The Huntington native, Marshall University alumnus and singing sensation tackles our 20 questions.
By Jack Houvouras
HQ 109 | SPRING 2020
It’s been 29 years since we featured Mark McVey on the cover of HQ, but we’ve stayed in touch with our favorite tenor over the years. The Huntington native and Marshall alumnus first found acclaim on Broadway in the early 1990s when he won the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Actor. He would go on to find fame starring as Jean Valjean in Les Miserables. He was the first American to perform the role in London’s West End, and he later reprised the role with the Los Angeles Philharmonic to sold-out crowds at the Hollywood Bowl.
He starred in several other Broadway hits in New York and around the world before touring for several years with famed composer and conductor Marvin Hamlisch. McVey made his Carnegie Hall debut with Hamlisch and continues to perform with numerous symphonies around the country and the world.
For the 25th Anniversary Tour of Les Miserables, he was handpicked to star as Valjean and won the Ovation Award and the BroadwayWorld.com Award on his way to eclipsing 3,268 performances in Les Mis.
In 2017 he was asked to give the commencement address at Marshall University. Whenever he returns to Huntington, he performs for packed houses waiting to hear his golden voice. He has released three solo albums: Broadway and Beyond, If You Really Knew Me and One Among Few. A fourth solo album is due out soon, titled Finding My Way.
We recently caught up with the busy star and challenged him to answer our 20 questions. He graciously accepted and, in return, only asked us to prepare him a home-cooked meal the next time he is in Huntington.
HQ1 How would close friends describe you?
I think my close friends would describe me as reasonably talented, big hearted, thoughtful and helpful — and opinionated but very loyal.
HQ2 What is something few people know about you?
Very few people know that I love to cook! That’s because I love to eat. My wife and kids can cook, and they must fend for themselves when I’m on the road working. As a result, none of them has cracked 120 pounds. Need I say more?
HQ3 What is your fondest childhood memory?
Wow, I have so many. I guess my fondest childhood memory was riding horses at Williams Riding Stables, which was probably a carryover from my wanting to be Roy Rogers as a little boy.
HQ4 What is your greatest regret?
My greatest regret is not journaling and taking more photos and movies of my family and my travel experiences. A wise man once said that memories are the greatest gift you can give anyone.
HQ5 What is something you could talk about for hours?
Politics. I don’t get the chance very often, though. Most people don’t like the topic of politics or religion. I like to talk about both. Many people avoid these topics altogether. I think it’s why we currently seem so divided in the country. We need to communicate to be in relationship. Communication on these topics is difficult at times, but very necessary. I find that in most cases facts get in the way of the narrative. Oh, those pesky facts.
HQ6 For the perfect meal, what would be on the menu?
My perfect menu would include a shrimp and lobster cocktail, tomato and mozzarella on a bed of arugula salad with shaved Parmesan and balsamic drizzle, a 2-inch-thick grass-fed organic rib-eye steak cooked rare to medium rare, sautéed spinach, baked potato with bacon and sour cream and chocolate soufflé for dessert. Which I will hopefully get from HQ on my next trip to Huntington. 😉
HQ7 What movies made you laugh the hardest?
Blazing Saddles, Airplane! and the like. The films were so irreverent, and nothing was off base. Or, should I say, everything was off base!
HQ8 Whom is the one person, past or present, you would most like to meet?
George Washington. Many of the founders of this country wanted to make him king, but he declined the offer. Any person that can set their ego aside and do what is right for the masses instead of themselves is a unique individual indeed. That kind of wisdom gave birth to this country. Where are those people today?
HQ9 What song moves you the most?
Courageous by Casting Crowns.
HQ10 What are three books everyone should read?
It’s really hard to choose only three, but here goes: One, the Holy Bible is the only book I am sure holds the answers to all the questions of this world. Two, Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach. To me, this is a book about pushing the limits to be the very best you can be. Three, The Power of Positive Thinking by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale. You can come back to this book over and over again when you find yourself on the wrong path or just down in the dumps.
HQ11 If you had a day off from work, what would you do?
If you find your gifts and your purpose and a way to use them to serve others, you will never want a day off. That combination of discoveries will create so much energy in your life that you will never need a day off. In fact, the only time you will take off is to spend time with those you love — your family and friends. I think this is the most important work we humans can do!
HQ12 If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
There are so many places. I want to go on a safari in Africa and lie on the beach in Bali. But there are so many places in this country I have yet to visit. I could spend a year just exploring the wonders of the good ol’ USA.
HQ13 What irritates you the most?
Right now? These questions! No, just kidding. I guess what irritates me the most is all the negativity, hypocrisy and “I don’t care” attitudes in the country and the world today. Not just of individuals, but also of corporations and the government. The facts will support my next statement: People, in general, are lazy. We want an easy button, and we lean toward the path of least resistance. We let others do what we should be doing ourselves, and then we sit around judging and complaining when things don’t turn out the way we want. Too many of us are willing to let others tell us who we are and what we should do. That is extremely dangerous, in my opinion. Each of us must take responsibility for ourselves and the raising of our children; we need to instill values that are designed to give us room for our individuality while still putting the focus on the service of others.
HQ14 What scares you the most?
Not being able to discipline myself enough to accomplish what I was uniquely created to accomplish.
HQ15 What is the most beautiful thing you have ever seen?
Well, five things vie for the top spot, all of which are God’s glorious creations: my wife, my mother Myra — God rest her soul, my daughter Grace, my daughter Kylie and the universe in which we get to live.
HQ16 What talent would you like to possess?
I’d like to be able to hear what God is trying to say to the world during these unique times. Specifically, I would like to be able, with more accuracy, to discern what God is saying to me about how I can be a better servant to the world.
HQ17 What do you like most about Huntington?
Well, I guess it’s the fact that even though I was so ready to leave Huntington as a young man, I miss it and look forward to it every time I return. And, best of all, it still feels like home.
HQ18 What is your favorite spot in West Virginia?
Hands down, The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs.
HQ19 What brings you the most joy?
Spending time with my family and friends. And running a close second would be getting to sing and use the gifts that God gave me to deliver messages of hope and inspiration.
HQ20 How would you like to be remembered?
I would like to be remembered for being kind, generous of spirit and talent, thoughtful, intentional, fair, loving, empathetic and compassionate; a passionate husband, father and friend who discovered his gifts early in life and was driven to do his best to use those gifts to inspire others.
