by tony reverditto
Emmy-winning host Melvin Robert rejoins the chorus for And The Beat Goes On, a soulful celebration at Saban Theatre
For nearly five decades, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles (GMCLA) has stood as one of the city’s most powerful cultural voices, an ensemble where artistry and advocacy meet in full harmony.
Now in its 47th season, GMCLA continues to blend musical excellence with a mission rooted in visibility, inclusion and community impact. Their spring concert, And The Beat Goes On, promises not just a performance, but an experience that celebrates rhythm, resilience and the unmistakable joy of harmonious sound.
Under the baton of Music Director & Conductor Ernest H. Harrison, the chorus will transform historic Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills into a vibrant celebration of R&B, Motown, gospel and musical theater. The repertoire will draw from legends like Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight, alongside Broadway favorites that pulse with soul. With the combined force of 200 voices, gospel selections are expected to soar, while the groove-driven classics will invite audiences to feel every beat. G
MCLA has long mastered the balance between polish and passion, and this production appears poised to deliver both in abundance.
Adding a personal homecoming to the evening is Emmy Award–winning host, actor and singer Melvin Robert. Before becoming a familiar face on television screens across Southern California and beyond, Robert was a proud member of GMCLA from 2013 to 2018.
Those years, by his own admission, helped shape him artistically and personally. His return to the chorus marks more than a guest appearance — it’s a full-circle moment for a performer who once stood on those risers, blending his voice into the collective sound.
Today, Robert is best known as the entertainment anchor on KTLA 5 Morning News, LA’s top-rated morning program. His career spans journalism, acting and producing, with credits that range from nationally syndicated entertainment news to scripted television and feature films.
He previously co-anchored Good Day LA and served as senior correspondent and weekend host on the Emmy-winning entertainment news magazine Extra, with additional appearances as a special correspondent on The Jennifer Hudson Show.
His acting credits include television roles in The Young & the Restless, Hacks, LA’s Finest and The Fix, as well as the feature film Why Him? On stage, he has appeared in productions of Rent, Miss Saigon, West Side Story, The Wizard of Oz, The Bayou Legend, Alex in Wonderland, and Karishma. Yet at heart, Robert remains a musical storyteller.
Trained in theater and grounded in performance, he brings to the concert stage a depth that extends beyond celebrity. There’s a certain authenticity that comes from someone who understands the culture of the chorus from the inside out. His return feels less like a booking and more like a reunion.
Robert’s journey, from growing up in Inglewood to becoming Broadcast Journalist of the Year, as honored by the L.A. Press Club in 2022, embodies the kind of layered narrative that GMCLA itself often amplifies: resilience, pride, artistry and growth.
It’s fitting that he joins a program celebrating genres born from lived experience: Gospel rooted in faith and endurance, Motown built on perseverance and crossover brilliance, Broadway fueled by storytelling and transformation. Few guest artists could bridge those musical worlds with the same credibility.
As audiences prepare for this two-night engagement, Robert’s voice will once again blend with a chorus that has championed equality and raised awareness during pivotal moments in history. For longtime GMCLA supporters, it’s a welcome return. For new audiences, it’s an invitation to witness something uniquely Los Angeles: a convergence of entertainment, activism and artistry on one stage.
The RAGE Monthly caught up with Robert ahead of his performance with GMCLA.
Looking back at your early career, how did you first get your start in entertainment, and what was that pivotal moment that set you on this path?
September 2006, The Bayou Legend, a Broadway-bound musical directed by Debbie Allen with music by James Ingram. Open-call audition, I had no agent or manager at the time. It really set me on my path. Ms. Allen believed in me and gave me my first big opportunity.
She instilled this great belief in me that I could. I was the understudy for all of the male leads in the show. And, the most meaningful thing was how she kept me close and under her wing through the whole process of putting the show together.
Love that! Your evolution from theater performer to respected television journalist and morning news anchor is remarkable. How did that transition happen, and what lessons did you carry with you onto the KTLA 5 Morning News set?
The short of it is, I just went for it. All I had was an iPad and a microphone I bought at Samy’s Camera. I would stand on the side of the road taping stand-ups. I would shoot my own stories and edit them. My roommate at the time would film me. I leaned on great mentors in the TV business like Steve Holzer, who was the membership president of GMCLA when I joined back in 2013-2018 and was a singing member for those five years.
He was an accomplished TV producer and he helped me, offering advice, counsel, watching all of my reels and critiquing. His support really helped to keep me going because it was not easy. I was 30 years old when I began pursuing television hosting, and many folks were telling me I had waited too long and that I was too late. Steve reminded me that I could.
You’ve had an extraordinary career since your time with GMCLA. What emotions surface as you return to the chorus stage, where part of your artistic journey began?
I’m so honored and humbled to stand alongside these beautiful men once again. My experience in the chorus gave me the wings to fly. It facilitated an opportunity to eradicate the shame that I was experiencing and the internalized homophobia, and tap into the joy.
It was healing and transformational. The love, support, encouragement, compassion that was extended to me gave me the things to fly. It helped me to believe more fully in myself. It’s definitely a homecoming. Can’t wait!
This concert celebrates R&B, Motown, gospel and Broadway — genres rich in storytelling. How do you reconnect with the purely musical side of yourself when preparing for a performance like this?
The music is always in me! Love this genre so much. My grandmother Vera loved Ray Charles and played it often when I was growing up. When I learned that one of the songs that I would be performing would be Georgia on My Mind, I felt like it was such a strong wink from her and the powers of the universe. I have such fond memories of visiting her at her house in Inglewood, sitting in her den and listening to Mr. Charles. It’s an honor to celebrate the legacy of all of these extraordinary musicians.
GMCLA has long utilized music as a vehicle for advocacy and healing. In today’s cultural climate, what role do you believe artistic organizations like GMCLA play in shaping conversations around inclusion and identity?
They are so essential and crucial to our collective growth and development. The arts are a window into our shared humanity and a unifier. Regardless of our differences in the world, when that beat drops, it’s universal. The arts bring us together.
When the curtain rises at Saban Theatre and you look out at the audience, what do you hope they carry with them after the final note?
Power, grace, love, hope, freedom.
And The Beat Goes On takes place Saturday and Sunday, March 21-22, at Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills gmcla.org