Meredith Kaye-Clark Sings Joni Mitchell's 'Blue'

Life takes you to funny places. Merideth Kaye Clark's winding river of a life has taken her to the stage, to a brief life in science, back to the footlights, on a three year tour with a magical musical, to falling in love, moving to Portland, having a baby and right back to the stage again.

Her ability to go where life takes her has resulted in remarkable moments, culminating presently in her performance Friday night of Joni Mitchell's "Blue" album at The Armory. The short, five-month trajectory of idea to reality is connected to her five month old baby, to whom Clark sings the songs of Joni Mitchell, as many parents do.

A rare night out at the theatre two months ago inspired the idea of performing the whole album "somewhere, like a coffeehouse or something." A conversation with Portland Center Stage's Producing Associate Brandon Wooley brought the concept to Portland Center Stage.

The delicate touch of fate pushed this idea to reality.
Long a fan of Mitchell's music, Clark said she found herself rediscovering Mitchell at "very important" moments in her life, always gravitating toward her songs as a touchstone along her meandering path. Clark perform her own versions of Mitchell's songs; staying in the original keys, hewing to their original structure. Clark will perform the whole album live and in order.

"These days, we don't listen to whole albums anymore. It's a song here, or a track there. The act of putting together a whole album is an art form," said Clark.

Her tendency to take creative leaps is part of how she operates. In college, she left briefly her performance-heavy background and stepped into the world of science, achieving a degree in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology, another facet of life that intrigued her.

When she discovered that the laboratory was populated with people who didn't understand her sense of humor, she left, coming back to the place where she felt the happiest. But she brought along a reliance on the scientific method, testing hypotheses, checking out what worked and what didn't in her life.

"Scientists," she said, "are not afraid of the answers." Her curiosity about who and why we are who we are informs her performances from theatre to cabaret.

A three-year stint as Elpheba in a touring company of "Wicked" brought her a chance meeting in Florida with the man who would become her husband, who lives in Portland. The long-distance romance led to "why don't you visit Portland, see how you like it?" which led to falling in love a second time with this remarkable city, which led to marriage and a baby, which led, once again, to Joni Mitchell. Clark is the embodiment of the "say yes" philosophy, open to what life brings to her, not afraid of the answers to the questions she wants to ask.

Of the power of "Wicked" to touch people, she said she was amazed at how the story "helped people to see their own strengths and the strengths of their differences." Had Clark not followed her strengths where they led her -- and away from a traditional path -- she would not have had the chance to consider an uncommon performance like "Blue."

While this performance is fleeting, Clark said, "We are hopeful to do it again. This is just the beginning of a journey."

It will be an evening in tribute to a beloved singer and her songs, and a chance to witness this intriguing and talented performer on the latest leg of her fascinating journey.

Meredith Kaye Clark performs an encore performance of "Blue" at 8 p.m. on June 19 at the Ellen Bye Studio, Portland Center Stage, 128 NW Eleventh Avenue in Portland, Oregon 97209. Tickets are $15. For information or tickets, call 503-445-3700 or visit http://www.pcs.org/blog/item/merideth-kaye-clark/