LIVE Magazine Issue #253 February 24, 2017

AN INTERVIEW WITH DAVID DE ALBA
by Michelle “The Tall” Popkov
Since I moved to Las Vegas, I have had the
greatest opportunity to become acquainted with
the world-famous singer and theater performer,
David de Alba.
David is renowned for his female
impersonations as a legendary ensemble
member at San Francisco’s Finocchio Club;
and even in retirement, David performs two
shows a year here in Las Vegas to re-live the
glory days from his past. I have had dinner with
David many times, and last month, I asked if I
could interview him and talk about his upcoming
show, which is a tribute to Judy Garland.
SINGING AS JUDY
M: David, thank you for allowing me to talk with
you about the history of your career and your
impersonation of Judy Garland. I have seen
many of your Las Vegas shows, and I always
note how you sing so many of Judy’s numbers
with great precision. How did you discover
Judy’s music?
D: As a young teenager from Cuba, living in
Chicago in the mid 60’s, I was introduced to
Judy’s singing by two Irish ladies who owned a
small grocery store near my house. They invited
me to their apartment for tea and to listen to
Judy’s Carnegie Hall record. I was so impressed
that I collected every recording of Judy I could
find. I joined the British Fan Club in the early
70’s, where I became acquainted with the late
Sonny Gallagher—the American representative-
-who began publishing a quarterly newsletter
“Beyond Rainbows” in the early 90’s, aided by
Charles Triplett, his Club Secretary.
M: How did you learn to impersonate Judy?
D: When in high school, I was lead tenor in the
glee club, and was performing as a male dancer
in various productions. I was introduced to the
art of impersonation by a well-known hairstylist in
Chicago, since I was studying Cosmetology at the
time. As a lark, he made me up for “The Artists &
Models Ball” at the famous Aragon Ballroom. He
remarked that I resembled Judy in make-up and
should do an impersonation of her on the stage.
I would be the only one doing an impression of
her that night. My grandmother, María, made two
replicas of Judy’s pantsuit outfits.
When I was performing then, I sang over her
recordings, (not pantomime). I closed the show
with ‘What Now My Love”. I received a standing
ovation, which encouraged me to polish my act
and continue working nightclubs in the area. I
don’t say these things to promote my act, but to
show the power of such an inspiration as Judy.
I have always done my act as a loving tribute,
and never in a “campy” way and always singing
in my own voice.
This was a big thing I did then when I sang LIVE
because most female impersonators in the Chicago
area had to lip sync to recordings of famous female
singers because they could not sing well in a
femme-convincing voice as I was able to do.
I met Lorna Luft (Judy’s daughter) when
she appeared at the Fairmont Hotel in San
Francisco, and visited with her after the show.
I gave her a picture of me doing her mother in
my act. She seemed impressed, and put it top
of a nearby credenza. A few minutes later her
musical conductor came in to discuss changes
for the next show. When he saw the photo
he said “I didn’t know you brought a picture
of your mom on this tour”. She replied “This
is not Momma, this is David, who does an
impersonation of her”.
MEETING JUDY GARLAND IN PERSON
M: It must have been a huge thrill to meet Judy in
person. Please share with us how that happened.
D: The first time I saw her up close was at
the opening of “Gay Purree” in the State &
Lake Theatre, (since, a victim of the wrecking
ball). After the movie, the theatre manager
announced through the loudspeakers that Judy
was to appear on stage, but she was stuck
in heavy traffic and would arrive soon. Her
arrival was announced but the audience inside
couldn’t see her until the doors opened and she
walked from the back of the theatre to the stage
in a pool of lavender light. She wore a sleek
lavender gown, trimmed in feathers, adorned
by a “diamond” broach, and crystal shoes with
spike heels. Her hair was done in “the brush-up”
style, which was popular in the 60’s, streaked in
lavender to match the gown.
When she arrived on stage she apologized for
being slightly hoarse. She had just come from a
singing engagement at the Arie Crown Theatre.
She joked about the fact that only her voice was
used in the movie. She appeared as a cartoon
feline called Mewsette. The fans applauded. As
she took a bow her broach fell to the floor. As
she leaned forward to pick it up she exclaimed,
“I’ve lost a lot more things in my life . . .” More
applause and she walked off the stage.
She walked on a red carpet to her limousine
parked at the entrance and the audience
followed her. Some fans followed the limo to the
Ambassador East Hotel, which was her favorite
place to stay in Chicago.
The second time I saw her, (singing ‘live’) was
at the Arie Crown Theatre. Chris and Peter Allen
were on the bill with her. For the first time, to
everyone’s surprise, she opened with Sinatra’s
version of “My Kind of Town”. She was dressed
in the same gown she wore when she did a
Cole Porter medley at the Academy Awards a
month earlier in 1965. It was dusty blue, high
neck, split up the front, trimmed on the sleeves
with fur. After her performance, my mom and
I went back stage to meet her. A group of the
American Fan Club members were at the wrong
exit, and we missed her. They asked us to join
them in an open convertible to follow her limo.
It was driven very fast through the streets of
Chicago. When it looked like they had lost the
pursuit, my mom and I asked to get out. We
understand that they eventually caught up with
her at the Ambassador Hotel and joined her for
breakfast in the wee hours of the morning!
My next meeting was truly an “Encounter of the
Third Kind”. I actually met and talked to her at
the Chicago Opera House. My mom and I were
seated in the center-left, and Judy entered the
theatre from the rear doors on the right. Instead
of appearing on stage from the wings, she
created more drama by walking down the isle
of screaming fans. She wore the gold paisley
suit that she was to wear in the movie “Valley of
the Dolls”. Joey and Lorna appeared with her
on the bill this time. Lorna sang “Alfie” and Joey
played solo drums. They all performed “Me and
My Shadow” dancing and singing together with
tap dancer John Bubbles later in the show. She
also introduced a new song she had never done
before, “How Insensitive”. After the show, we
rushed to the back of the theatre and waited to
see her. Sid Luft came out first and announced
that Judy would not come out of her dressing
room for a while because “she was sweating”.
A young girl answered back “Stars don’t sweat,
they perspire!”. (No comment from Sid). Joey
and Lorna came out and were escorted the
awaiting limo. Eventually Judy appeared,
wearing a short off-white satin cocktail dress,
trimmed with white feathers. She had on a dark
tan foundation base on her face, and a deep
wine/plum lipstick. Her eyes were done with
brown eyeliner, no false lashes. Her hair still had
some glitter left over from her stage makeup.
The fans were asked to form two lines facing
each other, reception style, to make it easier
for her to greet them. When she finally was
standing in front of me and my mom Tila, she
asked “And who is this lovely lady?” My mom
replied, “I am his mother”. Judy said, looking
at me, “I wish I had a mother like yours” in a
childlike voice. My mother said, “My son adores
you! Will you give him a kiss?” Judy then
hugged me and kissed me on the right cheek.
Before she could move on, I said to her “I do a
take-off of you on stage” to which she replied,
“Do you like me that much!” I wish I could see
your act, but I am leaving Chicago to continue
my tour”.
(Can you imagine how mad I was years later
at myself for not bringing a camera to catch
that moment, or to ask for an autograph!). I
followed her to the street and saw her enter the
back of the limo where Joey and Lorna were
waiting. She kissed them several times. I can
still remember that her skin was so pale and
translucent like porcelain. The Iimo pulled away,
and that was the last time I ever saw her.
M: David, you started working at the Finocchio
Club in San Francisco in 1970 as part of the
largest female impersonation show. (You relived
the Finocchio’s story in your last Las
Vegas show.) Please tell us how you worked
your Judy Garland impersonation into your act.
D: In the early 70’s I moved to San Francisco
and joined the cast at the Finocchio Club. At
that time all singers were required to sing ‘live’
with the house band. I added Liza Minnelli and
my own international character creation, Boy-
Chic to my act.
I was honored to have had the late Charles Blair
visit and see me on stage. He was involved with
the British Judy Garland Club, and was working
for Shepperton Studios at the time “I Could Go
On Singing” was being filmed. One evening,
at another club, he stepped on stage to give a
special introduction to my Judy act.
One of the club owners--the now late Eve
Finocchio--insisted on me being myself
on-stage, and that’s when my ‘Boy-Chic
International’ act was created. But from time
to time she allowed me to do impersonations
of Judy, and then later on--when Liza became
more famous due to her movie ‘Cabaret’—I
then brought my Liza act to the Finocchio Club
stage. By the way, I was only allowed to do a
three singing numbers because I was part of a
revue, but outside Finocchio’s I was able to do
a full solo act as Judy in a concert format. That
was so much fun.
THE JUDY GARLAND MUSEUM:
M: I understand that you have the largest
private museum collection of Judy Garland
memorabilia. Please tell us a few things about
your collection.
D: Oh yes! My Judy Garland Museum contains
many of the musical arrangements that Mr.
Mort Linsey created for Judy. In my show, I
do my best to be totally consistent with those
arrangements. I have a pair of Judy’s shoes
she wore in her last movie filmed in England, “I
Could Go On Singing”.