Patrick Page and Perla Batalla:
Looking for Leonard
June 11 @ 7:30 pm | The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center
Join Broadway star Patrick Page and Grammy-nominated singer Perla Batalla for Looking for Leonard, an evening dedicated to the music and life of Leonard Cohen. This isn't just a tribute; it is a personal look at the songwriter’s legacy by two artists with world-class credentials and deep personal connections to the work.
Perla Batalla offers a rare, direct link to the legend. Once a backing singer in Cohen’s touring band, she has since built a global career with seven solo albums. Her previous show, In the House of Cohen, played to sold-out crowds worldwide, drawing on her time in Cohen’s inner circle. She returns to this repertoire with the authority of someone who shared the stage with the man himself.
Patrick Page is a titan of the American stage. A Grammy winner and Tony nominee, he is best known for his standout role as Hades in the hit musical Hadestown. With credits spanning 15 Broadway productions and numerous film roles, Page brings a theatrical gravity to the performance. His distinctive bass voice has frequently been compared to Cohen’s own, making him a natural interpreter of these songs.
Backed by a dynamic live band, Page and Batalla share personal stories and perform definitive versions of classics like "Hallelujah," "Bird on a Wire," "I’m Your Man," and "So Long, Marianne." Don’t miss this premiere event before it embarks on a global tour.
Production sponsored by Phyllis and Dan Epstein and Jeff and Perla Myers
Leonard and I by Perla Batalla
“Leonard once asked me if I might continue to sing his songs after he was gone. My response: try to stop me. What can I possibly say? I’ve tried again and again to find the words to describe what having Leonard Cohen in my life has meant, and to give thanks for his endless encouragement, guidance, and love. A lifetime ago, when he and I were just getting to know each other, he said he recognized in me a beautiful sadness. Those words from him were an invitation to live in gentle acknowledgement of all the things that make up who I am – and embrace the darkness as well. Now that Leonard is gone, my mission is to keep his music alive. I feel a deep responsibility to convey his words as honestly as possible. As with all great poetry, my interpretation of Leonard’s lyrics evolves along with lived experience and shifting worldview. I don’t choose the Leonard Cohen songs I sing; they choose me. Today, as I witness events that once seemed an impossibility, the significance of his lyrics continually grows and reveals fresh meaning”.
Bios:
Singer-songwriter Perla Batalla earns critical acclaim for her distinctive voice, emotional honesty & culture-merging compositions. She was born in L.A. to a family immersed in music. Her dad, a Mexican mariachi and D.J. and an Argentine mom who ran the family record shop, “Discoteca Batalla” where Perla was exposed to an education of non-stop music that cut across genre & language. After singing with and recording with numerous groups, including Leonard Cohen, Perla launched her solo career with Cohen’s encouragement. Since then she has recorded 7 albums, been featured in film and TV, staged 2 one-woman shows and performed in some of the most prestigious venues around the world.
Her original Frida Kahlo musical was chosen by the Ojai Playwrights Festival & subsequently produced at the San Diego Repertory Theater to critical praise. Perla’s personal homage to her mentor, Cohen continues to play to sold-out audiences throughout Europe and N. America. The L.A. times writes; “Batalla is comfortable in both English & Spanish, proud of her Mestiza heritage, musically adventurous and above all, a born storyteller with a rambunctious sense of humor.”
Batalla’s mission of exposing youth to the beauty of music & Spanish language is ongoing in her outreach throughout some of the poorest communities in the U.S. She has been honored with two U.N. awards: the Earth Charter Award for extraordinary devotion to social and economic justice and The Environmental Peacebuilding Award, advancing social justice through music. Perla is also the recipient of New Mexico’s Premio Fronterizo Award for healing work in the world.
Patrick Page received a Tony Award nomination and a Grammy Award for his work in Hadestown on Broadway, having also starred in the Off-Broadway, Canadian, West End, and National Theatre productions. He has previously appeared in Red Bull Theater productions of Coriolanus and The Duchess of Malfi. He is a veteran of fifteen Broadway shows including: Valentina in Casa Valentina, the Inquisitor in Saint Joan, De Guiche in Jamie Lloyd’s Cyrano de Bergerac (with Douglas Hodge), Norman Osborn/Green Goblin in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, King Henry in A Man for All Seasons (with Frank Langella), Decius Brutus in Julius Caesar (with Denzel Washington), Scar in The Lion King, the Grinch in Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Lumière in Beauty and the Beast, Buckley in A Time to Kill, and multiple roles in Spring Awakening and The Kentucky Cycle. Off-Broadway: recipient of the Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, and Outer Critics Circle Awards for his one-man tour de force All the Devils Are Here: How Shakespeare Created the Villain. Also the title role in Cymbeline and Steven Berkoff’s Richard II for New York Shakespeare Festival. Regional: created the role of Dom Claude Frollo in Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame at La Jolla Playhouse. He is an Associate Artist of the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C., where roles include King Lear, Iago, Coriolanus, Prospero, Macbeth, and Claudius; and The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, where he played Cyrano and Malvolio. Film: Snow White, Spirited, In the Heights, Estella Scrooge, The Sixth Reel. TV: Clay on “The Gilded Age”; Kratt on “Schmigadoon!”; recurring roles on “Elementary,” “Madam Secretary,” “Flesh and Bone,” “Big Mouth,” and “Étoile”; guest appearances on “Evil,” “NCIS: New Orleans,” “The Good Wife,” “The Blacklist,” “Chicago P.D.,” “Law & Order: SVU,” and others. He is currently writing a book based on All the Devils Are Here, to be published by Simon & Schuster.
Pianist Willie Aron is an acclaimed multi-instrumentalist, record producer, singer-songwriter, and sought-after session musician. He is one-half of power-folk duo, Thee Holy Brothers with Lone Justice co-founder Marvin Etzioni, and serves as keyboardist for The Third Mind, featuring Dave Alvin. Willie has worked with such luminaries as Leonard Cohen, Van Dyke Parks, Iain Matthews, The Dream Syndicate, and many others. He just completed production work on upcoming releases by Cindy Lee Berryhill and Ruthann Friedman. Willie also had the distinct pleasure of being the cantor at the Los Angeles synagogue, Ohr Hatorah, in which Leonard Cohen was a devoted member the last decade of his life.
Dimitris Mahlis (Guitar and Oud) With an intimate knowledge of both eastern and western musical theory, Dimitris has developed a unique playing style that is both earthy and intricate. As a composer, his pieces have set a modern standard in cross-cultural pollination. Mahlis has performed and toured with a myriad of artists including Freddie Hubbard, Airto Moreira and Russell Ferrante. Mahlis’ virtuosic solo oud performance is featured prominently throughout the Oscar winning film, Argo.
Bassist Victor Krummenacher is a founding member of the legendary Camper Van Beethoven as well as Cracker, Monks of Doom and co-founder of The Third Mind featuring Dave Alvin. He is also a distinguished singer-songwriter with a new album, “Block Out the Sun.”
Drummer Kevin Jarvis has worked with artists such as Bo Diddley, Lucinda Williams, Steve Wynn, and many others. Together with singer-songwriter/composer Ben Vaughn, Kevin worked on the hit tv series Third Rock From The Sun and That ‘70s Show. Kevin remains a highly in-demand session drummer, recording engineer, and producer.
Backing Vocalist, Jade Hendrix is a singer-songwriter based out of Ojai, CA. Her unique sound matched with her remarkable songwriting earned her an Artist of the Year Award from the Ventura County Music Awards. Her musical journey has included work with legendary artists such as Dave Mason, Judy Collins, and Perla Batalla represents the culmination of not just of the past fifteen years of experience as a vocalist, but of a life lived among music giants.