Brinberg still hasn’t met Streisand, but he still celebrates her with his show Simply Barbra. His uncanny ability to sound like her has earned rave reviews from all over the world.

This week Brinberg will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Hello, Dolly! (the movie, not the Broadway musical) with an appearance on Wednesday at Martinis Above Fourth in San Diego. On Thursday he will celebrate the life and career of Hamlisch with a show at Catalina Jazz Club featuring Kay Cole (an original cast member in A Chorus Line), jackbenny, Alan Bergman (who along with his with, Marilyn, wrote the lyrics for The Way We Were) and many others.

When I spoke by phone with Brinberg he was in London for some shows. In these excerpts from our conversation, we talk about Hello, Dolly!, his time working with Hamlisch and, of course, Barbra herself.

The film version of Hello, Dolly! is considered by many to be a disaster amongst film versions of popular musicals. Is that fair or is there more to the film than people realize?

There definitely is. It has improved with time. What people once thought was elephantine and overblown, now it looks like the last MGM musical – even though it was made  at Fox. I think it’s better now looking at it.

[Streisand] was young, yes, but she didn’t look 26. When you put  that heavy hair and make-up on a woman for that period, she looks 36. Just like Funny Lady. She was in her 30s, but she looks 50. She’s funny and the singing is really good. No one who has done it on stage has ever sounded like that.

How much does the success of the Broadway revival and its subsequent tour give us a new lens through which to view the film?

I think you can see the improvements in the film over the show. In the film Dolly literally tells Barnaby and Cornelius to go to that shop and meet those girls. In the musical that doesn’t happen. It’s by chance. The first number in the movie, “Just Leave Everything to Me,” is so much better than “I Put My Hand In.”

All the years you have been performing as Streisand, how has your relationship to her and her career evolved?

I started doing the show just before she announced she was coming back doing concerts after all these years. Her career has fed my career ever since. Whatever happens in her life enters my show. It’s quite different than doing a show about Judy Garland or someone whose life is over. I could literally be about to go on stage and someone shows me a Tweet and it goes right into the show. Last year was the 50th anniversary of Funny Girl. Next year is the 50th anniversary of On a Clear Day. I’ll always sing the standards, but with this Dolly show I have almost every song in the movie except “Elegance.” I do “Hello, Dolly!” as Barbra and Louis Armstrong. It’s a strain on my voice, but it’s fun.

Marvin Hamlisch was her music director for many years. You did a tribute for his birthday in New York earlier this year. Now you are bringing a celebration of him to Los Angeles. What made his musical relationship with Streisand unique?

Marvin and Barbra had a strong relationship going back to Funny Girl. Every decade they came back together again. In the 70s it was The  Way We Were. He wrote more stuff for her and he conducted her tours. 

I traveled with him for 11 years and I was a surprise guest. He would start The Way We Were and I’d be in the wings. This is my way of honoring him and his wide range of music from A Chorus Line to The Way We Were to other Broadway shows. He’s kind of under appreciated, even though he won every award. I think he’d be thrilled we’re doing this.

What part of Hamlisch’s career excites you the most?

I think the fact that he had two careers: one as a film composer and another as a Broadway composer. He did both simultaneously. He was a personality on Match Game and The Hollywood Squares. He was really funny.

He was such a down-to-earth person. There was a concert outdoors in Pasadena. There weren’t tons of dressing rooms and I had to get dressed as Barbra. He said “you can use my trailer.” I was in there and he says, “There’s something wrong with my tie.” And here I was, dressed like Barbra with the nails and all, and I’m fixing his tie.”

You did an interview in 1999 with the Associated Press where you said you hadn’t met Streisand. But you thought, “it might happen soon. I think she’ll really like me.” In 2015  you said “I came really close to meeting her recently.” Is meeting Streisand the holy grail? Is it a good thing to meet your idol?

She did send us a letter we’re going to read [at the Hamlisch concert.] More than meeting her, I would love to sing with her or for her. That would include meeting her I would assume. That’s how I met Marvin. He was on her second tour.  He said, “She has a bit in the show where she says ‘sometimes, I wish there were two of me.’ They loved the idea [of Brinberg being a second Streisand in the concert tour.] But it was a week before the tour started and there just wasn’t time.

When she turned 50, she hired Jim Bailey [another artist who performed as Streisand.] I think she told everyone at the party, “I’m going to change and sing.” And she sent him out. Maybe when Barbra Streisand turns to 80, I can sing for her. I have had vision of her saying to me, “I love how you did this song, but if you would hold your finger back a little bit longer, you’ll get this response.”

For tickets to the 50th Anniversary Celebration of Hello, Dolly! at Martinis Above Fourth go here.

For tickets to the Marvin Hamlisch Celebration at Catalina Jazz Club go here.

Main photo: Simply Barbra on stage/Courtesy of Steven Brinberg
Marvin Hamlisch photo courtesy of MarvinHamlisch.com

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These shows are billed as cabaret performances. Having seen Buckley many times in this setting, concertgoers are indeed in for a treat. She knows her way around just about any song you could name (and certainly plenty you can’t.)

My fondest memory is seeing her at Pepperdine several years ago when she called for a volunteer to come up on stage. No one was particularly willing, so I raised my hand and the next thing I knew she was singing “You’ve Got Possibilities” from It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Superman! to me. I had the privilege of not just hearing her through the PA system, but to hear how amazing she sounded without amplification. I was that close. And I was blown away. That’s an evening I’ll never forget.

Given that she’s known for her role as Grizabella in Cats, it is probably safe to assume you will hear “Memory” from that show. Don’t be surprised if a song like “Before the Parade Passes By” from Hello, Dolly! finds its way into the setlist either.

Betty Buckley is an actor who sings and a singer who acts. That gives her tremendous abilities that no fan of Broadway musicals and great singing should miss.

November 2nd Buckley will be performing at The Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills.

For tickets for this week’s shows go here.

For tickets at The Saban go here.

Photo of Betty Buckley by John Boal/Courtesy of bettybuckley.com

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Hello, Dolly makes its first stop in Southern California starting today at Segerstrom Hall in Costa Mesa. After a week there the show moves to the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood where the musical will run until February 17th. The show will continue on to San Francisco where it will be at the Golden Gate Theatre from February 19th to March 17th.

I recently spoke by phone with Buckley about the joys and challenges of performing in this utterly joyous musical.

How much work is involved in performing a show that is as joyful as Hello, Dolly!?

Well, good question. Every day is about maintenance to do the eight shows a week. I work out for 1-2 hours a day and vocalize for 30-45 minutes and you have to time your dinner early enough so you aren’t burping through the show. Basically I live like a monk or a nun. I don’t do anything at night and take an epsom salt bath and ice my knees before I go to bed and get up the next day. It’s not easy doing eight shows a week. I’ve lost 38 pounds so far. They just took in all these costumes. It’s pretty challenging even trying to work in a life – like reading a book is a privilege. You don’t get to keep up with your favorite tv shows.

You are known for playing darker characters like Grizabella, Norma Desmond and Mama Rose. what makes playing a more optimistic character both interesting and satisfying for you?

It’s more challenging actually because it is necessary to keep your own frame of mind in a really positive place and to bring your best self to the experience of that character. That’s challenging when you are tired and going through whatever you are going through. You have to process that quickly and lend yourself to the instrument of joy that is Dolly Levi.

It would seem that both Dolly’s 2^nd act entrance and the title song are enormous gifts for anyone lucky enough to play the part. What was that first night response like for you and what does that kind of unbridled enthusiasm and affection mean to you night after night?

The whole show is. Well it is amazing to experience – that is a remarkable thing. But it really is the show. I don’t tend to take it very personally. I’m grateful to be the quarterback of this team. It’s the production, the character and the show they are responding to. I’m just the actor. This production of the show is the best I’ve ever seen and Jerry Zaks’s direction is very amazing and illuminating. And the design by Santo Loquasto and the costumes and Natasha Katz’s lighting, the ensemble, the singers and dancers. It’s a remarkable team.

You told me when you were at the Wallis with “Ghostlight” that you “wanted to be a very natural, realistic actor who could paint portraits.” Now that you’ve been doing the show for a several months how has your portrayal of Dolly Levi evolved and met that criteria?

I wouldn’t know how to answer that. I don’t know how to evaluate my work. I guess I feel more grounded in the part. We’ve done over 100 performances at this point. In terms of what I experience I feel more grounded. Just evolved. Doing a run your own work evolves. I keep trying to make certain choices better, sing it better. I keep reviewing the story elements every night before I go on. I study the lines and run the show every day. Reading the script every day can give you new insights.

You also said when we spoke that “At each point of sincere readiness it appers to me that the opportunity comes.” Now that the Hello, Dolly! opportunity has not only arrived, but been launched, why do you think this opportunity came at this point in your career?

I think I’m more mature and know better how to tell the story now than I would have years earlier. One remarkable thing I can observe is that a part or character and story come when I have the information and experience to tell it and I’m grateful to experience that synchronicity of the spiritual. That is still my raison d’etre.

I was listening to “Hope” this morning (Buckley’s most recent album and in particular the title song) and it occurred to me that if Hello, Dolly! were less overtly joyful, that song could fit right in and serve Dolly well. Do you agree?  

Well I think she is the manifestation of hope. All human beings are a combination of light and dark. Dolly for the past 10 years as a widow has retired from life from when she lived it – fully with her husband while he was living. She’s reached a point where she’ss tired of living alone and shess on a mission to come back to the world of the living and participate at this moment of life.

This year marks 50 years since your Broadway debut in 1776. Does it seem like just yesterday and how have those 50 years overall been to you?

I‘m keenly aware of that and I became a performer when I was 11. I have been doing this consistently for 60 years. From my Broadway debut, in that sense it’s like a 50-year history. I thnk they’ve been very good to me. I’m very grateful for my career and the eclectic nature of it and the fact I’m still out there. That I was invited to helm this production is a huge honor. I’m exceedingly grateful.

Production photos of Hello, Dolly! by Julieta Cervantes

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In addition to creating the roles in those musicals, Peters has starred in revivals of Annie Get Your Gun, Gypsy, A Little Night Music, Follies and most recently, Hello, Dolly!. Bernadette Peters has three Tony Awards, a Golden Globe and two Grammy Awards.

What makes Peters one-of-a-kind, and perhaps the best person to answer that chat room question, is her ability to make you laugh one moment…

…and break your heart the next.

In short, Bernadette Peters is one singular sensation.

Photos of Bernadette Peters courtesy of BernadettePeters.com

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No one planning this tour could have imagined that it would open here so closely on the heels of the passing of Carol Channing, who originated the party of Dolly Levi when Hello, Dolly! first opened in 1964. Taking on the role of the title character is Tony Award winner Betty Buckley (Cats.) In addition to playing Grizabella in Cats, Buckley has appeared on stage in such shows as Carrie: The Musical, Triumph of Love, Sunset Boulevard, 1776 and The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

In the show, whose book was written by Michael Stewart, Dolly Levi is a matchmaker. (The show is based on Thorton Wilder’s play, The Matchmaker.)  It’s been ten years since the death of her beloved husband, Ephraim, and Dolly has decided to return to the world of the living. So while she pretends to be finding the perfect wife for millionaire Horace Vandergelder (Lewis J. Stadlen,) she’s really positioning herself to be his new bride.

Hello, Dolly! is perhaps the most crowd-pleasing show in the history of Broadway musicals. In addition to its well-known title song, Herman’s score includes “Before the Parade Passes By,” “Put On Your Sunday Clothes” and “It Only Takes a Moment” (known to anyone who has watched the Pixar film, Wall-E.)

This production is directed by Jerry Zaks and choreographed by Warren Carlyle. The show was designed by Santo Loquasto.

Go here our interview this week with Betty Buckley.

Photo by Julieta Cervantes

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Boy was I wrong. I finally had the chance to see Channing perform when she did an intimate cabaret show at the Magic Castle. It was simply Channing, accompanied by a pianist, telling stories and singing songs. I was probably no more than ten or fifteen feet away from one of the most magical, entertaining, charming, eccentric and wonderful performers I had ever witnessed. And the show was, if memory serves, nearly two hours.

This was long after she stopped touring in the show that made her a household name. And it didn’t matter. What I realized that evening was how foolish I had been to let my youthful arrogance convince me that Channing had nothing to offer.

At the end of Act One of Hello, Dolly!, the title character comes downstage and sings “Before the Parade Passes By.”

At the Magic Castle, Channing sang this song and it was as if I had never heard it before. She imbued the song with such pathos; pathos that ultimately yielded to determination, that I doubt there was a dry eye in the place. Mine certainly weren’t.

If you don’t know who Carol Channing was, she was a Broadway legend who had appeared in seven shows on Broadway before originating the role of Dolly Levi in Jerry Herman’s musical. (A show that is touring now with Betty Buckley with upcoming stops at the Segerstrom Center in Costa Mesa and at the Pantages Theatre.) Her best-known role prior to Dolly was that of Lorelei in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. She introduced the song “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” in that show.

That musical was written by Jule Styne. And there was a televised tribute to him that featured Channing. Before performing “Little Girl from Little Rock,” they briefly recount how Styne helped her career. You can see that excerpt below.

She spent more time on stage and television than she did in film. Though many fans adore her appearance in Thoroughly Modern Millie, it is this performance from a 1985 television movie of Alice in Wonderland that I adore.

But it will always be her Tony Award-winning role in Hello, Dolly! for which she will be forever remembered. I’m just grateful that before I allowed her glorious parade to pass me by, I had the chance to witness the wonder that was, and will forever be, Carol Channing.

All photos by Martha Swope/Courtesy of the New York Public Library

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I found myself in New York this past weekend. This was also Bette Midler’s last weekend in the revival of Hello, Dolly!  So I did want any fool without tickets for one her last performances would do: I waited for two hours in hopes of getting a single ticket by standing in the cancellation line.

The odds were on my side. After all, the weather was blustery and very cold. The security guard said odds are best on bad weather days. Though the management at the Shubert Theatre was able to allow us to stay inside for most of that wait, the last 45 minutes were spent outside where the wind tunnel that is Shubert Alley made the 12 degree weather seem infinitely colder.

But the wait paid off. I ended up with a ticket in the center orchestra section in the seventh row.  I should say that I had already seen this production once before in the summer. But I couldn’t let the Bette Midler parade pass me by without one more visit to the Harmonia Gardens.

The show didn’t disappoint and neither did the Divine Miss M. The audience, knowing that it was Midler’s final weekend, was savoring every syllable, every gesture and every note.

I’ve seen hundreds of productions of plays and musicals. And I’ve seen some legendary performances. But without question, the star turn that Bette Midler has in Hello, Dolly! is on another level completely. By the time the show gets around to the title song in the second act, the audience is rewarded with perhaps the single most satisfying moment I’ve ever seen on a stage. Midler is having the time of her life and making sure that we do, too. Perhaps the best way to describe this moment (and, in fact, her performance) my partner, not the biggest of musical fans, loved this show and loved Midler in it. Even he leapt to his feet at the conclusion of the song.

It also should be said that David Hyde Pierce is every bit her equal. As Horace Vandergelder he goes toe-to-toe with Midler both comedically and dramatically.

In Hello, Dolly!, Dolly Levi has finally decided it is time to remarry. And she has her eyes set on Vandergelder who is about to propose to someone else. Levi, being a master manipulator, finds a way of making Vandergelder think it is his idea to marry her. The comedic genius of their chemistry and rhythm is that this scene plays like a master class in ad-lib (even if they may have been doing nearly the same thing for the entire run.)

The supporting cast (including Gavin Creel, Taylor Trensch, Kate Baldwin and Beanie Feldstein) are delightful. This is the best production of Hello, Dolly!  you and I will probably ever see.

And though we just said so long dearie to Miss Midler, the show will go on. Bernadette Peters takes over for Midler and Victor Garber assumes the role of Vandergelder. It will continue to be a great production of a great show.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to see Bette Midler take to the Broadway stage in such a commanding way that I will forever remember her final line of dialogue in the show, “Thank you, Ephraim.”

But it is we who should thank you, Bette. It was nice to have you right where you belong.

Photo Credit: Julieta Cervantes

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In other words, Seth Rudetsky lives and breathes Broadway. So if you want to know the inside stories about all the famous folk who have spent time treading the boards in New York, Rudetsky’s book, Seth’s Broadway Diary #3 is essential reading.

Talking to someone who regularly interviews people himself is an interesting challenge. Since we spoke on the day of the Grammy nominations, we got right into it.

In the category of Best Cast Album the Grammy’s only have three nominees: Dear Evan Hansen, Hello Dolly! and Come From Away. Did they miss something or is that a reflection of the past year of musical theatre?

Literally that to me is not the greater issue. The complete lack of caring about Broadway at the Grammy Awards is. Because they don’t give a shit. There’s no criterion? How can Hello Dolly! be up against Dear Evan Hansen? Are you comparing the scores? The recording? What are the Grammy Awards voting on? Where they have a thousand sub categories in other genres, they don’t have a best album of a show or best revival. It’s so insulting. It makes me angry.

When you tell these stories, whether in your columns or on your show, do the performers involved give you permission to do so? Or does it come with the territory when they tell you the stories?

Yes and no. I think I have a really good sense of what I can say and what I can’t. Last night after the concert [a series he produces called Concert For America: Stand Up, Sing Out! that raises funds for civil rights organizations] someone was telling me a story “not as a friend and not as a columnist.” I maybe have gotten someone annoyed at me three times. Do they realize it would go into my columns? Who cares? The stories are hilarious. If you don’t like it, don’t tell me anything. I’m not Pollyanna and I don’t want to write only positive stuff, but I won’t write mean-spirited stories.

Of all the relationships you’ve developed over the years, which one surprises you the most that it actually exists?

Probably Andrea Martin – because she’s such a close friend of mine. I was so obsessed with her growing up. It’s just weird how close we are and what a fan I was with the TV star. Almost every idol I’ve met has been exactly what I wanted them to be. She’s hilarious. Just the other day it was really weird talking to Andrea McArdle. I remember reading that Annie book with the red cover. She was a photograph on an album. I had never seen her live, but she was such a megastar. It’s nice that everyone has lived up to who I wanted them to be.

Do you think the price structure for Broadway shows will make it impossible for a future Seth Rudetsky’s to get exposure to shows the way you did?

I’m not an expert, but it began with the Broadway Inner Circle with The Producers. That was the first crazy megahit, more than Rent, where scalpers were making a lot of money and this scheme came up to bust scalpers. I was just thinking the other day it’s so expensive to put on a show. Most of those costs are initial costs. I wonder if there is a new tactic. Why can’t you borrow money on the run of the show? For every three months you run, you pay back what it would have cost.

If you’re going to talk about the next young Seth Rudetsky, the problem is the devastating destruction of arts in the schools. There has been such a marginalization of Broadway as something gay. The arts are considered gay and feminine and it can be cut because of misogyny. The arts were not feminine in the old days. Ed Sullivan was right wing, ultra-straight and he had Broadway on every week. Now if you like Broadway you are gay. How does a kid know they like to sing or act if they don’t have a chance to do it? That’s really where the fault is in finding our next Stephen Sondheim.

You did your own jukebox musical, Disaster! A Musical. But are you concerned that shows based on pre-existing material or jukebox musicals show a lack of imagination on producer’s parts?

Yes and no. People say, “Oh Seth, you took the lazy way out. You wrote a jukebox musical about disaster movies.” I did it because I really wanted to. I love disaster movies and 70s music. I think there’s this theory if you have a well-know title, that’s a surefire way to have a Broadway show. It isn’t. But it is a surefire way to get investors. It’s not a way to sell tickets.

I was talking to Hal Prince [director of Phantom of the Opera, Sweeney Todd and more] about when someone came to him with an idea. He said, “Nobody did that. We would talk and create it together. It used to be much more artistic.” There are still some producers that still do that. We don’t have a lot of them like we used to.

If you could go back in time and see any productions you never got a chance to see and performers you never got a chance to experience, what and who would they be?

100% Funny Girl with Barbra Streisand and West Side Story with Chita Rivera. I would die to see what Barbra sounded like live and would have died to see Chita do the original choreography for “America.” I think about it all the time. Those two 100%. [For the record, it took Seth about 2 seconds to start his answer to that question.]

You produced the Broadway for Orlando project after the massacre at the Pulse nightclub in Florida. And you have the Concert for America series. What’s the next phase of advocacy you have planned?

We are going to start in January doing salons. We did one in Judy Kuhn’s apartment [She starred in Fun Home, Les Misérables]. These are for causes or particular candidates we believe in. We’ve raised so much money. If anyone is reading this and wants to help a particular candidate or cause, keep us in mind.

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