As is tradition in MEMPHIS-land, when a company member has an important milestone, like a birthday or a track debut, stage management gifts them the SPOILER ALERT, broken record from that performance.

Having been on the tour for several months, Tami finally got to take the stage as the hurricane force that is the role of “Mama” at the beginning of this year. I may have seen some bootleg footage of her “Change Don’t Come Easy,” and let me tell you, vocal fireworks!

Tami is familiar with fireworks….

(sung)
COMMUNITY:
Look at the fireworks…(X4)
Light up the night sky…(X2)
En Washington–
Look at the fireworks…(X2)
Light up the night sky…(X2)

(See how I worked that IN THE HEIGHTS reference in there?)

And now I am on a youtube binge of IN THE HEIGHTS reunion concert videos; an event that reunited the original Broadway cast and National Tour cast of IN THE HEIGHTS on February 13th of this year at the United Palace Theater in NYC. And our Tami Dahbura was there! Of course she had to fly from Arkansas to New York then back to Ft. Worth in like, 36 hours, but clearly it had to happen. All accounts, and the flood of youtube videos, prove it was well worth the trip!

With the National Tour ending in May (single tear falling already) this gives me food for thought that maybe we can do a MEMPHIS reunion concert at some point…June? Too soon? Back to Tami.

We are so lucky to have Tami in our MEMPHIS family. I did a little recon on her and went directly to two cast members with whom she has spent a lot of time to get the inside scoop on her. Here’s a little taste of what they had to say!

“Tami is a beautiful person inside and out. She has a passion for life and appreciates the beauty in everything around her. These are great qualities for someone to have while on a National Tour because she will find inspiration, and share it with us, in every town!” -Jill Morrison

“I have so much to say about my Tami . First of all for someone so petite , she is so feisty and full of life!! She and I became very close. More like a sister relationship, rather than a mother daughter lol. I love acting with her on stage cause she always makes a different choice with her character. Keeps it fresh and real. She always just goes for it. Life is to short and you have to take a risk every now and then! A Tami moto would be…”life is good as long as you have a dog at your side , the warmth of the sun on your face, a hazlenut latte or a (hot chocolate), and the love and trust of your family and close friends .. Tami is a very giving person! Love her.” -Angela Brydon

Angela Brydon with Tami Dahbura

So pour yourself a hot chocolate and snuggle in to get to know Ms. Tami!

BEHIND THE TITLE: Tami Dahbura

Track in MEMPHIS:
Clara, Racist Mother (Bonnie), Make-up Lady (Maizzie), Camera Girl (Mary), and I understudy “Mama.”

As Clara in “Scratch my Itch”

Hometown:
Hagerstown, Maryland. But I grew up in El Salvador.

Favorite Airline:
Jet Blue. Where else can I watch 4 plus hours of uninterrupted HGTV?

Though I hold frequent flyer accounts with the following airline(s):
Southwest.

Coffee or tea:
Coffee.

Are you OCD about anything?
No. Can’t say that I am – I think!

People say I remind them of:
Teresa Brewer (country singer), although most people don’t know who she is anymore.

Favorite line in the show:
“Say a prayer that change is a coming” Moment in the show (onstage or off) that you look forward to every night: I love singing
“Make Me Stronger”. Who doesn’t love a great gospel number?

Favorite costume or look:
It’s a tie between my Racist Mother and my Makeup Lady. Great period details in both and they are perfect for my characters.

Skill or hobby you’ve picked up on this tour:
I really wanted to learn double-dutch, but that thick rope scared me off. So I just keep perfecting my knitting skills.

What tour city has surprised you so far?
San Antonio. I did not really know about the River Walk, and it’s been so beautiful walking around there and dining outside right on the river.

Best food discovery since being on the road:
It’s a toss up between Garrett’s Popcorn at O’Hare and Jeni’s Ice Cream in Columbus, Ohio.

Favorite theatre so far:
Nothing can beat the thrill of performing at the Kennedy Center. But the Fox in St. Louis was beautiful!

Favorite piece of Memphis swag:
The Memphis tote we got as a Christmas gift. I don’t leave the hotel without it!

I couldn’t live without this in my dressing room:
All the fabulous girls that are in there with me. We have some great, sometimes hysterical conversations.

While on tour, I wish I had more time for:
Sightseeing.

While on tour, I wish I could pack [blank] in my suitcase:
My dogs and my kitty.

I think Memphis fans would be surprised to learn that I [fill in the blank]:
Speak fluent Spanish – I learned to read and write in Spanish before English. Oh, and they would be surprised to know that I am half-Arab. My dad is from Bethlehem.

So far on tour, I hold this moment close to my heart:
The flash mob by the students in the audience in Costa Mesa during “Steal Your Rock and Roll”. Can we have another one of those?