Donna Summer show at the PAC sure to be hot stuff"

For many performers, being too closely associated with a specific genre or role can be the death knell for a long-term career. But not for the Queen of Disco herself, Donna Summer.

Ms. Summer has managed to parlay her start in disco into a four-decade career in dance music as many of her peers vanished into obscurity as one- or two-hit wonders. With five Grammy Awards, six American Music awards, countless gold and platinum singles, an Oscar and more than 100 million records sold, Ms. Summer is one of the most successful musical hit-makers of all time.

With big sellers such as “Love to Love You Baby,” “MacArthur Park,” “Bad Girls,” “Hot Stuff,” “Dim All the Lights,” “On the Radio,” “Enough Is Enough” and the Oscar winning “Last Dance,” Ms. Summer could have easily rested on her laurels and retired after the disco craze started to fade. But in a recent interview, the songstress said she wasn’t ready to become a “desperate housewife” just yet.

And now, with her first album release in 17 years—“Crayons”—and a multi-leg tour of North and South America, Ms. Summer is back on the road proving once again that she does indeed work hard for the money.

Despite her public persona as the original disco diva, Ms. Summer was soft-spoken and modest during a telephone interview last week. Though she was trying her best to rest her voice after performing in front of a crowd of 30,000 in Ottawa, Canada, Ms. Summer spoke for about 45 minutes about her lengthy career and what it’s like to be called a music legend.

“It’s funny how the ‘Queen of Disco’ name stuck,” she said. “The birth of disco just happened when my songs were at their peak, they were dance songs really, but it’s nice that people responded so well.”

On “Crayons,” she even manages to poke a little fun at herself in the song “The Queen Is Back.”

“That’s a title that’s followed me,” she said, “so I decided to just go with it.”

Ms. Summer also spoke about the longevity of her career—her first single, a cover of the Jaynett’s “Sally Go Round the Roses” was released in 1971—and the physical demands of touring as a more mature performer.

“I’ve been at it for a while, but I think that even though I’m older, I’m still jumping around on these legs,” the singer said of how she has managed to perform on stage in spite of a knee injury. “I’m still dancing in high heels and I think I’m doing quite well.”

Ms. Summer first gained acclaim on the stage in European productions of “Hair,” “Godspell,” “Porgy and Bess,” and as a performer with the Viennese Folk Opera. She later struck U.S. stardom in 1975 with the number two hit “Love to Love You Baby.”

Ms. Summer said that she’s basically an actress who sings, and that each song becomes a one-woman play that tells the story of a particular character. “I just play the characters the way the song dictates, I try not to have a particular style,” she said.

Regardless of what type of genre is currently popular, all successful songs contain some basic elements, according to Ms. Summer. “Music is still music. You still need a melody, a hook, a chorus and a structure,” she said.

For the “Crayons” tour, Ms. Summer has been playing to large stadium-size arena crowds, but she will also be making a stop at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center on Sunday, July 27, to play at the 425-seat theater.

A longtime East End visitor, Ms. Summer said she scheduled the Westhampton Beach performance as a special treat to herself so she could spend a week or so in the Hamptons before going on to the West Coast leg of her tour in August.

“I’ve been coming out there every summer since my kids were little,” Ms. Summer said of the East End. “There’s a reason the Westhampton Beach show is the last one ... I’ve been waiting for it with bated breath.”

Ms. Summer said she enjoys the relaxed vibe and the anonymity of the Hamptons, where she can wander around shops, go to the movies and eat out in restaurants with her family and friends. “I go out every single night I’m out there and it just keeps getting better and better each time,” she said of her visits to the South Fork.

For PAC Executive Director Clare Bisceglia, having Ms. Summer as part of “the stellar 10th anniversary lineup this year” is a real “get.”

“It’s such a thrill and an honor to have Donna Summer here for our 10th anniversary midsummer fund-raiser,” she said. “It’s a truly unique opportunity to have a star of this caliber here to perform in our intimate, private setting.”

Comparing the upcoming PAC performance with some of her bigger gigs, Ms. Summer said there are bonuses for her to play in a “living room” setting. “I love playing intimate audiences, it’s a real opportunity to sharpen your tools as a performer ... and I get to talk a little bit, which is fun,” she said.

As for her place in history, Ms. Summer said that she hopes that fans will remember her not just as the Queen of Disco, but as a performer who gave it her all.

“I guess I’d like to be known as a person who fearlessly embraced my career,” she said, adding, “And as a performer who can make people forget who they are and where they are, so they can get in the moment and ride the wave of joy.”

Donna Summer will perform at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center in a special 10th anniversary fund-raiser on Sunday, July 27, at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $300 and $400, or $500 for the performance and a pre-show cocktail party beginning at 7 p.m. Call 288-1500, stop at the PAC at 76 Main Street, or visit www.whbpac.org.