If the last show isn’t as familiar to you as the first five, composer Jerry Herman (Hello, Dolly!) considered it his best show. Even though it includes a slew of some of his finest songs, the show has struggled to be successfully produced. The original Broadway production (with Robert Preston and Bernadette Peters) ran for just 66 performances and won none of the eight Tony nominations it had received.

Mack & Mabel, which is centered around silent film director Mack Sennett and silent film star Mabel Normand, is being performed in a concert presentation this weekend at North Hollywood’s El Portal Theatre. This All Roads Theatre Company production is being directed and choreographed by Scott Thompson. O’Connor is playing Lottie Ames, a film star who takes Mabel (Jenna Lea Rosen) under her wing. Dermot Mulroney plays Mack. Update: All performances of Mack & Mabel have sold out.

Last week I spoke with O’Connor about the reasons why Mack & Mabel hasn’t been successful, how the show is a throwback to when stars were the stars of the show and if time heals everything O’Connor has gone through in her career. What follows are excerpts from our conversation that have been edited for length and clarity. To see the full interview with O’Connor, please go to our YouTube channel.

Q: Jerry Herman said that Mack & Mabel was his favorite of all of his works, but it was sadly his least successful. You were in the 1995 UK production for which you received an Olivier nomination for your performance as Mabel. Why do you think historically this show didn’t find an audience and what did the audiences miss by not seeing it?

We ran for about seven months, maybe a little bit more, which I think is probably the longest run of Mack & Mabel. I think that theater is quite often like fashion. I think it opened around 74, didn’t it? Weren’t we getting things like A Chorus Line and more modern musicals, maybe even Chicago? Those sorts of shows [meaning Mack & Mabel] seemed more like a revival. Whereas the modern shows like A Chorus Line, Godspell and things like that, it was just fashion and theater was changing. I just really believe that sometimes you see six revivals in a row. Suddenly that’s the thing and then suddenly brand new musicals. So I just think maybe the timing wasn’t quite right. 

Mack & Mabel shares something in common with Stephen Sondheim‘s Merrily We Roll Along. They have both been considered shows with many of their composer’s best songs. But until this season’s Broadway revival of Merrily We Roll Along, the show wasn’t fully embraced. Late in the second act of Mack & Mabel there’s a song, I Promise You a Happy Ending. Mack sings, “If you’ve had a bad beginning, you’ll come out winning in the close.” Do you think Mack & Mabel will ultimately have a happy ending the same way Merrily We Roll Along has?

Possibly. I mean, of all the places to do this show, Los Angeles is probably the right place. Just because of the subject matter, it being about a movie director in a movie studio. If we can’t do it here and for it to be understood and appreciated, then it’s difficult to know. I think it could be a show like those that come around and people go, wait a minute. This is a sensational. An amazing score. It’s been criticized quite a bit over the years, but I have to say Scott is doing a really sensational job of the show now.

Jerry Herman was still with us when you did the 1995 production. Was Jerry Herman around during that production?

He came to Leicester to be with us during the rehearsal period. Which you can imagine was absolutely thrilling. There’s nothing quite like having the the actual composer in the room. He just had the biggest grin on his face the entire time he was there. I think he was just so thrilled to be seeing the musical come back to life. Then opening night, in London, he was there and it was everything you could possibly dream up.

This 1995 production had the most major changes in the book.

We had quite a few changes during the rehearsal period. Quite a few went into the show. There was a slight nervousness about how it would be received. I just think it’s best to just tell the truth. You know, the real story. It’s not a happy ending. Mabel Normand had a pretty tragic life at the end and died very young. Their love was never what it probably should have or could have been. So there was a lot of tweaking backwards and forwards and everyone was very nervous.

What do you think your perspective was on Lottie Ames in 1995 and how has it shifted now that you’re taking on this role?

We had a wonderful actress called Kathryn Evans who played the role. She had a voice from heaven and was a wonderful dancer. So my recollection of the role is that it was brilliantly done by her, but also a lovely role. What I like about this female character within the show is that quite often you’ll have two female characters sort of against each other or competing with each other. I think it’s quite interesting in this show that Lottie becomes quite protective and supportive of Mabel. So it’s quite nice to have that sort of dynamic between the characters and it’s interesting. 

I really enjoy playing her now just because I love the show. It’s so strange. Everything’s flooding back in the room. [I’m] getting quite emotional thinking about it because it was such a great time of my life. So I feel blessed that I’m getting to experience it again, but also to play this other role.

Lottie’s second act number is Tap Your Troubles Away. What do you do to get over your troubles?

I’m never happier than I am when I’m at work. When I’m at home I do tend to sing around the house. I’ve got a little miniature poodle and she’ll sing along with me, howl along with me. I live in Queensland, which is like God’s back garden. So I spend a lot of time with lovely friends. But I’d have to say what makes me happiest is when I’m actually working.

You had previously done a concert version of Mack & Mabel in Melbourne in 2001. You also did a concert version of My Favorite Year at 54 Below in 2017. What are the differences for you as an actor in doing a concert performance as opposed to a fully realized production?

I don’t think it’s that different, to be honest with you. I think you approach it in the same way. You still try to find a full-bodied character. Of course, there’s not as much choreography when you do it in that way. But you have to do a lot of the learning in advance. 

You’ve played Cassie in A Chorus Line. You’ve played Phyllis in Follies. Some of the greatest musicals that we’ve ever had came out of the 1970s. Do you think that musicals from that time offer performers and audiences more than perhaps musicals do today? 

Yes I do. I can’t really put my finger on it. When I moved to England in the 80s, I really noticed that star vehicles were not the important issue anymore. It was that the show was becoming the star. Not the roles that you aspire to play. I do think that we got to the end of the 70s and they stopped writing things in that capacity. Which is a shame, because it gave you something to aspire to. I’ve always grown up going, oh my God, I would love to play that part that so-and-so played. So yeah, I think the fashion definitely changed. And the roles, even though they were still important, they weren’t seen in the same capacity anymore.

You mentioned roles that you’d like to play based on who else had played them. What are those roles? 

I did Gypsy and I loved Ethel Merman growing up. When I was a little girl growing up in Australia, I was probably about 11, I’ve got a cassette of me singing Rose’s Turn with Ethel. It’s funny to me because I didn’t want to play Baby June. Obviously I want to play Mama Rose. I just loved the sound. And I remember thinking, that must be what Broadway is, because I didn’t know what Broadway was. I used to listen to the albums and think that sound, that big orchestra, and you could hear the character coming across. I couldn’t see them, but I could tell every emotion. Of course, Angela Lansbury in probably everything. And Chita Rivera, of course, probably my greatest inspiration, because she was also such a magnificent dancer. I did four of her shows: West Side Story, Chicago, The Rink and Kiss of the Spider Woman. The dream is that you get to create a role that somebody else would like to play in the future. 

You also had the distinction of having been in Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge! as Nini. Which means you got Tango Roxanne as your big on-screen moment. Why do you think Moulin Rouge! resonates with people as strongly as it does?

The music primarily has to be part of it because of the recognition. Everybody feels comfortable when they hear something that they recognize. The experience for me was one of the best of my life. Very unexpected thing that happened, too. I didn’t think at that stage of my life as a dancer, because I was in my late 30s, that I was going to get the call to do something like that. I don’t think we’d seen a musical movie in quite some years. He brought them back into fashion again.

You’ve been doing this for four decades at this point, which means you’ve had good times and bum times and you’ve seen it all. When you look back on your career, does time heal everything that wasn’t so great and offer perspective on those things that were?

Yes, I think so. I remember the George Burns quote, which was that show business is a hideous bitch goddess. And I thought, that’s so true because you love it. It’s very hard work. It can be very disappointing as well. You have to hang in there. You never who’s going to produce what. There’s no plan. You just always have to be ready to be prepared and to be able to go for something. So I think that time does heal everything. Sometimes you have great disappointments. I know over the years you think, gosh, why didn’t I get to do that? And then something else marvelous to come along. So, yes, the unexpected is always a wonderful surprise. This certainly was an unexpected surprise. So may they long continue.

To see the full interview with Caroline O’Connor, please go here.

Main Photo: Caroline O’Connor (Courtesy Caroline O’Connor)

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Chita Rivera is a living legend. It was just announced that the 85-year-old superstar will be awarded a special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement at this June’s ceremony in New York. And no wonder. She originated the roles of “Anita” in West Side Story, “Rose Grant” in Bye Bye Birdie, “Velma Kelly” in Chicago, the “Spider Woman” and “Aurora” in Kiss of the Spider Woman and was most recently on Broadway as “Claire Zachannassian” in The Visit. To date she has two Tony Awards and 8 other Tony nominations. So what do you ask someone who has probably been interviewed more times than just about anyone else in the world?  I wasn’t sure either, so here goes…

In Seth Rudetsky’s Broadway Diary Volume 3, he quotes you as saying about him, “You’ve really got it, don’t you? Every fucking word you say is funny?” What makes him so funny and how does that humor influence the conversations you have with him in these shows?

I can guarantee I did not say the F word. I can guarantee that’s Seth! But it sounds better if you stick that in. I love when it comes back to me and my face twists. He does. He absolutely can’t help himself. He’s so funny and he’s so smart and he’s so interested that I think he’s sometimes more interested in people’s careers than they are. He describes situations and shows and he’s been in many an orchestra pit and he knows what it’s like to hear it and play it. He’s a great musician. I defy anyone to be as funny. He’s so -effing funny. (Yes, she really said -effing instead of dropping the F-bomb.)

In an interview prior to your 54 Below engagement in March, you said you get bored talking about yourself. How does your relationship with Seth make those conversations not boring for you?

Because he does things in an easy and jovial way so that I can enjoy it. When he tells a story or reminds me of something he’s not so serious. It’s a drag when you take yourself really terribly serious. It’s in the past now. I don’t live in the past, but I’m grateful for the past. Seth has a way of spinning things and making them fresh. I enjoy it. He celebrates it.

When I spoke to Seth about his book, I asked him which shows he would like to go back in time to see. He immediately said Funny Girl to see Barbra Streisand and West Side Story to see you as “Anita.”

He’s never said that to me before. That’s wild. That’s a good thing you told me, because I’m going to ask him what’s the thing about Anita. Of course West Side Story itself, the whole doggone piece is extraordinary and still is. It blows my mind that the story in West Side Story is still very…it’s still a serious problem. We even have more problems on top of it with what’s been happening with the ladies and all of that. The prejudices are just blowing my mind. It doesn’t seem as though people really understand what it is when they say they want us all to be equal. You really do have to care for a human being for who they are. That’s called love, affection, understanding. It blows my mind and makes me angry.

This appearance with Seth is tied to the celebrations surrounding the centenary of Leonard Bernstein’s birth. What’s the one thing you think people should know about him that perhaps they overlook?

I think pretty much people appreciate he was an amazing teacher, forgetting about the God-given gift. He was the sweetest and warmest and most loving. This was man who really understood appreciating the difference between people and genders. He treated everybody the same and he had a great sense of humor. To see him conduct, from our point-of-view, the Quintet [in West Side Story] is just to drop dead. He pulled it out of us using his own energy and his own physical body. So much so he fell through the chair. He was pulling and tugging and making sounds and he suddenly disappeared and went right through  the chair. It was pretty funny.

I recently spoke with Tommy Tune with whom you sometimes tour. He quoted you as saying “nobody told me to stop.” Can you imagine yourself not dancing or singing or entertaining?

Oh gosh no. Because it’s a language to me. It’s a way to relate to each other. It’s a way to express myself. It’s just a part of my DNA. I can probably say more in a dance than I can with words. That’s probably stupid to say. If I had the words, I’d have to move my body to express it all. Without music, without dance, I can’t survive. I really can’t imagine it. I say to my audience during “Sweet Happy Life,” I tell them to move their body any way you want and let it go. Then I say to them, “How does it feel when your spirit says hello to your body.” When it does it turns to dance.

In Part 2 we continue our conversation with the legendary Chita Rivera and show some rare rehearsal footage from the original production of Chicago. To see part two of this interview, please go here.

Photo Credit: Laura Marie Duncan

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I want to pick up with something else Tommy Tune told me. He feels that he is now obsolete and that there isn’t a place on Broadway for him. He also can’t bear to work without his regular collaborators who have passed away. How do you handle loss and what do you do differently than Tommy?

I just stay. I keep my eyes and ears open and say yes. I look forward to tomorrow. I absolutely do. It keeps me young and in it. It keeps my laughing. it keeps me a part of it. Freddy is gone [Fred Ebb – lyricist for Chicago and Kiss of the Spider Woman] but his lyrics have not. His memory is not. If the opportunity comes, why not if you are asked to? Why not? Why not seek another view or way of doing things? I’m always hungry for new things. And I’m loaded with old things. And they are good. You know listening to scores you love that they are still relevant. They are still exciting, beautiful and moving.

With YouTube a lot of people can see some of your old television and stage appearances. For example, I watched you perform “I Got Plenty O’ Nottin'” on Judy Garland’s show. How do you feel about that?

With that hair? Have you ever seen so much hair in your life? You’d think there would be three little people underneath all that hair! I think it’s fabulous. It’s wonderful. I’m not really a part of this new age. I don’t do all that Facebook and all that stuff. It’s great, except sometimes people think they are critics and they are heard now and they kind of go crazy with their opinions. People aren’t nice enough today. They think criticizing is far more interesting than adoring or liking something. They think that darkness is more valuable. I don’t. I think the light is far more interesting and alluring.

Whatever happened to class?

Freddy had it absolutely right But mind you, they are two murderers who sing that song. That’s what’s funny about it. That they had the audacity to ask, but they are the least classy people to ask. But yes, whatever happened to class.

Can you believe the revival of Chicago is still running?

I’m so glad it’s running now and I’m so happy for the kids. But it just doesn’t compare with Tony Walton’s original sets and the show the way Bobby [Fosse] directed it. It just doesn’t compare. You just sort of wish people had seen it in its original state. That big elevator that Velma came up on. Amazing design.

Speaking of class, as a Puerto Rican, I have to believe you are less than impressed with the US Government’s response to Hurricane Maria.

Oh please. [She lets out the biggest sigh.] I made a promise I would wake up every day and not turn on the news. I think it’s disgusting and disgraceful. I’m embarrassed and ashamed and I’m angry. And you know who I’m angry at. I don’t even like to say his name. I don’t understand. I don’t understand that or the people who put him there.

One time when I spoke with your Sweet Charity co-star Shirley MacLaine, she said “I’m so old. But I’m current. If there audience is with you, there’s nothing like being on stage.” Do you agree and, if so, do you still feel that way?

That’s exactly right. I totally agree. I guess I would add with her…it’s just that age brings a whole other fantastic bit of, what can I say, we bring our adventures, our knowledge and our history with us. And so we have a double thing going. We’re current because Shirley is not going to give in. She’s not going to go anywhere. She’s going to go with what’s going on. She has to know. Just like I am. She’s a bit more curious than I am. On top of the years she has been here she has all the other lives before. She’s got a bag bigger than anybody’s. She was the cherry on the top of my adventure of doing the film of Sweet Charity. That’s what’s nice about having all these fabulous people who are my friends. I still have them and I will always have them.

Ever the pro, Chita knew exactly when our allotted amount of time was up. But she one more thing to say which surprised me.

I had an interview just before you. I could not have been more bored. I thank you for saving my day. You have a wonderful sense of humor and great background and questions. Thank you.

Even if I didn’t know what you ask someone who has been so peppered with questions her whole career, I guess it didn’t go too badly after all. Thank you Chita!

Chita Rivera and Seth Rudetsky appear on Thursday, May 10th in two performances of Broadway @ The Wallis: Chita Rivera.

For part one of our interview, please go here.

Main photo: Chita Rivera in Kiss of the Spider Woman. Photo by Martha Swope. Courtesy of the NY Public Library.

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THIS IS THE TWELFTH AND LAST OF OUR BEST OF 23 REVIEW OF INTERVIEWS: There aren’t too many actors who have appeared in productions of West Side Story, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Follies and A Little Night Music. Not many can also hold the distinction of originating a role in Company. One person who has done all five shows is Tony Award-winner Donna McKechnie.

She was the original Kathy in Company – one of the trio of women who sing “You Could Drive a Person Crazy.” As for her Tony Award, she originated the role of Cassie in A Chorus Line.

Company was, of course, written by Stephen Sondheim. As were Forum, Follies and A Little Night Music. Leonard Bernstein wrote the music for West Side Story and the lyrics were Sondheim’s.

After earning rave reviews for her show Take Me to the World: The Songs of Stephen Sondheim at 54 Below in New York, McKechnie is bringing the show to Los Angeles for two performances this week at Catalina Jazz Club. She will also perform at the Purple Room in Palm Springs on January 13th and January 14th. Next week she’ll bring the show to Feinsteins At The Nikko in San Francisco.

Last week I spoke with McKechnie who was in her apartment on the Upper West Side of New York City. We spoke about her career, her relationship with Sondheim, the joy in singing his music and, of course, A Chorus Line. What follows are excerpts from our conversation that have been edited for length and clarity.

For those who know you were in the original Broadway cast of Company, they might think that was your first introduction to Stephen Sondheim. But if my research is correct, you were actually in a touring production of West Side Story.

Oh my God. Yes, you’re right. Wow.

But when you auditioned for the the touring production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum that was the first time you sang… 

It was my first singing audition and Stephen – that’s the first time I ever met him. Of course, I barely remember anything because I was so nervous. I was so nervous that I could not control my hand from shaking when I read for George Abbott, the director. I couldn’t find my timing. I kept losing my way and inadvertently it made him laugh so much. He actually fell off the chair.

Can you imagine my first time out in a role, coming from the chorus of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, to be in that? First of all, it took me a whole year on the road practically to find those laughs again because I didn’t know what I was doing. But what a great way to learn from the best people; a great cast. And a great way, when you’re 19, 20 years old, to see the country. 

Do you remember the moment where an awareness clicked in with you that what Stephen Sondheim did was different?

It was so sophisticated – as much as I could be sophisticated in those days. It was clever, witty, funny. It was very edgy. I appreciated all of that. I mean, the show was fantastic and this was his first Broadway show, of course, where he wrote both lyrics and music. It was great. They cast it very well and including me, I think. I did learn on the job. I had a great time. 

When you do a Sondheim show does it give you a skill set that is different than it might have been had you done other shows? 

I was lucky to work with so many great composers. But, any time I do a Sondheim show, it always makes me feel I’m a better singer and I’m a better actor because of really digging in to that material. Because that’s how he writes. He writes from a character-driven point-of-view and there’s so much finesse in it. I always improve. 

I heard him say over the years that he was always looking for actors who could sing versus singers who could act. If you are approaching your career as a singer/dancer does a vote of confidence from someone like Sondheim make you think there is more to me as an actor than perhaps I imagined?

I’ve always acted. It’s always been my basis for anything. Many years ago it pushed me into a place of resenting being labeled as a dancer/singer because everything I did had that acting. I studied. I was a professional student. My first chorus job, my only one, really, How to Succeed... I had never seen anything like a roomful of people telling a story with music and movement. I thought I have a job now. If I go to acting class and voice lessons I can learn how to sing and act. Then I can have a career perhaps longer than a dancer’s life. That was the whole plan.

Naturally I had to really work. But there was always an affinity for connecting with the character. That’s why I love Sondheim so much and and so many people. Michael Bennett was all character-driven. As was Jerome Robbins. We’re telling stories in a very specific way.

You’re someone who has sung the music and lyrics of Marvin Hamlisch, Edward Kleban, Cy Coleman, Dorothy Fields, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter. The list goes on and on. But when you sing Stephen Sondheim what resonates most with you as a person when you’re singing his songs? 

I just relate to it so much because he is so clear and decisive. There’s so much clarity in his work. He doesn’t want it to be a cookie cutter of any idealized performance, some imagined performance. He wants you to bring yourself to it completely and fully and bring it alive. He wrote it for actors to do that. There’s not just one way to do it. The new revival of Company had his blessing and it was totally changed. Very different but quite fantastic to hear that score again.

Did you like the production if you saw it? 

I did. I went opening night. It was thrilling and it was very different. I decided to just give myself over to that world and let them take me. And they did. And it was just fantastic. The ghosts of the past would come on stage and I would have to kind of live dually with them.

Another project you did put you on the stage of the Shubert Theater in March of 1973, which was Sondheim: A Musical Tribute. Basically anybody who was anyone who had been in a Sondheim show was involved. You were also the choreographer of that event. So you’re working with all these people who have performed his work. What do you remember most about that March evening? 

The last number of the show. We’re at the dress rehearsal and Bert Shevelove (librettist of A Funny Thing…) is the director. He’s asking all the stars on stage to gather around the piano. It’s like they’re in Steve’s living room. There’s Angela Lansbury and there’s Chita Rivera and Jack Cassidy, Dorothy Collins, Alexis Smith, and Larry Kert. That time is one of the most exciting times of my life because of all of these people; the collaborative effort that went into it and and working with Angela. With Chita who said, “Well, what do you got for me?” And I went, “Oh, God, what are we going to do?” And I showed it to her in a very timid way. And she went, “Oh, yeah. Don’t you know that actors ask why, but dancers just do it.” She’s adorable. Love her.

Working with Angela was intimidating, and I learned a lot from her. I had this incredible very busy dance going on while she sang her big number. I was out of breath when I showed it to her. I finished and I looked at her and she looked at me and said, “I think I’ll just stand here and sing, if you don’t mind.” I didn’t mind. What a mistake I made giving her so much to do. She was so generous and kind. I learned a great lesson that sometimes the power is to just stand there and sing.

Two years later the Shubert Theater became a very important home for you because that’s where A Chorus Line played when it opened on Broadway. In your Tony Award acceptance speech you called A Chorus Line “a personal experience that taught me so much about performing and about people and humanity.” What has doing the work of Stephen Sondheim and his various collaborators taught you? 

I worked on all of this material at a very difficult time when we were going through COVID. He found the most beautiful and poetic expression of every experience and the human condition. There’s so much and it’s rich. When I do Losing My Mind, as much as I did it in [Follies], I’m still finding deeper ways to go. I’m unearthing different things and different feelings. You hope that is communicated to the audience, but the response has been really great. It’s a very wonderful thing to be able to do especially since losing him.

I feel his presence so much because of the material that I’m doing and I’m associated with. But it’s just to keep him alive in that way. He worked and loved his work so much and was so generous. He was also a great teacher and a friend. He cared so much about, not just his work, but everyone’s work and making it better. It’s all there; the human frailty. He doesn’t skip over things very easily. Sometimes when I’m working on the material, I go, How did he know that?

As for Follies, you played Sally at Paper Mill Playhouse in 1998. You then played Carlotta in 2005 at Barrington Stage Company. I looked up then New York Times critic Ben Brantley‘s review of the 2005 production. He said, “In superb voice, McKechnie endows her solo with a warm and even elation, as well as a truthfulness that suggests her Carlotta has not just survived, but enjoyed the bumpy road that is her life.”

Have you enjoyed the bumpy road that is your life? 

Yes. Mostly, yes. Because I appreciated that that’s what it was going to be. I loved being given the chance to do what I love. I’m able to pass it on to younger students of theater. I say, “You’re going to get rejected a lot.” You’re set up for it. So you have to really love what you’re doing. And the humor you have to have. Sometimes I get it after the fact. I’m going through something and it’s kind of it feels traumatic and chaotic. Then after you think about what happened it’s hilarious. So I’m more easy with things now.

Sammy Williams (the original Paul in A Chorus Line) told me that actress Celeste Holm said to him after he won his Tony Award for A Chorus Line to understand that this was not the peak of your career, this was just a moment in your career. And to expect those bumps and to expect highs and lows. I’m assuming you agree with her advice. 

Especially after you get an award! You go, “Okay, where are they?” The work doesn’t always happen that way. You always have to keep creating the demand. It’s really hard not to worry about it when you don’t have a set future. Now I have more work than I ever expected. 

Send in the Clowns is in your setlist for Take Me to the World. How does that song resonate with you now 22 years after you performed it in the context of the show? 

It seems actually perfect. I’m that much older and living a completely different kind of life. I’m not really that different, actually, but different in my head. It just fits perfectly because I find the personal connections in it that I relate to. If you think of it you could do that song so many different ways about so many different situations. But it is a woman dealing with the irony of what she was expecting, what she experienced. When you look at yourself and have an honest moment with yourself. It’s tough and it goes through all of these different changes. It’s touching. It’s funny. It’s sad. It can be anything as long as your truth is there.

That’s such an important word. That was very true with any company of A Chorus Line, too. Baayork Lee (the original Connie in A Chorus Line) who’s taken it all over the place, if she had a chance to give one note it would be just play the truth of your character.

Has your relationship with A Chorus Line changed? 

Oh, yes. It makes me appreciate it even more – if that’s possible. Having the great opportunity to go back in the show ten years later at 45. Not just getting back into shape and doing the show, but also emotionally and with a different perception. It was very gratifying. I had a better time.

The first time around it was Chorus Line fever. It was so hard and we were tired. We were very happy for the success, but we were just spinning. To be able to take a break and come back to it and really experience it and what everybody did, what everybody contributed, it was great.

I think a lot of people who are fans of A Chorus Line know that it took actress Marsha Mason to say Cassie needs to be cast in the show just before the finale. Do you think the show would have been successful had Michael Bennett not taken that advice?

It would not have been successful. He was smart enough to see that immediately. Don’t forget, we were locked in this little black box of a theater. He and Bob Avian, they’re there every day and you lose objectivity. You would invite your friends, your savvy friends. He invited Neil Simon and Marsha and a lot of people. Sondheim, Hal Prince, they would all come and give their feedback. Only people that he really respected and could trust. As soon as it was brought up he immediately went, “Oh yeah.”

He couldn’t see that if you don’t give any anyone any hope…In other words, if Zach doesn’t give her the job, he didn’t see it yet that she was the symbol for second chances. He was trying to be true to what would really happen, I think. He did the same thing with Promises, Promises, to try to make it to realistic. He had to raise the the heightened reality a little bit.

We’re now just a little bit over two years away from the 50th anniversary of A Chorus Line. What are your hopes, not just for this 50th anniversary, but how the show will be considered in another 50 years?

It’s bigger than any one of us. It’s bigger than the theater. It’s human beings connecting in such an artful, positive way and over generations. The lives it saved. The people it’s inspired. It’s even inspired some people not to get into the business. It looks so rough there. It has given so much. It’s the gift that keeps giving and I love it.

You told Playbill in 2010, on the occasion of Stephen Sondheim’s 80th birthday, that the highest compliment he ever gave to you was when he said, “Tonight I saw the actress and the character come together.” If Steve were able to have been at 54 Below last year or was able to be in Los Angeles to see Take Me to the World, what do you think his response would be and why do you think he’d have that response to the way you’re celebrating his work?

You just made me cry. I would hope that he would approve and like the way I was doing it. I have a feeling he would and I think he would appreciate the fact that there’s so much love and really good arrangements servicing his music and his intent. And doing a different interpretation, perhaps. I feel proud that he might really approve. I would love it if he would give me notes because his notes are so great. 

Photo: Donna McKechnie (Courtesy Chris Isaacson Presents)

The post Bo23: Donna McKechnie: The Music and No Mirror appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

The film covers Broadway shows from 1959 to the early 1980s and features interviews with Bea Arthur, Elizabeth Ashley, Alec Baldwin, Candy Brown, Carol Burnett, Glenn Close, André De Shields, Jane Fonda, Robert Goulet, Robert Guillaume, Cherry Jones, Baayork Lee, Donna McKechnie, Liza Minnelli, Robert Morse, Jerry Orbach, Robert Redford, Debbie Reynolds, Chita Rivera, Eva Marie Saint, Liev Schreiber, Elaine Stritch, Dick Van Dyke, Ben Vereen and Lesley Ann Warren.

Almost exactly two years later the man who made those films, Rick McKay, passed away suddenly. Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age was left unfinished and unreleased.

This weekend Great Performances on PBS will begin airing the documentary which was completed by friends and colleagues of McKay. [Check your local PBS listings for details.]

Two of the most important people who helped complete Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age were producers Jamie deRoy and Jane Klain. Last week I spoke by phone with both women to get the details on how they were able to finish McKay’s film and how they hope it brings to fruition everything McKay wanted the film to be.

What follows are excerpts from those conversations that have been edited for length and clarity.

How did you get involved with finishing Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age?

DeRoy: It sort of became this natural thing that we ended up doing to see that his wishes were carried out. Everybody had been asking for years about the film because the film had been going on for years.

Klain: Four of his producers and friends obviously realized what Rick would want is for the film to get out there. We all worked towards what Rick wanted. Since the first film was a theatrical release and it was so unlikely to get another, being on television was the ideal home for it. I know his first choice was PBS.

How far along had Rick gotten with the film before he passed away?

DeRoy: He had gotten pretty far, but it was not a finished film. It was way too long.

Klain: When Rick died I connected with a brilliant editor who would work on it pro bono, but that fell through. Another producer/director wanted to unravel it and make a different film and I said no. Rick was really a visionary. He had a unique way of storytelling. The way he edited was amazing.

He seemed to get almost everyone he ever wanted for these films. How did he do that?

DeRoy: Everybody that met him and he would interview would end up adoring him. He really charmed people. He loved the theater so much. He could talk to anybody.

Klain: He had somewhere between 100-150 interviews with these legends. Some were one to one-and-a-half hours, some were five hours.

Rick told me how thrilled he was to have found footage of Chita Rivera and Liza Minnelli performing together in the original production of Chicago when Gwen Verdon had to miss several performances.*

Klain: Candy Brown was a Fosse dancer. I had seen footage she had taken with her 8mm camera. I’m very good at tracking down people. They became such close friends. She let him have the footage – amongst it was footage with Chita and Liza which Liza had not seen before. Rick’s film has John Kander talking about it and Liza talking about it.

Rick was kind of a one-man band doing it all with his films, but the new film has 11 producers.

DeRoy: He pretty much was a one-man band. But listen, all of us were out there raising money and making introductions and helping. If I was in the room when he was doing an interview or showing the film I got acknowledged. If I wasn’t in the room, I wouldn’t have gotten acknowledged. Maybe it made a much better story.

Klain: If Rick had lived one of the big hurdles he was going to have to face was raising money for the post-production and all the licensing. That was a big deal for the first film. WNET 13 has done a lot of that. We’ve been in the decision making seat and PBS has been amazing.

Jamie I want to ask you a question I asked Rick five years ago. In an era where younger people don’t care about history because it was “before their time,” what would you tell them is the reason to care about Broadway and the people in this film?

DeRoy: It’s like the building blocks of everything. I’m always appalled at actors or singers who don’t know the history. When I was involved in the cabaret community and mentioned Margaret Whiting they would go, “who?” I don’t get it. It’s part of your learning process. These films could be shown in schools and you can learn a hell of a lot from it. We all learned by watching Ethel Merman. These were my idols. Even though they were before my time, so to speak, they are the ones who laid the groundwork for everyone to come up afterwards.

Jonathan Groff, who introduces the movie, wrote Rick a fan letter saying how much the film meant to him. Shortly before Rick died I took him to see Jonathan at the 92nd Street Y doing a show. They were talking afterwards about doing a follow-up interview because Jonathan was so young when he did his and he had some experiences since that first interview.

It’s just been a passion for all of us and it was certainly a passion of Rick’s. I’m only sorry he’s not here to see it come to life. And everybody can now enjoy it. Not only enjoy it, but learn from it. It’s all there and these films were meant to be seen.

*Liza Minnelli took on the role of Roxie Hart from August 8th to September 13th, 1975. There was announcement over the PA system that Gwen Verdon would be out at the performance. Audiences would grumble. The announcement continued to reveal that Minnelli was performing in her place. There were no press releases and no inserts in the Playbills.

Photo of Rick McKay courtesy WNET/PBS

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They include Jim Parsons in Harvey, jazz pianist Chano Domínguez (if you don’t know him, you should!), the pentulimate episode of Close Quarters from Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and For the Record Live’s Brat Pack.

Here is the full list of our Best Bets: May 21st – May 24th:

*TOP PICK* – A Tribute to John Williams – Boston Pops – Now – June 19th

We showcased this concert in yesterday’s preview of our Best Bets. Here is the the top line. Composer John Williams and his music are celebrated in this concert by his one-time home, The Boston Pops. Keith Lockhart will be on the podium for this program of Williams’ film scores ranging from the well-known (Star Wars) to lesser-known tracks.

A special part of this program is the inclusion of interviews with Williams about many of these scores and his memories of creating them with filmmakers such as George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.

A 7-day pass is required to watch A Tribute to John Williams. Those passes are $9

PLAY: Harvey – Roundabout Theatre Company on Broadway on Demand – Now – June 13th

Mary Chase’s play about a man’s friendship with an invisible rabbit (who gives the play its name) first opened on Broadway in 1944 with Frank Fay in the role of Elwood P. Dowd. (Trivia note for theater buffs: Antoinette Perry, the woman for whom the Tony Award is named, was the director.)

A 1970 revival of the play starred James Stewart who starred as Elwood in the 1950 film classic.

It would be 42 years before Harvey would find its way back to Broadway. Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) starred as Elwood with Jessica Hecht and Charles Kimbrough co-starring. This Roundabout Theatre Company production from 2012 is streaming for free on Broadway on Demand.

Charles Isherwood, in his New York Times review, hailed Parsons’ performance:

“The breakout star of the popular sitcom “The Big Bang Theory,” the soft-spoken Mr. Parsons makes an ideal Elwood, the drinker and dreamer who passes his days in the company of Harvey, doing little more than sitting around saloons making friendly conversation with whoever happens by. Mr. Parsons possesses in abundance the crucial ability to project an ageless innocence without any visible effort: no small achievement for an actor in these knowing times.

You will need to register to stream the play. After you do so you’ll receive streaming instructions.

BALLET: Swan Lake – San Francisco Ballet – Now – June 9th

When San Francisco Ballet debuted Helgi Tomasson’s new Swan Lake ballet, it was a runaway hit. Interest in this production was so intense that they sold out nearly every performance.

In the ballet, Odette is a princess turned into a swan by a sorcerer. Prince Siegfried falls in love with Odette. At night she turns back into her human form and it was upon seeing this transformation that the romance begins. Other spells and deception awaits the leads in Swan Lake. While love triumphs, it isn’t necessarily the happiest of endings, but it is certainly romantic.

Tchaikovsky’s music is still present, but it is Tomasson’s vision that was different after he updated the choreography by Lev Ivanov and Marius Petipa.

The cast for this streaming performance features Yuan Yuan Tan in the dual roles of Odette and Odile. Tiit Helimets dances the role of Prince Siegfried. Alexander Reneff-Olson dances the role of Von Rothbart and the Pas de Trois is performed by Dores André, Taras Domitro and Sasha De Sola. Martin West conducts.

Tickets are $29 which allows for 72 hours of access to Swan Lake.

PLAY READING: The Sisters Rosensweig – Spotlight on Plays on Broadway’s Best Shows – Now – May 24th

Jason Alexander, John Behlmann, Lisa Edelstein, Kathryn Hahn, Kathryn Newton, Tracee Chimo Pallero, Chris Perfetti and James Urbaniak star in a reading of Wendy Wasserstein’s play. The reading is directed by Anna D. Shapiro (Tony Award-winner for her direction of August: Osage County).

The Sisters Rosensweig opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in 1993. This was her first Broadway play since wining the Tony Award and the Pulitzer Prize for The Heidi Chronicles.

The play depicts a reunion of three sisters who haven’t seen each other in years. Through the course of the play they come to understand that the bond of being sisters is more important than any of the reasons they’ve stayed apart.

Mel Gussow, in his review for the New York Times said of the play:

“Ms. Wasserstein’s generous group portrait is not only a comedy but also a play of character and shared reflection as the author confronts the question of why the sisters behave as they do. The immediate answer is that they are Rosensweigs and are only doing what is expected of them. The play offers sharp truths about what can divide relatives and what can draw them together.”

Wasserstein passed away in 2006 at the age of 55 due to complications of lymphoma.

Tickets are $18 which allows for repeated viewings through May 24th at 6:00 PM ET/3:00 PM PT. Proceeds benefit The Actors Funds, TDF Wendy Wasserstein Project and Steppenwolf Theatre Company.

JAZZ: Chano Domínguez – SFJAZZ – May 21st – 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT

Spanish born pianist Chano Domínguez has long put postbop, flamenco and fusion influences together to create a wholly original approach to jazz music. In this concert from 2018, Domínguez celebrates the work of Miles Davis.

Joined by bassist Alexis Cuadrado, drummer Henry Cole, flamenco singer Blas Córdoba and dancer Daniel Navarro, Domínguez will offer his take on such classic Davis tracks such as So What, All Blues and Freddie the Freeloader from Davis’ 1959 classic album Kind of Blue.

The concert is streaming right around dinner time on the East Coast (8:00 PM) and happy hour on the West Coast (5:00 PM). As a wine pairing for this concert I suggest a crisp Albariño for those who prefer white wine and a dry Rioja for those who prefer red.

If you can’t make the Fridays at Five showing, there will be an encore presentation on Saturday, May 22nd at 1:00 PM ET/10:00 AM PT.

Tickets are $5 which includes a one month digital membership.

BROADWAY VOCALS: Elizabeth Stanley – Broadway Stories & Songs with Ted Sperling – May 21st – 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT

I first saw Elizabeth Stanley in the 2006 revival of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Company. Since then she’s appeared on Broadway in Cry-Baby, Million Dollar Quartet, the 2014 revival of On the Town and she was starring in Jagged Little Pill when the pandemic hit. That show, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, will re-open on October 21st.

Stanley is an amazing singer and one who performs songs in the truest sense of the word. She doesn’t just sing, she imbues them with whatever the song calls for: comedy, drama, pathos, etc..

She joins Ted Sperling for this weekend’s Broadway Stories & Songs with Ted Sperling. The show will first air at 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT on Friday. It will also be rerun on Saturday at 2:00 PM ET/11:00 AM PT. The $25 ticket price allows you to view both showings.

CLASSICAL MUSIC: Shin, Reid + Britten – Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra – Debuts May 21st – 9:30 PM ET/6:30 PM PT

In this penultimate episode of LA Chamber Orchestra’s Close Quarters series, the music of Benjamin Britten and Pulitzer Prize winner Ellen Reid is performed along with the world premiere of Hyo by Peter S. Shin.

Shin was the recipient of the 2020/2021 Sound Investment Honor which finds donors investing in the creation of a new work and following its progress leading up to its premiere.

Les Illuminations by Britten is a 16-minute song cycle that had its world premiere in 1940. Joining LACO for this performance is soprano Nicole Cabell. She’s performed in opera houses around the world in Porgy and Bess, La Traviata, Don Giovanni and more.

Lumee’s Dream from Reid’s opera p r i s m is the last work on the program.

Dance is included in this episode with choreography by Rebecca Steinberg performed by Layne Paradis Willis and Joe Davis.

Visuals are by Jian Lee and the LACO is lead by Grant Gershon.

There is no charge to watch this show. If you haven’t look at the other 12 episodes in this ambitious and very satisfying series, I urge you to do so.

MUSICAL: Brat Pack – The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts – May 21st – May 23rd

Don’t you forget about films like The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, Weird Science, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and more. You won’t be able to if you stream Brat Pack this weekend.

For the Record Live created a cottage industry of shows dedicated to the soundtracks from various films centered around individual directors. Amongst the most popular was their show celebrating John Hughes. That show serves as the inspiration for Brat Pack which tells the story of the high school experiences of the archetypal Basket Case, Geek, Jock, Mister and Rebel. Does that sound like a club with whom you might like to have breakfast?

Brat Pack was filmed live on stage at The Wallis with James Byous, Emily Lopez, Parissa Koh, Patrick Ortiz, Doug Kreeger and Kenton Chen. As with any For the Record Live production, they are accompanied by a killer band.

Tickets are $20 which allows for viewing all weekend long. One note of caution: the show does contain adult subject matter and language.

OPERA: Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen – Glyndebourne – May 23rd – June 6th

Vladimir Jurowski conducts; starring Emma Bell; Lucy Crowe, Sergei Leiferkus and Mischa Shelomainaksi. This Melly Still production is from the 2011-2012 season.

Leoš Janáček’s opera had its world premiere in Prague in 1924. The Cunning Little Vixen has a libretto by the composer based on a serialized novel by Rudolf Těsnohlídek called Liška Bystrouška.

In The Cunning Little Vixen a foster, while taking a nap, is taken by a young vixen to be her pet. Once she gets older she pursues a more independent life. The vixen gets mistaken for a gypsy girl and her life becomes a whirlwind she never expected.

We’ve covered literally hundreds of opera productions here at Cultural Attaché. I can say with absolute certainty that this is the first time we’ve offered up a production of Cunning Little Viven. This is not a commonly performed opera.

Fiona Maddocks, in her review for The Guardian, said of this production:

“Melly Still’s staging, designed with folkloric charm by Tom Pye and atmospherically lit by Paule Constable, wins enough plus points to balance out the minuses. The action is often chaotic and unfocused. There is no allowance made for the speed at which the text moves. Lacking the requisite fluency in Czech – feeble, I know – one had to cling on to the surtitles at the risk of missing the action. The shooting of the Vixen passed almost without notice, though this may be the point: another ordinary day in the genocidal war of man and beast.”

There is no charge to watch Cunning Little Vixen which will be available for streaming through June 6th.

BROADWAY FUNDRAISER: Broadway Barks – May 23rd – 7:00 PM ET/4:00 PM PT

This annual event supports the adoption of shelter animals. Broadway Barks was started by good friends Mary Tyler Moore and Bernadette Peters in 1998. Every year they have had in-person events where Broadway stars and shelter pets combine to entertain and find homes for the four-legged friends.

This is the second virtual edition and they have an incredible line-up:

Sebastian Arcelus, Annaleigh Ashford, Alec Baldwin, Christine Baranski, Bill Berloni, Stephanie J. Block, Carol Burnett, David Burtka, Victoria Clark, Glenn Close, Lily Collins, Harry Connick Jr., Sheryl Crow, Jason Danieley, Ted Danson, Ariana DeBose, Daveed Diggs, Gloria Estefan, Harvey Fierstein, Calista Flockhart, Whoopi Goldberg, Josh Groban, Kathryn Grody, Emmylou Harris, Neil Patrick Harris, Megan Hilty, James Monroe Iglehart, Hugh Jackman, Christopher Jackson, Allison Janney, Nathan Lane, Bob Mackie, Audra McDonald, Charlie McDowell, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Bebe Neuwirth, Mandy Patinkin, David Hyde Pierce, Randy Rainbow, Kelly Ripa, Chita Rivera, Lea Salonga, Phillipa Soo, and Mary Steenburgen. 

Peters will serve as the host.

Broadway Barks will stream on Broadway.com and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS’ Facebook and YouTube pages. 

Those are our Best Bets: May 21st – May 24th. As usual, a few reminders before we conclude:

Tales from the Wings: Celebrating Lincoln Center Theater with Patti LuPone, Audra McDonald and others remains available through Sunday, May 23rd only. Don’t miss it.

LA Opera’s Signature Series adds a recital by Julia Bullock on Friday to still available performances by Russell Thomas, Susan Graham and Christine Goerke.

Next week the fourth and final episode of Myths and Hymns from MasterVoices debuts. If you haven’t seen the first three episodes, take a look.

The Romero Quartet launches their 60th anniversary celebration with a streaming concert from Belly Up in Solano Beach on Sunday. For details and our interview with Pepe Romero, please go here.

The Metropolitan Opera productions streaming this weekend are the 2016-2017 season production of Verdi’s Nabucco on Friday; Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor from the 1982-1983 season (with Joan Sutherland) on Saturday and the 1995 production of Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades on Sunday. This will conclude the Unhinged Mad Scenes week.

Monday the Met begins Rare Gems week with a 2008-2009 season production of Massenet’s Thaïs. We’ll have the full line-up on Monday for you.

Lastly if you’ve read our interview with Isabel Leonard (and please do, she has a lot to say), you’ll remember that Saturday the Met streams Three Divas at 1:00 PM ET/10:00 AM PT featuring Leonard with Ailyn Pérez and Nadine Sierra.

That’s truly the end of our Best Bets: May 21st – May 24th.

I hope you have a great weekend. Enjoy the culture!

Photo: Keith Lockhart conducting the Boston Pops (Photo by Stu Rosner/Courtesy Boston Pops)

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Every year Broadway’s best performers switch gender by having the men sing songs written for female characters and the women singing songs written for male characters. Add clever staging and you have one of each year’s most entertaining concerts.

For Broadway Backwards 2021, the concept allows for the combination of new material and great performances from previous editions of the show.

There is a rather simple storyline this year: Tony nominee Jenn Colella (Come From Away) will play a late night TV host who takes a young man living in isolated New York (Jay Armstrong Johnson of Quantico and The Phantom of the Opera) on an amazing journey. There will be an emphasis on LGBTQ stories in the event.

It strikes me a little like Dorothy’s journey in The Wizard of Oz. And wait until you see who he runs into along the way:

The opening number features Tony Award winners Stephanie J. Block (The Cher Show) and Lea Salonga (Miss Saigon) with Deborah Cox (Jekyll and Hyde).

Who else might he encounter? Debbie Allen, Amy Adams, Ward Billeisen, Matt Bomer, Brenda Braxton, Charl Brown, Tituss Burgess, Joshua Buscher-West, Len Cariou, Carolee Carmello, Jamie Cepero, Bryan Terrell Clark, Glenn Close, Darren Criss, Steven Cutts, Ariana DeBose, Loretta Devine, Cynthia Erivo, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Garlen Gilliland, James Monroe Iglehart, Cheyenne Jackson, Cherry Jones, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, Andy Kelso, Eddie Korbich, Marty Lawson, L Morgan Lee, Raymond J. Lee, Aasif Mandvi, Michael McElroy, Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Ruthie Ann Miles, Bonnie Milligan, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Debra Monk, Jessie Mueller, Javier Muñoz, Kelli O’Hara, Karen Olivo, Alfie Parker Jr., Jim Parsons, Brandon Pearson, Bernadette Peters, Eric Petersen, Eve Plumb, Waldemar Quinones-Villanueva, Andrew Rannells, Alex Ringler, Chita Rivera, Roslyn Ruff, Michael James Scott, Sis and Elizabeth Stanley, Ryan Steele, Dennis Stowe, Lillias White, Curtis Wiley and Tony Yazbeck.

You want more? How about special guests Chasten Buttigieg, Anderson Cooper, Ariana DeBose, Don Lemon, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Robin Roberts, Tony Shalhoub and Ben Vereen?

Being this is a Broadway event, we can’t leave out the rest of the company: Danyel Fulton, Shelon Henry, Diana Huey, Aaron Libby, Nathan Lucrezio, Melinda Porto, Shelby Ringdahl, Vishal Vaidya and Blake Zolfo.

Robert Bartley is the writer/director; he also created Broadway Backwards. Mary-Mitchell Campbell is the music supervisor and Ted Arthur is the music director.

As impressive as all of this is, the best thing about Broadway Backwards is that it is a great fundraiser for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. To date these shows have raised nearly $4.4 million dollars! Each of the last three shows has raised over half a million dollars.

You can watch Broadway Backwards on the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS website and also on their YouTube channel. The show will remain available through 11:59 PM EDT on April 3rd only.

These three clips give you just a taste of what to expect. This is truly the highlight of the week. Tune in, donate if you can, and just wait to be blown away.

Photo: Broadway Backwards 2021 Logo (courtesy of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS)

The post The 2021 Virtual Broadway Backwards appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

Topping our list is a special celebration of Liza Minnelli’s 75th birthday. The stars are coming out in droves to celebrate the woman who forever put her mark on Sally Bowles, who famously served as Gwen Verdon’s understudy (look that one up!), captured Arthur’s heart and made us all try singing New York, New York just like she does.

We have an unbelievable 21 different shows for you this week. No one will be left out. Whether you like opera, dance, classical music, Broadway musicals, plays or jazz, there’s something great for you to watch this weekend.

But you’ll have to be careful with your time. You lose an hour this weekend. Sunday marks the return of Daylight Savings Time. So don’t forget to move your clocks one hour forward on Sunday. You don’t want to miss the start of these shows!

Here are your Best Bets: March 12th – March 15th starting with our Top Pick. The rest are in order of availability.

*TOP PICK*: A Love Letter to Liza Minnelli: 75th All-Star Birthday Tribute Celebration – March 12th – March 14th

You know it’s either a monumental birthday or you’re quite beloved if Lea DeLaria, Michael Feinstein, Joel Grey, Ute Lemper, Melissa Manchester, Seth Sikes, Billy Stritch, Haley Swindal, Lily Tomlin, Ben Vereen and more are performing to celebrate you.

It’s actually both for Oscar, Tony and Emmy Award-winning actress/singer Liza Minnelli.

The star of Bob Fosse’s Cabaret and the Broadway musicals Flora, the Red Menace, Chicago, The Act and The Rink turns 75 on Friday. And her friends are celebrating the best way they can during a pandemic – with an on-line event.

Offering their own memories of working and being friends with Liza are Jason Alexander, Sandra Bernhard, Charles Busch, Mario Cantone, Jim Caruso, Joan Collins, Craig Ferguson, Kathie Lee Gifford, Kathy Griffin, Jonathan Groff, Tony Hale, Julie Halston, John Kander, Nicholas King, Hoda Kotb, Nathan Lane, Michele Lee, Lorna Luft, Andrea Martin, John Cameron Mitchell, Kathy Najimy, Coco Peru, Parker Posey, Andrew Rannells, Chita Rivera and Michael York.

The show will stream only three times and only at these exact times: Friday, March 12th at 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST; Saturday, March 13th at 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST and Sunday, March 14th at 7:00 PM EDT/4:00 PM PDT. Tickets are $30 with 20% of all proceeds going to The Actors Fund.

PLAY: Three Days of Rain – Manhattan Theatre Club – Now – March 21st

In 2006 Richard Greenberg’s play Three Days of Rain was performed on Broadway by Bradley Cooper, Julia Roberts and Paul Rudd. But that was not its first appearance in New York. In 1997, Manhattan Theatre Club offered the first production with Patricia Clarkson, John Slattery and Bradley Whitford.

That cast, along with original director Evan Yionoulis, have reunited for an online reading of Three Days of Rain that began on Thursday and will continue being available through Sunday, March 21st.

Three Days of Rain tells the story of a brother and sister who return to settle their father’s affairs after his passing. They are joined by their best friend, Pip. Upon discovering a diary they learn more about their parents than they ever expected to. What they learn helps them understand more about their own lives.

There’s no charge to watch the reading, but you do need to register at Manhattan Theatre Club’s website.

DANCE: After It Happened – Invertigo Dance Theatre – Now available

Laura Karlin choreographed this work for nine dancers that was performed at The Ford Theatre in 2016. Two musicians perform the score by composers Toby Karlin, Diana Lynn and Hyosun Choi.

The “it” that happened is a natural disaster in this work created in 2014. What the dancers discover, performing as the community dealing with the aftermath if the event, is that they must forge together to overcome the tragedy that has befallen them.

There’s no charge to watch After It Happened. You will find it on The Ford’s website and also on their YouTube channel and Facebook page. It will remain available for viewing for one year.

PLAY/DISCUSSION: Another Day’s Begun: Exploring Our Town – Pasadena Playhouse – Now available

Thorton Wilder’s Our Town is one of the most often-produced plays. Wilder won the Pulitzer Prize for this deceptively simple play in which the lives of the citizens of Grover’s Corners are shared and depicted. Along the way there are guest lecturers and even questions from the audience. Leading the whole show is the role of the Stage Manager. This is a spare show and a powerfully moving one.

Jane Kaczmarek will perform scenes from Our Town and lead a discussion with author Howard Sherman. His book gives this program its name. Also participating in performance are Youssef Kerkour, Keith Randolph Smith and Alexandria Wailes.

For trivia buffs, Frank Craven originated the role of the Stage Manager when the play debuted on Broadway in 1938. Marc Connelly played the part in a 1944 revival (that also featured Montgomery Clift as George Gibbs). In 1969 Henry Fonda headlined a production as the Stage Manager. Spalding Gray took on the part in a 1988 revival. Paul Newman played the part in a 2002 revival.

There’s no charge to watch this show.

RADIO PLAY: Moby Dick … in the Dark – Theatre in the Dark – Now – April 10th

If like many of us you’ve found it a big of a slog to get through Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, and the thought of listening to a full book on tape is also daunting, but you still want to know what all the fuss is about, Chicago’s Theatre in the Dark is presenting a radio play version that’s much shorter.

If you don’t know the story it is, at least on the surface, about one man’s relentless effort to capture the white whale that gives this story its title. He will stop at nothing with little concern of what it costs.

Corey Bradberry, who also directs, adapted Melville’s story. This will be a true radio play. There are no visuals. An original score by Nick Montopoli will be married with recorded sound, live foley effects and the performances of the cast.

Elizabeth McCoy plays Ishmael (and some other characters). Mack Gordon plays Starbuck, Stubb and other characters. Robinson J. Cyprian plays Captain Ahab and others.

All tickets are Pay-what-you-can. There is a $20-$30 suggested donation. Performances are available Thursday-Sunday until the last week where the performance schedule is Wednesday-Saturday. Tickets can be purchased here.

BALLET: Elite Syncopations – Royal Ballet – March 12th – April 11th

In October of 2020, when things were looking up for England during the pandemic, The Royal Ballet held a special performance called Back on Stage. While they were only briefly back on stage, one highlight from that evening will be available for streaming beginning this weekend.

Kenneth MacMillan’s Elite Syncopations is set to the music of Scott Joplin (best known for the use of his music in the film The Sting). MacMillan debuted the 35-minute work in 1974. Even critics who weren’t as fond of it as others said it was impossible to watch this work and not have a smile on your face.

Tickets to stream Elite Syncopations are £3 which equates to approximately $3.60.

FAMILY FARE: The Musician: A Horror Opera for Children – The Belfast Ensemble – March 12th – March 14th

If I were a parent I might be scratching my head at a title that claims to be “A Horror Opera for Children.” The story of The Pied Piper of Hamelin is the inspiration for this world premiere work by Conor Mitchell. He is the composer, librettist and stage director of The Musician.

This is a film of a live performance for the Belfast Children’s Festival. It features a 16-piece orchestra and a four-person cast (Matthew Cavan, Paul Carey Jones, Rebecca Murphy and Sarah Richmond).

This work is recommended for kids ages 6 and above. Tickets are £5 which equates to approximately $6.00 (without service charges) and can be purchased here.

JAZZ: Geri Allen, Terri Lyne Carrington & Esperanza Spalding – SFJAZZ – March 12th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

Three mightily talented women take to the stage for this 2018 concert from SFJAZZ. Pianist Geri Allen, drummer Terri Lyne Carrington and bassist Esperanza Spalding perform the music of Wayne Shorter, Bob Dorough and an Allen original in this Fridays at Five concert.

SFJAZZ has added a rebroadcast of these shows to their schedule. So if you can’t see the concert on Friday, you’ll have a second chance to see it on Saturday, March 13th at 1:00 PM EST/10:00 AM PST.

A gentle reminder that you need to sign up for either a one-month digital membership ($5) or an annual membership ($60) to view these weekly concerts.

JAZZ: Jane Monheit Come What May Album Release Concert – Feinstein’s at Vitello’s – March 12th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

Vocalist Jane Monheit has released her 12th album, Come What May, and she will be celebrating with a live concert streaming from Feinstein’s at Vitello’s in Los Angeles.

On the album she performs the standards Let’s Face the Music and Dance, The Nearness of You and my personal favorite song, Lush Life.

For those who want even more of Monheit, there’s an Encore After Show where she will join Brad Roen for a post-performance conversation.

Tickets for the concert are $36.75. Tickets for Encore After Show are $26.75. (Prices include service charges).

CLASSICAL MUSIC: Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale – Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra – Debuts March 12th – 9:30 PM EST/6:30 PM PST

On paper this appears to be the most ambitious of LACO’s Close Quarters series. Igor Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale is over an hour in length. Based on a Russian folk tale, the work tells the story of a a soldier who makes a deal with the devil. The devil offers him wealth in exchange for the soldier’s fiddle. As written The Soldier’s Tale calls for seven musicians, three actors and one or more dancers.

For this film LACO is collaborating with Robey Theatre Company. Ben Guillory will serve as the narrator. Julio Hanson plays the soldier. William Warren plays the devil.

Because this is part of James Darrah‘s exploration of new ways to present classical music, LACO has added another collaborator to this film: artist Huimeng Wang. I’m excited to see her contribution which is described on the website as: “Wang’s work features a grand piano being dramatically and violently destroyed by gunfire before being reborn with stunning deep red velvet flocking.”

For those who want to dive deeper into this work, there is a pre-broadcast talk with the three actors and LACO principal trumpeter David Washburn. The live conversation will happen at 8:30 PM EST/5:30 PM PST on March 12th in advance of the premiere. You must register to see the live conversation as it will be available on Zoom. If you’re unable to catch it live, it will be available for viewing afterwards.

There’s no charge for any of this programming. Donations to LACO are encouraged.

BROADWAY VOCALS: Sutton Foster in Concert – Live From Lincoln Center on PBS – March 12th – Check local listings

BROADWAY VOCALS: Stephanie J. Block in Concert – Live from Lincoln Center on PBS – March 12th – Check local listings

Two Tony Award stars appear in their own Live from Lincoln Center concerts this weekend.

Sutton Foster, who will be starring opposite Hugh Jackman in the upcoming revival of The Music Man, appears in a concert from April 2018. She has appeared in the musicals Thoroughly Modern Millie, Little Women, The Drowsy Chaperone, Young Frankenstein, Shrek the Musical, Anything Goes and Violet. She won her Tony Awards for Thoroughly Modern Millie and Anything Goes.

Joining her as a special guest in the concert will be Jonathan Groff (most recently seen on stage in an off-Broadway revival of Little Shop of Horrors.

Stephanie J. Block won her Tony Award for her performance as “Star” in The Cher Show. She made her Broadway debut as Liza Minnelli in The Boy From Oz (which also starred Jackman). She’s also appeared in Wicked, The Pirate Queen, 9 to 5, Anything Goes (she took over the role of Reno Sweeney when Foster left the production), The Mystery of Edwin Drood and Falsettos.

As with all PBS programming, best to check your local listings for exact airtime and dates.

JAZZ: Jeremy Pelt Quintet – SmallsLive – March 13th – 5:00 PM EST/2:00 PM PST and 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM PST

Jazz trumpeter Jeremy Pelt just released a new record entitled Griot – This is Important! It’s a combination of spoken word and instrumentals. It’s a stunning album.

Will selections from Griot be on the setlist for these two shows from Smalls in New York?

Whatever he chooses to play it will be with his incredibly beautiful phrasing and emotion.

Joining Pelt for these two shows are Vicente Archer on bass; Victor Gould on piano; Chien Chien Lu on vibraphone and Allan Mednard on drums.

There’s no charge to watch these shows. Those who can donate can make “reservations” for the show.

PLAY: The Year of Magical Thinking – Keen Company – March 13th – 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM PST

Writer Joan Didion shared her own experiences and thoughts after suffering several tragedies in her life in her book The Year of Magical Thinking. The emotional book was turned into an one-person show. Vanessa Redgrave starred in the play on Broadway in 2007.

This weekend the equally talented Kathleen Chalfant (Angels in America) will take on the role in a live streaming event for Off-Broadway’s Keen Company.

I saw Redgrave perform the show in the months after her own daughter’s (Natasha Richardson) tragic death in 2009. It’s an incredibly moving work. After a year with the pandemic and quarantines, I can only imagine how much more deeply and personally we will all respond to this work on Saturday.

Tickets are $25 and will include a post-show talkback with Chalfant and director Jonathan Silverstein.

CLASSICAL MUSIC: A Bartók Journey – Tesla Quartet – March 13th – 7:30 PM EST/4:00 PM PST

Tesla Quartet musicians Edwin Kaplan (viola); Michelle Lie (violin); Serafim Smigelskiy (cello) and Ross Snyder (violin) are embarking this weekend on a six week series of exploring, rehearsing and performing all six of Béla Bartók’s string quartets.

This weekend beings, for obvious reasons, with the String Quartet No. 1 in A Minor, op. 7. For those interested in watching them rehearse the work, they will be streaming that on March 12th at 1:00 PM EST/10:00 AM PST.

There’s no charge to watch any of the events of this six-week series. You do, however, need to register. You can do so in the link built into A Bartók Journey. You will also find details for the entire series there.

CLASSICAL MUSIC: Narek Hakhnazaryan and Armine Grigoryan – Shriver Hall Concert Series – Debuts March 14th – 5:30 PM EDT/2:30 PM PDT

Cellist Narek Hakhnazaryan made a name for himself by winning the Cello First Prize and Gold Medal at the 2011 International Tchaikovsky Competition. He will be performing as part of the Shriver Hall Concert Series with pianist Armine Grigoryan. She, too, is an award-winning musician.

On Sunday’s program will be Beethoven’s Seven Variations in E-Flat Major on Mozart’s “Dei Männem”; Schumann’s Adagio and Allegro, Op. 70; Franck’s Sonata for Violin and Cello; E. Bagdasaryan’s Nocture and A. Arutyunian’s Impromptu.

Tickets are $15. There will be a post-performance conversation. This concert will remain available through March 21st.

BROADWAY VOCALS: Emily Skinner – Seth Concert Series – March 14th – 3:00 PM EDT/12:00 PM PDT

Broadway fans first became aware of Emily Skinner as one-half of the conjoined Hilton twins in the musical Side Show. Skinner received a shared Tony nomination for Best Actress with co-star Alice Ripley. (After all, how could you separate their performances?)

She continued dazzling audiences with performances in James Joyce’s The Dead, The Full Monty, Prince of Broadway and The Cher Show.

She is Seth Rudetsky’s guest for this weekend’s live streaming concert and conversation show. The program will air live on Sunday at 3:00 PM EDT. If you are unable to watch the show then, there is a rebroadcast on Sunday at 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT.

MUSICALS: Passing Through – Goodspeed Musicals – March 15th – April 4th

A young man decides he wants to walk from Pennsylvania to California with a sign on his backpack that says, “Walking to Listen.” Wouldn’t it be nice if more people wanted to listen these days? Anyway, along the way he documented his many encounters with people and their stories.

Upon hearing about Andrew Forsthoefel, who took this trip unsure about what to do with his life post-college, composer/lyricist Brett Ryback and book writer Eric Ulloa knew immediately there was a musical in this true story.

Passing Through is the result of their collaboration. Goodspeed Musicals presented a workshop production of the musical in the summer of 2019. A film of that production will be available for streaming on demand starting on March 15th and running through April 4th.

Max Chernin stars as Andrew. The cast includes Joan Almedilla, Reed Armstrong, Ryan Duncan, Linedy Genao, Charles Gray, Garrett Long, Mary Jo Mecca, Celeste Rose, Jim Stanek and the incomparable Jennifer Leigh Warren. Igor Goldin directed and the choreography is by Marcos Santana.

Tickets are $25 and allow for 72 hours of streaming. Your time begins when you first start watching Passing Through.

BROADWAY REUNION: The Bridges of Madison County – The Jesse Walker Show – March 15th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

Jesse Walker will celebrate his 20th anniversary of his eponymous talk show with a reunion of the cast and creative team of the musical The Bridges of Madison County. Participating in the reunion are Kelli O’Hara, Steven Pasquale, Hunter Foster, Caitlin Kinnunen and Derek Klena. Composer Jason Robert Brown, librettist Marsha Norman and director Bartlett Sher will also be joining.

Brown won two Tony Awards for his original score and its orchestrations. O’Hara also received one of the show’s four nominations.

The Bridges of Madison County didn’t run as long as it should have, but its legions of fans will definitely want to tune-in to this reunion which will raise funds for The Actors Fund.

OPERA: For the Love of Opera: Celebrating RBG’s 88th Birthday – Lowell Milken Center of American Jewish Experience at The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music/National Museum of American Jewish History/Opera Philadelphia – March 15th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

Liza’s not the only one being feted. So is the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. It wasn’t just law that she loved, it was also opera. To celebrate what would have been RBG’s 88th birthday, a program of arias from operas that address issues of social justice, equality and more will be performed.

The program is set to include arias from Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore; Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, Mozart’s Le nozze de Figaro and Cosí fan tutte, Verdi’s Falstaff, Menotti’s The Consul and a song from the Flaherty and Aherns musical Ragtime.

Performers are Joshua Blue (tenor), Norman Garrett (baritone), Michelle Rice (soprano) and Ashley Marie Robillard (soprano). Pianists Stephen Karr and Grant Loehnig will accompany on piano.

The event will be presented via Zoom, so you will need to register to see it. The program will become available on demand shortly after its conclusion on the various venues’ social media pages.

VARIETY: Jim Caruso’s Pajama Cast Party – March 15th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM EDT

If you want even more of jazz vocalist Jane Monheit, you’ll want to join this week’s edition of Jim Caruso’s Pajama Cast Party. She’ll be singing songs from Come What May and sharing stories with Caruso. The two are longtime friends. Monheit is a semi-regular performer when Cast Party happens live at Birdland in New York. (I’ve seen here there myself.)

Also joining this week at magician Dana Daniels, actor/singer Shu Q and Broadway actor Michael Winther (the upcoming Flying Over Sunset).

The show is free to watch and is always a delight.

Are you overwhelmed yet? I hope not, because I have a couple reminders before we go:

CLASSICAL MUSIC: Violinist Gil Shaham and The Knights perform works by Beethoven and Boulogne in a concert that began streaming from New York’s 92nd Street Y on Thursday. The concert will remain available through March 18th. (Next week I’ll have an interview with Shaham. Check back for that.)

OPERA: The Metropolitan Opera concludes its week celebrating Verismo Passions with Umberto Giordano’s Fedora on Friday and his Andrea Chénier on Saturday and Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca on Sunday. Monday they will launch Viewer’s Choice week with the 2009 production of Jacques Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann

Liza’s Birthday, RBG’s Birthday…and whole lot in between. Maybe this time you really did get lucky! After all, life is a cabaret old chum! Have a great weekend!

Photo: Liza Minnelli in the film version of “Cabaret” (Courtesy Liza Minnelli’s Facebook page)

The post Four Days of Best Bets: March 12th – March 15th appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

My top pick this weekend sadly fits into something blue. New York’s legendary Birdland is struggling to stay open under the weight of the pandemic. They have assembled a massive line-up of talent for their virtual concert event on Sunday. Though it is our last listing, it definitely heads our list.

Here are my Best Bets: January 22nd – January 24th:

BALLET: A Midsummer Night’s Dream – San Francisco Ballet – Now – February 10th

William Shakespeare’s play (1595/1596) served as inspiration for composer Felix Mendelssohn (1826 & 1842) and then choreographer George Balanchine (1962) who created the ballet that is now being streamed by San Francisco Ballet.

The ballet company first performed the work in 1985. The production being streamed is from last year. This is the same production that gave one performance before the pandemic closed theaters.

Fans of the play be advised, this is not a strict adaptation of Shakespeare’s writing. The first act is very loyal to his story, but the second act is fully focused on a wedding ceremony.

Performing in this production are Julia Rowe as the Lead Butterfly; Cavan Conley as Puck; Esteban Hernandez as Oberon; Sasha De Sola as Titania; Sasha Mukhamedov as Hippolyta with Frances Chung and Ulrik Birkkjaer performing the Pas de Deux.

Tickets are $29 for 72 hours of access. You can also sign up for their 2021 Digital Season for $289 which will allow streaming of all content with access to subscription only bonus features.

JAZZ: Catherine Russell – SF JAZZ – January 22nd – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

This weekend’s concert in the Fridays at Five series from SFJAZZ features vocalist Catherine Russell. You may remember I interviewed her last February when she was touring behind her album, Alone Together. Her appearance at SFJAZZ comes from September 2019 and was part of the same tour.

In addition to her career as a jazz vocalist, Russell has performed rock ‘n’ roll with numerous stars notably David Bowie.

You will need either a one month digital membership with SFJAZZ ($5) or an annual digital membership ($60) to watch the concert.

OPERA: Soldier Songs – Opera Philadelphia – Now Available

Composer David T. Little interviewed multiple soldiers for Soldier Songs, a 60-minute work for baritone and amplified musicians he composed in 2006. Johnathan McCullough performs and directs this new film for Opera Philadelphia. This is a powerful work made even more powerful by this film which was written and produced by James Darrah.

I’ve seen Soldier Songs performed live and I’ve seen this film. If you want to be moved and challenged, I strongly urge you to check this out.

Single tickets to stream the film are $25. You can also join Opera Philadelphia Channel for $99 for one year’s access to all currently available and upcoming programming.

JAZZ: Wayne Shorter Quartet 18th Anniversary Concert – Panama Jazz Festival – January 22nd – 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM PST

The closing weekend of the Panama Jazz Festival has two concerts well worth watching. The first comes from 2018 and features the Wayne Shorter Quartet: saxophone legend Shorter, guitarist John Patitucci, percussionist Brian Blade and pianist Danilo Pérez. Health issues have forced Shorter to stop performing, therefore this is a great opportunity to see him with his band. There is a minimum $5 donation required to watch the concert.

OPERA: Sondra Radvanovsky and Piotr Beczała– Męt Stars Live in Concert – January 23rd – 1:00 PM EST/10:00 AM PST

If you’re a regular follow of the Metropolitan Opera’s weekly streaming productions, the names Sondra Radvanovsky and Piotr Beczala are certainly familiar. Just this week alone they appeared in productions of Norma (Radvanovsky) and Lucia di Lammermoor (Beczala).

They are teaming up for this weekend’s Met Stars Live in Concert which will be coming from Germany’s Historische Stadthalle Wuppertal with Vincenzo Scalera accompanying on piano.

Italian opera figures prominently in the program which is scheduled to include selections from Verdi’s La Forza del Destino, Luisa Miller and Un Ballo in Maschera; Giordano’s Andrea Chénier; Puccini’s Manon Lescaut and Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana. Also on the program are selections by Cilea and Moniuszko before concluding with three arias from Dvořák’s Rusalka.

Tickets are $20 and the concert will remain available for streaming for 14 days.

PLAY: The Approach – Project Arts Centre, Dublin – January 23rd – January 24th

Cathy Belton, Derbhle Crotty & Aisling O’Sullivan star in this play by Mark O’Rowe which explores the mysteries of humans as seen through the eyes of three women whose personal relationships and the complications therein reveal, gradually, the interconnectedness of them all.

Critics have raved about this production.

Projects Arts Center in Dublin is making live performances available for viewing this weekend. That means, they will only be streamed once at the scheduled times. The play runs 60-70 minutes. There will be a 30-minute post-performance conversation after Saturday’s show.

On demand tickets will be available for one week after the conclusion of the last live performance.

Saturday’s performance is at 2:15 PM EST/ 11:15 AM PST. Sunday’s performance as at 3:45 PM EST/12:45 PM PST. Tickets range from £15-£50 based on your ability to pay. ($20.51 – $68.36 at press time)

OPERA: Samson and Delilah – San Francisco Opera – January 23rd – January 24th

Conducted by Patrick Summers; starring Olga Borodina and Clifton Forbis. This revival of the Nicholas Joël production is from the 2007-2008 season.

The biblical tale of Samson and Delilah serves as the inspiration for Saint-Saëns’s opera. With a libretto by Ferdinand Lemaire, Samson et Dalila had its world premiere in Weimar in 1877.

Franz Liszt, who previously served as the Music Director at Weimar, was instrumental in getting the opera its world premiere.

When the governor of the Philistines, Abimelech, belittles the Hebrews into believing that they are helpless to his power and that of the temple of Dagon. Everyone believes him except Samson, who leads a rebellion against Abimelech and kills him. He meets Dalila who tells Samson that his accomplishments have wooed her and that she’s in love with him. Though others try to warn him about Dalila, he succumbs to her charms. But is she truly in love with Samson or does she have other ideas in mind?

Joshua Kosman, writing in the San Francisco Chronicle, raved about Borodina’s performance. “Her tone was lithe and lustrous, with a sinewy strength that cut easily through the orchestral texture. She shaped melodic phrases into intricately expressive form, concealing their focus and clarity behind a deceptively casual air. And she did it all without sacrificing any of the character’s alluring ease.”

There is no charge to watch Samson and Delilah. It will only be available beginning Saturday at 1:00 PM EST/10:00 AM PST through Sunday at 11:59 PM PST.

PLAY READING: Rabbit Hole – The Reading Series – January 23rd – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

David Lindsay-Abaire’s Rabbit Hole was the recipient of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Grief has overcome a family and as they try to navigate their loss, the person who caused this torment enters their lives.

The Reading Series is presenting a live reading of the play with Tony Award-winner Celia Keenan-Bolger (To Kill a Mockingbird) in the role of the mother, Becca. Jawan M. Jackson is reading the role of her husband, Howie. Lauren Molina reads the role of Izzy, Becca’s sister. Mary Testa reads the role of Nat, Becca and Izzy’s mother. Andrew Barth Feldman reads the role of Jason, the source of the family’s grief. Allison Tanney directs.

There is no charge to watch this reading; however donations to The Actors Fund are encouraged.

JAZZ: Rubén Blades with the Roberto Delgado Salsa Big Band – Panama Jazz Festival – January 23rd – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

The final concert of the Panama Jazz Festival this year is this 2018 performance from the San Sebastian Jazz Festival. With 37 albums so far, Bladés long established himself as one of the foremost performers and songwriters of salsa and Latin jazz.

Delgado’s band is from Panama and has two Grammy Awards. He and Blades collaborated on 2017’s Salsa Big Band album and 2015’s Son de Panama.

If you don’t want to sit still on Saturday night, this is your best option. Plus there’s no charge to watch the concert.

CABARET: Sheléa: A Tribute to Alan and Marilyn Bergman – The Sorting Room at The Wallis – January 23rd

If you know the songs The Summer Knows, The Way We Were, The Windmills of Your Mind (and if you haven’t heard Dusty Springfield’s version of that song, do so now!) and You Don’t Bring Me Flowers, then you know just a fraction of the songs written by Alan and Marilyn Bergman. Together they have three Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards and two Grammy Awards.

Singer Sheléa will be performing a tribute to the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame inductees in this program from The Sorting Room at The Wallis. In 2019 she released the album Pretty World, which featured the duo’s songs. Amongst the guests on that album are Stevie Wonder and Kirk Whalum. She’s also been mentored by Quincy Jones, who produced her PBS concert special.

Tickets to watch the performance are $25.

TOP PICK: JAZZ/CABARET: Save Birdland – January 24th – 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM PST

New York’s Birdland serves as a home for jazz musicians and vocalists, Broadway stars and fans of both. It’s existence, like so many others, is threatened by the pandemic. Birdland is one of my personal favorite places to visit whenever I’m in New York.

This Sunday a telethon and virtual concert will take place to raise money for them.

This isn’t just any run-of-the-mill club, so it is only fitting that they have a stellar line-up of participants and performers for the event on Sunday: Monty Alexander, Lucie Arnaz, Iain Armitage, Kenneth Ascher, Colleen Ballinger, Erich Bergen, Terence Blanchard, Stephanie J Block, Matthew Broderick, Scott Bradlee, Brenda Braxton, Ken Burns, Gunhild Carling & Her Darlings, Ron Carter, Jim Caruso, Peter Cincotti, Emmett Cohen Trio, George Coleman, Ravi Coltrane, Elvis Costello, Jeff Daniels, Clive Davis, Diana DeGarmo, Aisha De Haas, Natalie Douglas, Michelle Dowdy, Christine Ebersole, Kurt Elling, Kevin Eubanks, Giancarlo Esposito, Whoopi Goldberg, Mandy Gonzalez, Tim Guinne, Amanda Green, Julie Halston, John Heginbotham, Sara Hickman, Perez Hilton, Clint Holmes, Sunny Holiday, Demetia Hopkins-Green, Joe Iconis and Family, Sheila Jordan, Stacey Kent, Tory Kittles, Amy Hillner Larsen, Warren Leight, Amanda Lopez, Melissa Leo, Norm Lewis, Tzi Ma, Manhattan Transfer, Wynton Marsalis, Lauren Marcus, Karen Mason, Marilyn Maye, Audra McDonald, Jane Monheit, Susie Mosher, Anson Mount, Bebe Nuewirth, Leslie Odom, Jr., Arturo O’Farrill Quintet, Mandy Patinkin, Christine Pedi, Wendell Pierce, John Pizzarelli, Martha Plimpton, Randy Rainbow, Chita Rivera, Justin “Squigs” Robertson, Mercedes Ruehl, Catherine Russell, Victoria Shaw, Dee Snyder, Billy Stritch, Veronica Swift, Mary Testa, Steve Tyrell, Lillias White, Frank Wildhorn, Steve Wilson, Amra-Faye Wright, Ace Young, Karen Ziemba, Glenn Zaleski and remarks from President Bill Clinton. 

There is a Go Fund Me page set up where donations are being accepted to Save Birdland.

That’s my official list of the Best Bets: January 22nd – January 24th.

But before I go, just in case you don’t have enough opera from which to choose, a reminder that the Metropolitan Opera is streaming a 1985 production of Puccini’s Tosca on Friday; Massenet’s Manon on Saturday (in addition to the concert listed above) and Wagner’s Die Walküre on Sunday.

I hope you find plenty to enjoy from my Best Bets: January 22nd – January 24th this weekend. Have fun!

Main Photo: Kurt Elling performing at Birdland (Photo by R. Paternite/Courtesy Tom D’Angora)

The post Best Bets: January 22nd – January 24th appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

You will notice that as the inability to hold in-person performances continues to be the reality for performing arts organizations that more original programming is becoming available. With that comes fees to view many of those new offerings. It’s just a fact that performing arts organizations are struggling like any other business during these troubled times. Not only does this new material keep the conversation going between venue and audience, it helps keep the theatres in business.

This weekend there are truly options for everyone in your family: from kid-friendly programming to cutting-edge explorations of topical events; from a new vision for two popular one-act operas to a Latinx Broadway extravaganza; from an exploration of parallels between present-day America and the Rome Republic to gender-bending farce. And more. Much more.

Without further ado, here are your Best Bets at Home: October 1st – October 4th.

Still. – PlayhouseLive – Now – November 1st

PlayhouseLive is a new digital platform introduced yesterday by the Pasadena Playhouse. The site will offer a combination of free material and paid material – all of which is completely new and/or newly discovered. To help launch the site they enlisted three-time national poetry slam champion Jovan Johnson. Still. is his show.

Still. finds Johnson performing his poetry.

Fans will recognize some of the material (Cuz He’s Black, Black and Happy) and there will also be new work that has never been filmed or recorded.

Johnson directly tackles several of the major issues of our time. But he does so in a way that both forces the viewer to confront his/her own thoughts while at the same time generating tremendous empathy. By the time Still. is over, you have gone through an incredible journey that will ultimately leave you somewhat hopeful.

I interviewed Johnson recently. You can read that interview here.

Update: This post has been updated to include a period – “.” at the end of the title of the show. Still. is the show’s complete title.

Kiki & Herb: Seeking Asylum! – Joe’s Pub/The Public Theater – Now – November 5th

Justin Vivian Bond and Kenny Mellman are well known, when performing together, as Kiki & Herb, a lounge-singing duo in their 70s who have failed in their pursuit of fame. In 2016 their show Seeking Asylum was both a critical and commercial hit. The show sold out at Joe’s Pub. In fact, the entire one-month run sold out within minutes.

Promo materials for the show describe their misadventures leading up to this show like this:

“After major successes at Carnegie Hall, on Broadway, and on the International Concert Circuit, cabaret legends Kiki and Herb took a break from the live performance grind to explore other opportunities. Kiki’s sabbatical included a stint as a Middle East correspondent for Al Jazeera, while Herb found himself in hot water—both literal and proverbial—in Southeast Asia.”

Joe’s Pub and The Public are making the show available on both Joe’s Pub’s YouTube page and The Public’s website for viewing through November 5th. There is no charge to watch this thoroughly entertaining show.

Bob Baker Marionette Theater’s The Circus – PlayhouseLive – Now – November 18th

Pasadena Playhouse’s new series, PlayhouseLive, launched on Wednesday. Amongst the shows available is a new film of a classic show by the Bob Baker Marionette Theater: the 1950 classic The Circus.

With over 100 hand-made marionettes, the lives and performances of a circus troupe come to vivid life. Everything you expect from the circus is performed with these amazing creations: animals acts, clowns, trapeze artists, acrobats and more.

For those who went to Bob Baker’s theater downtown before they moved to Highland Park, you know how magical their performances have always been. Puppeteers are not separated from the audience. That brings an immediacy to what they are doing and also makes the marionettes approachable for younger audiences.

This filmed version of The Circus is available for $14.99 and allows repeated viewings over the course of 48 hours. Trust me when I say that these shows appeal to the kid in all of us, regardless of age.

The Tribute Artist – Primary Stages/59E59 Theaters – October 1st – October 4th

Playwright/actor Charles Busch debuted The Tribute Artist in 2014. The play tells the story of a female impersonator who assumes the identity of his newly-deceased elderly landlady. Since he doesn’t have work, why not pretend to be her and live in her townhouse? Because this is the work of Charles Busch, you don’t really think things are going to go as planned do you?

The Tribute Artist was the last show presented by Primary Stages at 59E59 Theaters.

The original company of that production has reunited for virtual readings of the show. Joining Busch are Mary Bacon, Julie Halston, Keira Keeley, Carole Monferdini and Jonathan Walker. Carl Andress, who directed the original production, returns to direct this reading.

Tickets are $36.50 which includes a $1.50 service charge.

The Boys in the Band – Netflix – Now Available

Does history repeat itself? Mart Crowley’s play The Boys in the Band opened in 1968 at Off-Broadway’s Theater Four where it ran for 1,001 performances. Before the show closed in September of 1970 it was already a feature film. William Friedkin (The French Connection; The Exorcist) directed the film adaptation. Friedkin’s film featured many of the play’s original cast members.

In 2018, the first Broadway production of the play opened at the Booth Theatre. The limited run of the play was directed by Joe Mantello.

The cast included Matt Bomer, Robin De Jesús, Jim Parsons, Andrew Rannells and Zachary Quinto. The show went on to win the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play.

Mantello and the cast reunited and the film of The Boys in the Band just started running on Netflix.

What is The Boys in the Band? It depicts a group of gay friends who have assembled for one of their birthdays. During that party each man is challenged by the party’s host to place a phone call to someone he has loved and tell them about it.

Edward Albee had the “game about the baby” and Crowley (who passed away earlier this year) has “the game about love.”

New York’s 92 Street Y is streaming a conversation with Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Matt Bomer and Joe Mantello discussing The Boys in the Band on Friday, October 2nd at 4:00 PM EDT/1:00 PM PDT.

WHAT THE HELL IS A REPUBLIC ANYWAY? – New York Theatre Workshop – Now – November 8th

If you had the opportunity to experience An Iliad by Denis O’Hare and Lisa Peterson, you know how powerful their approach to history and theatre can be. What might first appear as merely an intellectual pursuit, in their hands, becomes palpably exciting.

New York Theatre Workshop was the home for An Iliad. So it is only appropriate that their latest project, WHAT THE HELL IS A REPUBLIC, ANYWAY?, finds itself streaming through the company’s website.

O’Hare and Peterson look at what is going on in American democracy through the prism of the Roman Republic. This is a four-part series. Part one launched live on September 22nd, but there are two remaining “re-runs” of that episode.

Here is the full line-up:

Episode 1: Rome & America: Joined at Birth (Special Guest: Roberta Stewart)

Encore showings: October 4th at 2:00 PM EDT/11:00 AM PDT; October 5th at 7:00 PM EDT/4:00 PM PDT

Episode 2: Citizenship (Special Guest: Sonia Sabnis)

Live presentation: October 6th at 7:00 PM EDT/4:00 PM PDT

Encore showing: October 11th at 7:00 PM EDT/4:00 PM PDT

Episode 3: How Republics Fall Apart

Live presentation: October 20th at 7:00 PM EDT/4:00 PM PDT

Encore showing: October 25th at 7:00 PM EDT/4:00 PM PDT

Episode 4: The Election

Live presentation: November 2nd at 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM PST

Encore showing: November 8th at 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM PST

Not only will audience members be watching what’s going on, they will be asked to participate in the democratic process (at least during the live presentations).

Tickets for each episode are $10.

Coming Together – 5 Boroughs Music Festival – October 1st – 5:00 PM EDT/2:00 PM PDT

This is the world premiere of a film featuring the Quodlibet Ensemble and countertenor Reginald Mobley performing Frederic Rzewski’s Coming Together.

The text was written by Samuel Melville, a leader of the revolt at New York’s Attica Prison in 1971. Melville was killed during those riots. The text is from a letter he had written that was published after his death.

Rzewski composed Coming Together shortly after the riots took place.

The film, created with Pastor Isaac Scott, presents the journey we’re all probably on right now – navigating our way through difficult times and still finding a way to have hope. Footage of the musicians performing remotely and safely is included.

Bach’s Cantata No. 54 and songs and spirituals by Florence Price are also performed. Part of these performances were filmed this month at the Baryshnikov Arts Center.

There is no charge to watch the film. However, donations are encouraged. The date listed is when the film becomes available. It will remain available for viewing after its premiere.

The Skivvies: Classic Undie Rock – Radio Free Birdland – October 1st – 7:30 PM EDT/4:30 PM PDT

Lauren Molina made her Broadway debut in the 2005 revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd as Johanna. She also appeared on Broadway in Rock of Ages. Around the same time she was in Sweeney Todd, Nick Cearley was making his Broadway debut in All Shook Up.

No Broadway shows together, but they do appear together as The Skivvies.

They are the duo that performs unique arrangements of songs uniquely. Make that stripped down arrangements while stripped down. Yes, they perform in their underwear.

Perhaps you’ve seen their videos on YouTube?

They have filmed a concert at Birdland in New York. Their show is part of the programming of Radio Free Birdland. The performance was filmed without an audience, but they do have two special guests.

Matt Doyle, who appeared on Broadway in The Book of Mormon and was in previews for this season’s revival of Company, and Tamika Lawrence, who appeared in Come From Away and is in the revival of Caroline, Or Change that was forced to postpone its opening, will both be joining. They’ll be stripping down to their underwear, too.

The only fully-dressed people at a Skivvies show are usually in the audience. But you’ll be at home. Who will know if you’re wearing clothes or not?

Tickets are $23.50.

¡Viva Broadway! Hear Our Voices – October 1st – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

In spite of the success of In the Heights and On Your Feet, Latinx talent isn’t frequently seen or heard on Broadway. Since October is Latinx Heritage Month, Playbill and The Broadway League have teamed up to present ¡Viva Broadway! Hear Our Voices. The show will be available on Playbill’s website, their YouTube Channel and on The Broadway League’s website.

Andréa Burns, who originated the role of “Daniela” in In the Heights, serves as the host. The show is directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Sergio Trujillo (Ain’t Too Proud).

The show will feature a reunion of In the Heights cast members (including Christopher Jackson and Karen Olivo) who will be joined by Anthony Ramos who stars as “Usnavi” in the upcoming film of the musical.

There will also be a presentation from the Spanish language production of A Chorus Line that starred Antonio Banderas and was co-directed by Banderas with original cast member Baayork Lee.

Lest this all be a trip down memory lane, three new shows will be given an opportunity to shine during ¡Viva Broadway! including John Leguizamo’s Kiss My Aztec!, Arrabal and Passing Through.

The list of artists making appearances and performing includes Lucie Arnaz, Gloria Estefan, Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer, Quiara Alegría Hudes, Moisés Kaufman, Leguizamo, Matthew López, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Chita Rivera and Daphne Rubin-Vega.

This show will remain available for viewing through October 5th at 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT.

Chicago Symphony Orchestra: Sessions Episode One – Chicago Symphony – October 1st – October 30th

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is launching a new series of small ensemble performances filmed with social distancing guidelines as a way of keeping the music playing.

For their first episode of Sessions, the program features Three Preludes by George Gershwin; Fuga y misterio by Astor Piazzolla; Bachianas brasileiras No. 6 by Heitor Villa-Lobos; Rapide et brilliant from Sonatine for Flute and Bassoon by Pierre Gabaye and Carl Nielsen’s Wind Quintet.

The small ensemble includes Stefán Ragnar Höskuldsson on flute, William Welter on oboe, Stephen Williamson on clarinet, Keith Buncke on bassoon, David Cooper on horn, Jennifer Gunn on flute and William Buchman on bassoon.

Tickets are $15 to watch the performance.

Salón Los Ángeles – Los Angeles Philharmonic Sound/Stage – Begins October 2nd

The second newly-filmed concert in Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Sound/Stage series is called Salón Los Ángeles. The concert features performances of Arturo Márquez’s Danzón No. 1 and George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.

Gustavo Dudamel is conducting and Jean-Yves Thibaudet is the soloist for Rhapsody in Blue. Given these performances were filmed with social distancing and minimal musicians, it is probably safe to assume the original jazz band version of Rhapsody in Blue will be performed.

Márquez appears in an interview during the show and there will be performances of Mexican danzón and boleros.

There is no charge to watch this program. However, donations are encouraged.

Sound/Stage is a multi-episode series. For a full preview of the entire series, please go here.

Cavalleria rusticana/Pagliacci – Royal Opera House – October 2nd – November 1st

Perhaps no pairing of one-act operas is more popular than the combination of Cavalleria rusticana by Pietro Mascagni and Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo.

Cavalleria rusticana had its world premiere in Rome in 1890. The opera is based on a short story which later became a play by Giovanni Verga. Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci adapted them both for their libretto.

Mascagni’s opera centers on a love triangle. Turridu, who has returned from military service, goes to see his ex-lover, Lola, before seeing his current lover, Santuzza. Lola is married to Alfio. Santuzza decides to tell Alfio about the infidelity and the two men decide to duel. At the end of the opera, multiple hearts are left broken.

Pagliacci had its world premiere in Milan in 1892. Leoncavallo also wrote the libretto.

The opera tells the story of a married couple, Canio and Nedda, who are performers in a small theatre company on the road. Canio is insanely jealous and that jealousy drives Nedda to seek affection from another man, Silvio. Nedda and Silvio make plans to elope, but their plans are overheard by Tonio, another member of the company. He tells Canio about Nedda’s plans. Looking for revenge, Canio, during a performance of their touring play, makes his personal life mirror the drama in the play.

In 2015 Damiano Michieletto staged the two works for the Royal Opera in London. One of the conceits of his production is that both operas take place in the same village. So you might find characters from one opera appear in the other.

The end result was an Olivier Award for Best New Opera in 2016. Michieletto shared the award with the production’s conductor, Sir Antonio Pappano.

This production will remain available for one month. The cost is £3 which equates to just under $4.

Orfeh and Andy Karl with Seth Rudetsky – October 4th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

I’ve previously written about Broadway performers Orfeh and Andy Karl. They are married and met during the Broadway production of Saturday Night Fever. By the time they appeared together again in Legally Blonde sparks were flying. More recently they appeared together in Pretty Woman.

The two join Seth Rudetsky for conversation and performance this weekend. (Rudetsky took last week off.)

To get a sense of their chemistry (and their history), take a look at this clip from an appearance at Feinstein’s/54 Below:

The live performance takes place on Sunday, October 4th. There is an Encore showing on October 5th at 3:00 PM EDT/12:00 PM PDT for those unable to watch the live stream on Sunday.

Tickets for either date are $25

While that might seem like a lot, there’s more to your Best Bets at Home: October 1st – October 4th by way of a few reminders:

This week’s Table Top Shakespeare: At Home features Hamlet on October 1st; Love’s Labour’s Lost on October 2nd; The Winter’s Tale on October 3rd and All’s Well That Ends Well on October 4th.

Most of our choices in this week’s Jazz Stream take place in the next four days. Artists like Catherine Russell, James Carter, Joey Alexander are performing. I won’t recap them all in this space. Go here to see our listings.

Metropolitan Opera’s Mozart Week continues with Julie Taymor’s production of The Magic Flute on October 1st; Don Giovanni on October 2nd; The Marriage of Figaro on October 3rd and Idomeneo on October 4th.

I hope you have a lot of devices in your home to watch all this great programming. If not, you’ll have to choose. And who wants to do that?

Enjoy the Best Bets at Home: October 1st – October 4th and Happy October!

Photo: The company of The Tribute Artist (Photo by James Leynse)

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