As part of what they’re calling “an intimate experience with…,” 16-time Grammy-winning musician, songwriter and producer David Foster and actress, singer and Broadway star Katharine McPhee will play just 12 Christmas shows next month. One of those concerts takes place on Thursday, Dec. 4, at MGM Northfield Park — Center Stage. It’ll feature their renditions of classic Christmas tunes as well as performances of songs that Foster has written for the likes of Chicago, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion and Michael Buble.
In a recent conference call from their L.A. home, the duo talk about the show as well as their musical and romantic (they’re married) relationship.
Part of your show includes the story of how you two first met on American Idol. Can you each talk about what your first impressions were of one another?
Foster: It’s not memorable for either one of us. I was trying to do my job as a mentor. Kat was trying to do her job and win American Idol.
McPhee: I was trying to impress Andrea Bocelli. No, that’s not true. But I do remember thinking. Andrea and David were great mentors for the kind of voice I had. I was laying it on thick and trying to sing songs that Andrea had sung and coincidentally David had written. I remember my first impression of David being very serious and very tough.
Did you have any sense then that you would end up collaborating and even becoming romantically involved?
Foster: For sure, not. We’re talking almost 20 years ago.
What kind of musical influences do you share?
Foster: Kat is a different generation than me. Her teenage years of pop music are different than my teenage years by a generation or two. In general, we share the same views musically. We’re drawn to Celine Dion and Whitney Houston and Michael Buble. Of course, she made a pop album, which is really good. We share a love of jazz standards. There is a lot of common ground musically.
McPhee: I’m amazed by songs that were big songs for my upbringing but maybe not major hits for David. He did a lot of stuff with Brandy and Monica. He did “For You I Will” with Monica. Every once in a while, I will just turn to him and go,” How did you, this little white kid from British Columbia, turn out so much soulful music?” I loved that kind of music growing up. I loved Boyz II Men and Brian McKnight, and these are artists that David was heavily working with. I just marvel at the access and ability he had to all that kind of music and all those different artists.
What kind of musical influences do you not share?
Foster: Well, I like bebop jazz. She likes it but doesn’t dwell on it. I can listen to it all day.
McPhee: I wouldn’t go to a two-hour show, but I like it when it’s on here in the house. I like melodies I can follow
Foster: I like opera more than she does. I like classical music.
McPhee: I like classical music. The truth is that we don’t listen to a ton of music together. When I get into the car and the music is on and he didn’t turn the radio off, I am always shocked. This is a guy who never wants to listen to music, but apparently, he listens to it in private.
Foster: I have the jazz station blasting.
What was your first tour together like?
Foster: It has morphed. It started as my tour with Kat just doing a few songs. I had a lot of other performers. It started out simple and easy. At some point, we decided we should just tour together. That was coming out of the pandemic.
McPhee: I remember putting the show together and thinking, “Where do we start?” I knew we had some songs we had to do. We did a short run at the Café Carlyle in New York. It’s a famous room. We hired a friend of mine, Lauren Latarro, who is a choreographer and director. I worked with her on the show Waitress. We hired her with the intention of taking that smaller show on the road to flesh it out. That’s how it started. After that first rehearsal, it started to write itself. We had to crawl our way through those first iterations. Now, we can do it with our eyes closed.
The current tour comes in advance of Christmas. Will the show feature tunes from your Christmas album?
McPhee: We’ll hit it hard with Christmas songs but there will be some medleys of other songs too. It won’t be a whole show of Christmas songs, but we’ll do songs from David’s repertoire of songs, which is pretty much endless.
Which was your favorite to record together?
Foster: I think Kat’s favorite is “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” We did a jazzy version of that. I enjoyed the whole record. I have had a good history of doing Christmas albums. I did albums with Josh Groban, Michael Buble, Andrea Bocelli and Mary J. Blige.
I like your arrangement of “We Three Kings.” What inspired it.
Foster: Just yesterday, we talked about maybe doing that as the opening of the show, which would be exciting. Originally, I demoed it. There was some talk of doing with Trans-Siberian Orchestra. I did the demo in the style of what they would do. They ended up not wanting to do it. I have refined it and made it my own, but it’s heavily influenced by them.
Your version of “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” is right up there with Springsteen’s.
Foster: I love that.We ripped the Springsteen version off a little bit.
You are both involved in various charities. Can you talk about them ?
Foster: Kat has had her own which she has had from a young age. She has projects in Africa. I have my foundation. We help with organ transplants. It’s important for me. In the last 15 or 20 years, I have had Kat sing at many of them, and we’ve raised a lot of money. Our final fundraiser is next August in British Columbia. We’ll have a great endowment, and it will carry on long after I’m gone.
I’m sure you’ve been to Cleveland in the past. What stands out as one of your favorite memories?
Foster: The Rock Hall. And of course, it’s the home of many, many stars, but [the late singer-songwriter] Eric Carmen was a friend of mine, and I thought he was amazing. Of course, we covered his hit “All by Myself” with Celine Dion. He was really something.
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