It's Today! Jerry Herman's 86th Birthday!

Jerry Herman, the man who gave the world such incredible Broadway scores for "Hello, Dolly!", "Mame", "Mack & Mabel" and "La Cage Aux Folles" turns 86 today! And is still going strong!

Celebrate this wonderful icon who has given the world such incredible music and Broadway shows.  Jerry's music not only entertains us but reminds us to never let life pass us by.

I have spent some of the most thrilling moments of my theater career being moved by Jerry's work in a theater.  His body of work sends a powerful, positive and beautiful message out to the world.  I'm so honored to know Jerry.

Thank you, Jerry Herman, for always reminding us that while we remember our "Song On The Sand", we need to always get back into life "Before The Parade Passes By."

I'm thrilled that his beautiful "Hello, Dolly!" is going gangbusters again on Broadway with Bette Midler breaking box office records.

On a personal note, I'll add that were it not for "Hello, Dolly!" (my first Broadway show as an actor), I'd have never met my husband of 23 years. "Dolly Levi" and Jerry Herman once again brought their musical magic to bear, and I'm all the better for it :)

When Jerry Herman & "Dolly Levi" Worked Their Magic Into My Life

‪#‎TBT‬ I got this photo recently from Bruce Blanchard, my HELLO, DOLLY! cast mate from the 1995 Broadway revival. I'd never seen this before.

Back in late 1995, the cast made an appearance with the Tony Award winning composer/lyricist Jerry Herman at a record store (Tower Records I guess?) in support of our Broadway cast recording.

Amazing to see this all these years later. I should add that it was the BCR of HELLO, DOLLY! that introduced me to my husband, Michael. We met at the recording session for the album (he was VP of Marketing & Publicity for the record company that recorded the album) and have been together ever since.

I've often thanked Jerry for that.

Dolly worked her magic yet again :)

Reviews for Charing Cross Theater's DEAR WORLD starring Betty Buckley

Review Round up for the new production of Jerry Herman's "Dear World" at Charing Cross Theatre in the UK:

Michael Billington from the Guardian writes: Betty Buckley, whom I last saw in Promises, Promises half a lifetime ago, lends the heroine the right air of dreamy dottiness, as if still inhabiting the Paris of the Belle Epoque. There is good support from Paul Nicholas as a benevolent sewerman, Peter Land as a leanly rapacious capitalist and Annabel Leventon as a park-bench habitue who hears more voices than Joan of Arc. It is not one of those Broadway failures like Sondheim's Anyone Can Whistle that quickly acquires cult status, but Lynne stylishly evokes a fantasy Paris, and it's hard not to warm to a show that suggests corporate greed and environmental destruction can be actively resisted.

Fourthwall Magazine writes: The score is stupendous from the get-go though. I'd never heard a note of it and could hum you great swathes and that's before I downloaded the original Broadway cast recording this morning; Angela Lansbury stars, bonus! Betty Buckley stars here (double bonus) as a warm and wonderful, cookie Countess Aurelia. There's a moment in Act 2 when the Julian of Stuart Matthew Price (top of his game, again) descends the stars holding a feather boa before role-playing Emile, the lost love of the Countess. I turned to the woman next to me and said, "Wow, what a scene!" I wonder who she was? We're all going mad. She did agree, though.

Giles Cole from whatsonstage.com says: The remarkable Betty Buckley, as Countess Aurelia, presides over the stage with grace, aplomb and sheer Broadway presence, but it is only in the scenes with her fellow 'madwomen' that the show fuses into a true delight. Annabel Leventon and Rebecca Lock are glorious as sisters Constance and Gabrielle, and when these three ladies are onstage, one sits back happily and drinks in the wit, silliness and charm of the piece.

David Nice from theartsdesk.com states: Where it only took Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along 11 years to progress from flop to classic, Dear World has taken 44. Its time has finally come underneath the arches of Charing Cross in the intimate setting Herman always wanted, crowned this time by the supreme grace of Betty Buckley.

Visit charingcrosstheatre.co.uk for ticket information.

Photo by Dominic Maxwell

 

New music: Betty Buckley "Ah Men - the Boys of Broadway"

 
Available today, new music from Tony Award-winning Broadway star Betty Buckley: AH MEN - THE BOYS OF BROADWAY, based on her critically acclaimed concert of the same name.

Like Betty, I'm from Fort Worth, Texas, and we both attended the same high school - although not at the same time.  But in the 1970s - with successes on Broadway and TV already - she made a stop by Arlington Heights High School and spoke to our drama class.  She spoke about acting and then, in an impromptu moment, sang for us unaccompanied.  I was transfixed, and a fan of her voice (and acting) from that moment on.

When I was appearing on Broadway in Hello, Dolly!, Betty was giving her breathtaking performance as "Norma Desmond" in Sunset Boulevard.  During the run of Dolly! many stars came backstage to say 'hello' to Carol Channing.  I'd see them meet her on the stage after the curtain came down after the show as I had to cross the stage from my dressing room to the stage door.  The only time I ever stopped and stuttered a 'hello' to anyone was when Betty Buckley came backstage. It was my chance and I took it. And she was as gracious then as she is today.

I recently discovered that Tennessee Williams admired Betty's work. On the blog "Follies of God," James Grissom shared with his readers that Tennessee had this to say about Betty Buckley:

Her singing voice is a wonderful example of that intercourse that exists only with a singer: When a singer is in possession of a great talent and an honest intensity of purpose, nothing can prevent the relationship between song and singer from taking place, with all of us voyeurs to the consummation.

She owns her material, but she doesn't grasp it so tightly that we can't also share in it, love it, feel to it. I find her a radiantly pure singer.

She helps me to the fog. I feel she belongs to me now.

I recently had the chance to interview Betty about her new CD, her current appearances around the country and her upcoming UK premiere of Jerry Herman's Dear World at Charing Cross Theatre.

You can listen to the interview tomorrow night on The Candi & Randy Show, but here are just a few of Betty's thoughts on the new CD:

• The inspiration for the new CD goes back to her young crush on Russ Tamblyn in the movie of West Side Story: "When I first saw the movie of West Side Story, I was about 14 and I was just in love with Russ Tamblyn who played "Riff."  Everything about him as "Riff" - I thought he was the coolest guy ever.  And it went way beyond a crush.  I wanted to dance like him, walk like him, talk like him.  I wanted to be a Jet."

• Betty had a short list of songs she knew she wanted to sing in this show/CD: "I knew I wanted to sing "I Can See It" from The Fantasticks, I knew I wanted to sing "Hey There" from The Pajama Game, "Corner of the Sky" from Pippin... I knew I wanted to sing "Venice" from Elegies and "Maria" from West Side Story, and I knew I wanted to sing "I Won't Dance."

• When asked if there's a male role in the music theatre catalog she'd like to do, she doesn't hesitate: "I think I could be a really dangerous Sweeney Todd."

• On heading to London to star in the UK premiere of Dear World: "I'm really excited about it.  I've known about this for about a year and a half.   It will be a revised/new version of the show.  It's going to be really beautiful, I think.  I'm really excited."

I reached out to Broadway legend Jerry Herman for his thoughts on Betty starring in the new production and Jerry had this to say:

"Dear World requires a superb singer; Dear World requires a superb actor; and Betty Buckley is both. I so look forward to the London premiere with Gillian Lynne at the helm."

Betty has been appearing across the country singing songs from the new CD.  Find the nearest concert date on her website - www.BettyBuckley.com. 

Lucky for me, she'll be performing at The Smith Center here in Las Vegas November 15-18.  Can't wait to see her sing these great songs.

You can hear the full interview and several of the songs from the new CD by listening tomorrow night on The Candi & Randy Show - 9pmEST/6pmPST.

Check out the new CD on Amazon by clicking here.

Review: La Cage Aux Folles at The Smith Center

The Smith Center's offering of the national touring company of "La Cage Aux Folles" is definitely a must-see theater event for Las Vegas.

Starring George Hamilton and Christopher Sieber with a superb score by master Broadway composer/lyricist Jerry Herman, the opening night audience was treated to a terrific evening that ranged from touching to comic hysteria.

Georges, played by Hamilton, runs a slightly tattered St. Tropez nightclub that's a showcase for female impersonators. The 'star' of the showcase is his husband, Albin, the local star 'Zaza.'

Their domestic life is upset when Georges' son, Jean-Michel, arranges a meet-the-family dinner with his new fiancee and her parents, who are conservative, politically powerful and disapproving.

Hoping to re-write history and avoid embarrassment, Jean-Michel invites his long-absent biological mother to take the place of Albin who raised him, and ask that Albin demote to the role of "Uncle Albert." When Jean-Michel's mother fails to show at the last minute, Albin appears in female garb in an attempt to save the day for all. From there, hilarity and chaos becomes the order of the day.

George Hamilton performs the role of "Georges" with dignity and quiet strength as he tries to maintain balance in his family - his love for his son and his husband. His rendition of "Look Over There" is especially effective as he points out to Jean-Michel the sacrifices Albin has made over the years for his adopted son.  While his primary skill may not be as a singer, he handles his songs with confidence and grace.

However, the evening belongs to Christopher Sieber, whose "Albin/Zaza" is a star-turn that keeps the entire evening spinning. His command of comedy is masterful, and his voice is powerhouse. He knows when to use all these strengths, and when to pull them back. During "The Best Of Times" he subtly but clearly communicates a message of living life "in the now." But it's his powerful and moving "I Am What I Am" that brings the house down at the end of Act One.   Vocally and emotionally, he triumphantly makes a statement for himself and a community.

Praise must also be given to the fantastic men of the ensemble - "The Cagelles" - who deliver at every turn.

Director Terry Johnson and choreographer Lynne Page do an excellent job of bringing Harvey Fierstein's award-winning libretto to life.

It also bears mentioning that Jerry Herman's score is still as winning as the day it won the Tony Award in 1984. "La Cage" remains one of his best. On top of the artful story-telling he brings to the score, his songs leave a message true to a continuous thread of Herman's work: that life is meant to be lived. From "Before The Parade Passes By" from HELLO, DOLLY! to "It's Today" from MAME to "The Best Of Times" from LA CAGE, you leave the theater with a smile and a sense of looking forward.

And the show's message of love and "non-traditional family" resonates even moreso today, in this time of marriage equality acceptance, than it did in the early 1980s.

I give this show 4 stars (out of 4). Go see this show.

The production runs through Sunday night, August 19th at The Smith Center.  Click here for more info.

Christopher Sieber as "Zaza"

George Hamilton and Christopher Sieber - photo by Paul Kolnic

The Cagelles - photo by Paul Kolnik

backstage with Christopher Sieber ("Albin/Zaza") and Christophe Caballero (production dance captain)