to unwind. "I try to pick trails where there aren't people. I'm always singing. Some people say, 'Don't you listen to an iPod or anything?"' He chuckles, "I'm my own iPod."
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