"Now, Henry's playing another down-on-his-luck turn-of-the-century character, Coalhouse Walker Jr., in the revival directed by Lincoln Center Theater's new artistic director Lear deBessonet. Coalhouse, an optimistic piano player, is put through a Job-like list of trials over the course of the show, culminating in his 11 o'clock number, "Make Them Hear You." The part's vocal range goes from a low G to a high A2. "It's one of the rangiest roles I've ever done," Henry says."
"Given the show's late nights, Henry makes it a priority to wake around 6:30 each morning so he has time to see his children before they go to school. He's got a 7-year-old and twin 4-year-olds, and while most performers live like monks in their off-hours to rest their vocals, Henry's brood makes that impossible. "I have to save some voice for my kids," he says."
"Henry's operative term is plyometrics, referring to short bursts of exercise that build agility. For Henry, plyometrics "remind me to keep my core and my diaphragm intact even though my heart rate may be very high." While he works out on the StairMaster, Henry forms vowels that he'll sing in the show so his body is used to making those motions in high-intensity situations."
Joshua Henry stars as Coalhouse Walker Jr., an optimistic early-20th-century piano player who endures escalating trials culminating in the 11 o'clock number "Make Them Hear You." The role spans a low G to a high A2, making it one of the rangiest roles Henry has performed. Henry wakes around 6:30 a.m. to see his three young children before school and deliberately uses a higher, light vocal register while interacting with them to conserve vocal resources. He incorporates plyometric exercises to maintain core and diaphragm control during high heart-rate moments and practices vowel shapes on a StairMaster so his body can produce required vocal motions under physical stress.
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