Category: Uncategorized

"Anyone Can Whistle" at Encores


I would like to call for a coronation in New York City. I don’t know if there are any statutes in the NY government that allow for such activity, or even whether her colleagues would appreciate my hubris, but if there is anyone who deserves to be crowned the Queen of Musical Comedy (at least this year) it is Donna Murphy, who experienced another in a series of career triumphs in this weekend’s Encores! revival of Anyone Can Whistle. If you missed her performance, I am legitimately sorry for you because it was the most scrumptious, delectable, laugh-out-loud hilarious musical comedy performance I’ve seen in the last several years.

Lusty, shallow, greedy, neurotic and deliriously oblivious, Murphy sashays through the evening like a Vegas nightclub diva, complete with a quartet of male dancers who follow her everywhere she goes. Her voice is in exceptional form and each one of her numbers was a pure knockout. Every nuance in her delivery, her physical movement, even the way she pronounces her own last name is enough to bust a gut. Her physicality is fearless, brash and just about the greatest thing since sliced bread. Every moment she is onstage you can’t help but watch her – she’s not only funny, but fascinating.

Murphy, coiffed by Gregg Barnes in an homage to the role’s originator Angela Lansbury (who insisted she play the part), is so winning that she would win every theatre award in sight were she eligible. It’s even more impressive when you think of her career trajectory: the bleak, depressive Fosca in Passion, the prim Mrs. Anna in The King and I, Ruth Sherwood in Wonderful Town and Phyllis in Follies. There are not many actresses with such extensive range and ability.

It bears mentioning that Ms. Murphy is not onstage alone. Sutton Foster is lots of fun as a Fay Apple, the uptight pragmatic nurse who can only let down her guard when dolled up like a French tart. She brings that now trademark belt to “There Won’t Be Trumpets” and offered a touching rendition of the title song. Raul Esparza flits around wildly as Hapgood, the would-be doctor who is actually a patient running the asylum. Edward Hibbert, Jeff Blumenkrantz and John Ellison Conlee provide enormous comic support as ‘Hoovah-Hoopah’s’ sidekicks, partners in crime (and possibly some more unmentionable extra-curricular activities).

This legendary flop played nine performances at the Majestic in 1964, an overreaching satire about a bankrupt city whose corrupt mayoress (and minions) concoct a phony miracle in order to capitalize on it. I won’t get too far into the plot as, well, with this show it doesn’t particularly matter. Laurents’ libretto is a meandering mess that tries too hard to lampoon everything imaginable. It seems that by trying to make the show all about everything that the creators inadvertently made it about nothing. David Ives made judicious cuts to the book, but to little avail: the piece as a whole is still unworkable and unsalvageable.

But there is still that score. Goddard Lieberson had the foresight to record the score in spite of the show’s closing. Sondheim, at this point, was primarily known as a lyricist and whose only Broadway composing credit was the smash hit A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. It was in Anyone Can Whistle that Broadway had its first taste of the Sondheim style and sound, which would revolutionize the genre in 1970’s Company. The album turned the show into a cult favorite, keeping Sondheim’s music and lyrics alive.

In honor of the composer’s 80th birthday, Encores! offers the rare NY revival and it is highly doubtful this production could be bettered. Director-choreographer Casey Nicholaw, also responsible for the memorable Encores! concert of Follies three years ago, has staged the piece with winning originality, especially in the subtitled bedroom scene. His dances are especially polished. They culminate in a showstopping climax with the “Cookie Chase,” a comic ballet complete with butterfly nets and tumbles. It’s a zany, absurd piece that simultaneous recalls the Keystone Cops and Tchaikowsky and is utterly ingenious, and an homage to the work of Herbert Ross, the original choreographer.

This is one of the best I’ve seen at the City Center. However, if producers are thinking of transferring this one, I don’t think that would be a wise move. It’s unlikely that we’ll ever see a commercial production that could make the show work or make it as fun as this one. But this is the ideal Encores! experience: a show that wouldn’t ordinarily be revived. This one will be best remembered for its triumphant weekend. Let’s hope next season can produce such a winner. Now I just wonder who’ll we have to see about getting Donna Murphy onstage in that other Lansbury star vehicle, Mame.

Dixie Carter (1939-2010)


Dixie Carter, the actress/singer who epitomized Southern class and elegance on TV’s Designing Women, has died at the age of 70. The cause of death was endometrial cancer.

While most famous for her television work, Carter also had an extensive stage and cabaret career. Carter was born in McLemoresville, Tennessee. A lyric soprano, Carter had originally dreamed of being an opera singer until a botched tonsillectomy in her childhood changed that. She received a degree in English at the University of Memphis and was also a runner-up in the Miss Tennessee pageant of 1959. It was in Memphis that she appeared in her first professional production, a revival of Carousel.

Carter made her Broadway debut in the short-lived Sextet in 1974. She played Melba, the reporter show sings “Zip” in the 1976 revival of Pal Joey (she would later play Vera in a production in LA in the early 90s, with Elaine Stritch as Melba). More recently, she was a notable replacement as Maria Callas in Master Class and as Mrs. Meers in Thoroughly Modern Millie. Off-Broadway, she received a Theatre World Award in 1975 for Jesse and the Bandit Queen and was nominated for a Featured Actress Drama Desk Award in 1979 for Fathers and Sons. Regional credits ran the gamut from Tennessee Williams to Shaw to Rodgers and Hammerstein. She was scheduled to appear at the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C. this summer in a production of Mrs. Warren’s Profession.

It is for her extensive television credits that she is became most well known. She had recurring roles on Filthy Rich, Diff’rent Strokes, Family Law and more recently on Desperate Housewives. However, it is her performance as the erudite interior designer Julia Sugarbaker in Designing Women for which she is best remembered. The series ran seven seasons on CBS and was immensely popular for its depiction of four southern friends living and working in and around Atlanta, Ga. Carter’s characterization became immensely popular for her “tirades,” in which the mild-mannered Julia got fired up over something she perceived to be an injustice or which offended her liberal feminist sensibility.

In reality, Carter was actually a libertarian Republican. She struck a deal with Designing Women’s creator and friend Linda Bloodworth-Thomason. For each tirade, she was given an opportunity to sing. The material ran the gamut from Schubert’s “Ave Maria” to “Bosom Buddies” from Mame, among many other memorable musical moments in the series’ run.

Carter is survived by her husband of 26 years, Hal Holbrook as well as her daughters Mary Dixie and Ginna from her first marriage to Arthur Carter. She was also briefly married to George Hearn.

My introduction to Dixie came from reruns of Diff’rent Strokes, where she spent one season as the fitness instructor who married Mr. Drummond. It wasn’t until many years later that I saw her on reruns on Designing Women as well as other appearances. She was always a welcome presence on television, whether she was acting or singing, and was always a class act. Here is what is probably the most popular of the many tirades given on Designing Women, “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia:”

Sandy Duncan is Peter Pan


There have been three major performers who have played the title role in the 1954 musical adaptation of Peter Pan on Broadway. The original and most iconic was Mary Martin, who won a Tony for it and famously played the part on TV three times. Twice it was presented live (and kinescopes exist), but the third was taped in color in 1960 for future broadcasts which forever cemented the show’s (and Martin’s) popularity. Then in the 1990s, gymnast Cathy Rigby played the role in four separate Broadway engagements (earning a Tony nod for the first time out in 1991), took the show on numerous tours and also preserved her version for TV.

In between these two, there was a major Broadway revival in 1979. Sandy Duncan played the title role, with George Rose as Captain Hook. The show played the Lunt-Fontanne for 554 performances making it the longest Broadway production of this vehicle (to be fair, the other four engagements were all limited).

Duncan was immensely popular in the show, but unlike her predecessor and successor, she didn’t get a TV version nor did she get a cast album. (However, like the other ladies, she was nominated for a Tony). Perusing the Youtube, I discovered some video clips of Duncan in the part, easily the best dancer of the three ladies to have had a turn at this show. Enjoy:

Appropriately, Mary Martin introduces Duncan in “Neverland” on the 1982 TV special “Night of a 100 Stars:”

An Omnibus TV special taped live during a performance at the Lunt-Fontanne presented “I’m Flying.” It’s really incredible to see the effect the show can have on children, and just how enthusiastic they get into the show especially when Peter is flying.

The cast performed “Ugg-A-Wugg” on the 1979 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Robert Iscove directed and choreographed. Note Sandy Duncan’s high kicks:

Catching Up – Fela! & Yank!

Both shows are completely different but they are two of the most important musicals to open this season and attention must be paid, especially from yours truly.

I don’t quite know how to start with Fela! The new musical is unlike anything I’ve ever seen, and that’s a good thing. The show is a fascinating, riveting and very infectious entertainment that uses the life story of Fela and his music to showcase his impressive achievements as a musician and activist.

The Eugene O’Neill Theatre has been transformed into his nightclub. The premise: it’s Fela’s last performance before leaving his country in the wake of military dictatorship and the oppression of civil rights. Lights are strung throughout the audience area, there are artifacts and pictures on the wall, recalling the ancestors of those who have long since passed on. Afrobeat is piping in overhead, and slowly the band makes its way to the stage and suddenly the music is live and no longer canned.

The title role is the entire show. He carries the evening from start to finish on his shoulders, talking, singing, dancing and playing the saxophone. It’s little wonder that the role is split between two actors, Sahr Ngaujah (who originated the role off-Broadway) and Kevin Mambo (whom I saw and enjoyed).

Bill T. Jones’ choreography is some of the most impressive I’ve seen in recent seasons. The energy level and athleticism is unlikely to be forgotten. The book consists mostly of Fela telling us about himself. It gets a bit tedious, The majority of the evening is spent in monologues. Only Lillias White (who, equally impressive as Fela’s activist mother, blasts the roof off the theatre with an eleventh hour appearance) and the delicious Saycon Sengbloh have lines, and are clearly supporting parts. No one else in the ensemble has any lines, but given the nature of the choreography I doubt they’d have the breath to get out any words. But it’s more than just the words and the music. It’s more the unspoken energy and the impact the show can have on audiences. It’s not very often you see the tired businessman on his feet dancing without reservation. You’re more like to see this wave of energy at Fela! than even over at Hair.

Musical doesn’t seem quite the perfect word to describe Fela!, but it really is the most appropriate for the experience. I knew absolutely nothing about Fela Kuti going into the show, and made it a point to avoid research because I felt like going into the show knowing as little as possible. The result fascinated me, and I can tell you I am now in the possession of several Kuti albums and have read far much more about the activist/singer than I thought possible. Would I take in Fela! again? In a heart beat.

Yank! has been gestating off-off Broadway and in fringe circuits for several years. Written by the Zellnick brothers (Joe and David), the tuner is a throwback to the Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals of the Golden Age. I’ve seen some comparisons to South Pacific and while the parallels are obvious, structurally the show owes more to Oklahoma! right down to its eleventh hour dream ballet.

The musical is a love story between two soldiers from WWII who find themselves forced to keep their romance a secret. The show succeeds for the most part. It’s a fascinating look into a subculture of the Second World War that doesn’t get as much attention as other historical events. It’s mostly engaging with a tuneful score, though the company number numbers and pastiches are surprisingly far more memorable than the material sung by the leads. There are some aspects of the libretto that could use some ironing out. The show runs a bit too long, and the flashback device (the show starts with a contemporary kid finding a journal in a junk shop) doesn’t work. Also, some of the set-ups to certain musical numbers recall more Rodgers & Hart than Rodgers & Hammerstein. The dream ballet isn’t terrible, but it isn’t terribly exciting either and seems out of place in the eleven o’clock spot.

The cast is mostly excellent with Bobby Steggert especially memorable as Stu, the young and impressionable gay soldier. Fresh from his turn in Ragtime, Steggert is on a winning career path and it will be interesting to see where he ends up next. Ivan Hernandez is quite formidable as Mitch, the seemingly macho heterosexual with whom Stu falls in love. The ensemble is a sort of take-off of that Battleground cliche: different backgrounds, ethnicities, etc. (But did we need another homophobic, possibly racist redneck to wreak havoc? It would be more interesting if they set that up to be one of the more likable buddies who is placed in that situation).

The production’s greatest asset is actually its leading lady. Nancy Anderson embodies every single woman in the show, from Stu’s mother to a sympathetic lesbian Army officer. Anderson gets the chance to parade out in the best costumes (well, it is about the military…) shining in diegetic pastiche numbers that comment on the action. One of the funniest moments of the entire evening is her spot-on turn in a black and white WWII era film, a sort of operetta spin on So Proudly We Hail.

Jeffrey Denman’s tap-heavy choreography is clever (especially in “Click”), but for the most part feels repetitious, save for the aforementioned dream ballet. The show is moving on from the York Theatre Company and is now slated for a Broadway berth this fall. The show thrives on its intimacy and the smaller the house the better.

In the wake of the current DADT controversy, the creators have written what has turned out to be a timely musical. With some more work, they can make it timeless.

"Lend Me a Tenor"


Leaving the Music Box Theatre after seeing the infectious new revival of Lend Me a Tenor, I found myself unable to stop humming “La Donna è Mobile,” the famed aria from Rigoletto. No matter what I did or what song I played, it remained at the back of mind – buoyant, effervescent and melodic. The aria is heard as the house lights go down and curtain comes up on Ken Ludwig’s popular farce, instantly grabbing you and immersing you into the roller coaster ride of sidesplitting comedy about to enfold onstage. Like that aria, this new production sings out with gusto that will leave you buoyant, effervescent and smiling long after you have left the theatre.

The original production was a big hit in 1989. Starring Victor Garber, Tovah Feldshuh, and Tony-winning Phil Bosco, it ran for over a year and instantly became a staple in stock and community productions. (Its world premiere was in London in 1986). The plot in brief: the Cleveland Grand Opera is expecting a world-renowned Italian tenor for their gala. When he becomes indisposed, hijinks, misunderstandings and a hell of a lot of door slamming ensues. As a farce, the play itself is merely good, not great. Ludwig’s text as a whole feels more like a rough draft of a greater comedy that has yet to be realized. There are some missed opportunities (especially with the Bellhop, who should have more to do) and its ending seems somewhat abrupt and rushed. However, this production is so laugh out loud hilarious and features a top notch ensemble of actors, that it’s incredibly easy to both forget and forgive the shortcomings of its writing.

Anthony LaPaglia shines as Tito, the egomaniacal tenor in question whose propensity for women and booze causes most of the evening’s chaos, and is especially memorable for the fearlessness of his physicality, particularly in the scene where he gives the impressionable would-be tenor Max a lesson in voice and relaxation. It must be seen for full effect. Tony Shalhoub is in full cigar-chomping mode as the temperamental producer Sanders. Jay Klaitz is a comic revelation as the endearing Bellhop (and operaphile). Movie star Justin Bartha makes an impressive Broadway debut as the nebbishy Max, who vacillates between the sadsack producer’s assistant and confident opera diva when masquerading as Tito with considerable aplomb.

Mary Catherine Garrison winningly proves that ingenues have dirty dreams as Saunders’ daughter and Max’s girlfriend, and whose scream in the second act is one of the funniest moments I’ve seen on this or any other stage. The ever-reliable Jennifer Laura Thompson, always a welcome presence, taps into her quirky comic skills as the seductively ambitious diva Diana. Brooke Adams is far too striking to convince as a dowdy, past-her-prime matron, but the actress – mercilessly decked out like the Chrysler building – scores some big laughs.

Jan Maxwell effortlessly walks away with the entire evening as Maria, Tito’s fiery, jealous wife. Maxwell, who was last seen giving a bravura star turn in the shimmering revival of The Royal Family, hits another home run as she rages, seethes and breaks down with an exaggerated Italian accent. Whenever she is onstage she is in total command, somehow maintaining her character’s elegance in spite of her antics. She brought the first act to a crashing halt by merely hissing. After the disappointments of To Be or Not to Be and Coram Boy (which deserved to be a hit), it is especially welcoming to see Maxwell having such a banner season. Ms. Maxwell is one of the unquestionable treasures of the NY theatre scene, equally adept in both plays and musicals. If there is a God, Maxwell should be nominated for a Tony (for this and The Royal Family) – and she should win.

Then, of course, there is the director. Stanley Tucci, in his first Broadway directing gig, is as gifted a director as he is actor. His task is not an easy one; staging a successful farce is incredibly difficult as it involves laser-sharp timing from the loudest door slam to the tiniest gesture. His work here is infectious and inventive, bringing lightning pace and visual gigs, but also a certain touch of humanity that wouldn’t normally seem possible in pure farce. Tucci’s directorial touch is solid 14 karat gold. Anyone sitting center orchestra should also watch out for flying objects – all spit takes and such gags are directed out at the audience, a rather zany, inspired touch from a genius actor turned director.

John Lee Beatty’s sumptuous set captures the elegance of a posh hotel suite in the 30s, so vividly realized its as though a penthouse was cut in half and placed onstage. Martin Pakledinaz has once again outdone himself with his period costumes. His eye-popping outfits worn by his leading ladies are especially memorable (the image of Jan Maxwell casting off her fur-lined wrap is a vivid image that will aways stick with me).

Lend Me a Tenor is undoubtedly the hit comedy of the season, and the funniest thing this side of The Norman Conquests. I look forward to making another visit, especially to revel in the genius of Ms. Maxwell, but also in appreciation of Mr. Tucci’s immense achievement. Oh – and for that tour de force curtain call, which is worth the price of admission alone.

How Donna Murphy Got Cora Hoover Hooper

Playbill’s Andrew Gans talks to Donna Murphy on her relationship with Sondheim and her upcoming role as the Mayoress in Encores! Anyone Can Whistle. The following is an excerpt on how she got the part:

‘Murphy is now getting ready to tackle her latest Sondheim role, Mayor Cora Hoover Hooper in the upcoming Encores! production of the short-lived Sondheim-Arthur Laurents musical Anyone Can Whistle, which co-stars Tony winner Sutton Foster and Tony nominee Raul Esparza. It was another multiple Tony winner, however, who Murphy says helped get her the gig: Angela Lansbury, who starred in the original production of Whistle.

“This year [the Drama League was] lucky enough to be honoring [Lansbury], and I was asked by Michael Mayer to learn and sing [Anyone Can Whistle’s] ‘Me and My Town.’ I’d only heard that song once before, and I thought, ‘Oh, what a great song!,’ and I said, ‘Yeah! Yeah!’ . . . I had such a good time, and that night [Lansbury] came up to me afterwards and kind of took me by the shoulders and she said, ‘Have they called you?’ And I said, ‘Who?’ And she said, ‘Encores! Have they called you?’ And I said, ‘No.’ And she said, ‘Why aren’t you doing it?’ And I said, ‘Well, I haven’t been asked.’ She said, ‘I’m calling them! I’m calling them!’ And, it was incredibly flattering, but it was also one of those situations where I [didn’t] know what’s going on [with the casting]. It certainly was on my radar that they were doing this show because any time that there’s a Sondheim show happening, my ears prick up and I’m like, ‘Is there something in it for me?,'” she laughs.’

Does this mean Angie is entitled to ten percent…?

Masterworks Broadway


April Fool’s Day annoys me. Mostly it’s because everyone thinks they’re suddenly writing for The Onion and inundate the interwebs and my email box with attempts to “get me.” As a result, I tend to skip out new on this particular day – both real and faux, just because I prefer the facts (and not to be sallied with countless fake information, etc). However, that said, there is something wonderful happening today – Sony Masterworks is celebrating the launch of the Masterworks Broadway website. I first got wind of the new site a couple months ago and being the musical theatre geek, I immediately signed up for an account. (Come join me!)

The website has been dubbed “Where Show Tunes Take Center Stage” and they are not wrong. A few years ago, due to some corporate blah blah blah, Sony founds itself with both its own Columbia Masterworks catalogue as well as RCA’s. The consolidation brought about the new Masterworks Broadway label in 2006. The new catalogue will eventually feature 400 cast albums (about 275 are already available) and the productions represented have acquired 265 Tony awards, 450 Tony nominations and 27 Grammy Awards. Not too shabby.

Now, to celebrate and to bring it into the era of social media, they’ve decided to create a place for showtune lovers to gather. The aim of the website is to “document the history of the cast album from Finian’s Rainbow (even if Columbia’s first cast album was the 1946 revival of Show Boat, but that’s neither here nor there) to last year’s revival of West Side Story.“

The site allows the individual to establish an account, friend other album enthusiasts as well as browse through the catalog. Masterworks has planned that every single cast album under its label will eventually be released digitally. Some of the more famous titles: Annie, My Fair Lady, Sweeney Todd, Mame, Hello Dolly!, The Producers, A Little Night Music, The Sound of Music, Gypsy, among many many others. But now, many albums that are long out of print or have been hitherto now only available on LP will now be introduced to an entirely new generation of theatregoers (and as one who has collected many obscure LP cast albums, and has had many of them ripped to mp3 use I approve wholeheartedly).

They are continuing to build the site, with more albums to be added. A streaming radio of continuous Broadway musical is up and running. My pal Peter Filichia, who writes for Theatremania, is now hosting a new blog every Tuesday. There are also podcasts, including one recorded for the release of Stephen Sondheim collection The Story So Far and another on the 50th anniversary of The Sound of Music last year. Each recording has its own page and readers can rate, review, and purchase the albums through amazon or itunes. There is of course the obligatory message board forum for folks to rehash the perennial “Merman or Lansbury” debate.

In celebration of the site’s official launch, there will be a giveaway every day in the “You Gotta Get a Gimmick” sweepstakes. Some of the prizes include: A trip for two to NYC to see a Broadway show, the entire Masterworks Broadway catalog (over 275 CDs!), signed copies of Kristin Chenoweth’s memoir A Little Bit Wicked as well as her latest CD A Lovely Way To Spend Christmas, and a rare framed pigment print of Gwen Verdon from the Sony Music archives/ICON Collectibles. Every Tuesday and Friday the site will feature a prize related to the work of Jerry Herman and Stephen Sondheim respectively, including an autographed CD collection of their works. New prizes will continue to be announced throughout the month. Visitors can enter the daily drawing by visiting the site and signing up for free membership.

June Havoc (1912-2010)

The musical was named after her sister and it was about her mother. But it’s impossible to forget Baby June, dancing on point to those hokey routines thought up by her mother, the formidable Madame Rose. June Havoc, the real-life counterpart to that character is probably best known to contemporary audiences through this fictionalized depiction of her in the iconic Gypsy. The musical itself – one of the greatest ever written – is “suggested” by her sister, Gypsy Rose Lee’s memoirs and dubbed “A Musical Fable” by librettist Arthur Laurents because of the show’s skeletal resemblance to the truth. (Laurents also wrote in his memoirs that the former ecdysiast was “allergic to the truth”).

Their lives were the stuff of legend – especially of their mother’s ruthless attempts to commandeer her children into show business (along with the forged birth certificates, their gypsy-like existence and even of Rose killing someone at her boarding house). If we were to compile the story from all three, we’d probably end up with Rashomon with spangles.

However, Havoc maintained successful career as an actress, comedienne, singer, dancer, author and director. In the musical, June elopes with Tulsa (in reality, his name was Bobby Reed) and the story shifts focus to Rose’s attempts to turn the lesser talented Louise into a star. That’s the last you see of her, though there is a vague reference in the climactic dressing room scene where Gypsy says, “June’s the actress, Mother.” But that’s it. June was far from thrilled with the way the musical portrayed her and her mother, and it led to long-standing rift between her and her sister (They reconciled when Gypsy was diagnosed with lung cancer. She died in 1970).

Both daughters had fascinating lives. Gypsy went on to become the highest paid star of Minsky’s and launched a career as a personality that resulted in books, plays, films, and her own TV show. Havoc had to work harder, struggling as a vaudevillian (and later single mother) during the Depression before a major break came on Broadway in the original cast of Pal Joey. She took herself to Hollywood where she appeared in the 1942 film version of My Sister Eileen, Hello Frisco Hello and her most notable role, Gentleman’s Agreement (as Gregory Peck’s Jewish secretary passing for Gentile). The time she spent as a marathon dancer led to her writing Marathon ’33 a short-lived but critically acclaimed play starring Julie Harris that brought Havoc a Tony nomination for her direction. Later notable appearances on Broadway included Dinner at Eight and as the last Miss Hannigan in Annie. In the 1980s, she toured as Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd and also in her own one woman show (amusingly called An Unexpected Evening with June Havoc).


Their mother, the indomitable Rose Hovick died of cancer in 1954, at which point both daughters felt they could finally write their memoirs (avoiding what would have been an inevitable lawsuit from Mama). Gypsy’s was published first in 1957 and the rest on that front is history. However, Early Havoc was released in 1959, followed by More Havoc in 1980 – two books that I am seeking out myself because I am really interested to know June’s side of the story. The first time I really saw Havoc was on TV in various interviews, most notably her contributions to Rick McKay’s essential documentary Broadway: The Golden Age. I’ve always felt that Gypsy was always in “Gypsy mode -upholding a persona. Whereas June is the opposite, always genuine and warm with parts of her performing self seeping through. There was one particular moment in Life After Tomorrow in which a camera backstage after the closing of Annie captured Havoc warmly consoling a particularly distraught young girl.


Havoc spent most of her remaining years living in Connecticut. Havoc’s good mental and physical health kept her active and energetic for many, many years. In 2003, an off-off Broadway house on 36th Street was dedicated to her. She was one of the last links we have to the era of vaudeville and burlesque, not to mention pre-Rodgers and Hammerstein musical theatre). June is survived by her nephew Erik Lee Preminger. Her daughter, the former actress April Kent, died in 1998.

The following is an outtake from Broadway: The Golden Age in which Havoc talks about her audition experience with Pal Joey, most appropriate titled “That’s Show Business.” Enjoy.

Stage Door Johnny

The show was Noises Off. I had entered a mall contest expecting nothing. Much to my surprise, I won 2 orchestra seats for the farce during the last week of performances for its original cast. Patti LuPone, Peter Gallagher, Faith Prince and Richard Easton were headlining. The cast also included T.R. Knight and Robin Weigart before television made them household names. Oh, and the ever-reliable Edward Hibbert was on hand to droll things up. The critics showered the production and its cast with lots of love and the show was a nice comic hit.

However, there was one particular cast member who managed to walk away with the show. Katie Finneran took home a Tony that year as Brooke Ashton, the slow-on-the-uptake blonde bombshell who wreaks havoc with the worst fitting contact lenses known to man.

A friend and mentor regaled me for years of stories of waiting at the stage door: be it the St. James stage door to meet Ginger Rogers after Hello, Dolly! or the Martin Beck just to get a glimpse of Elizabeth Taylor after The Little Foxes. Well, frankly I grew curious about the experience. I decided that Noises Off would be my first attempt at this long-standing theatre tradition. I made sure to bring a sharpie and eagerly waited outside the Brooks Atkinson with my friend.  There is this ebb-and-flow sense of anticipation that arises every time the door opens. Much to our surprise, we were there the night Neil Patrick Harris was visiting backstage and that threw us for a loop.

Lo and behold, the first actor in the cast to emerge was Ms. Finneran. There weren’t many of us waiting around. It was a Tuesday night and there couldn’t have been more than 20 people milling around. This wasn’t one of those shows where a barricade was necessary. I was standing right by the door and stepped up to her. She then greeted me with a beaming smile. Staggered by her effusive warmth (and those strikingly beautiful eyes), I told her how much I appreciated her performance and  asked if she would sign my Playbill.

Amiable and lovely, she agrees. She goes to sign with my sharpie, and lo and behold it didn’t work. “Ooh, we got a clunker!” she said as she tried to make it write. It wouldn’t. Then she asked around to other theatre patrons milling around if they had a pen she could borrow. They all looked at her nonplussed, as though they hadn’t just seen her in the play. Then, in a moment which I shall never forget, she looks me straight in the eye with determination and says “Hang on.” She then took off her backpack and knelt on the sidewalk in front of me rummaging through her things. I’m standing there not knowing what to do, somewhat panicked as this was all new to me, thinking to myself “There is a Tony-award winner kneeling on sidewalk just for me.”

When her bag failed to produce an implement (this was before the current era where I literally keep 20 or more pens on me), she turned to some suit – it might have been her agent or a producer, whatever, and asks if he has something she can use. He does. She signs for me and chats a bit more with me about the show, about what it was like to win a Tony (something that still seemed to take her breath away) and anything else I can’t remember.

The only other signature I got that evening was from Peter Gallagher, the last to emerge, but the most energetic. He seemed genuinely interested in every single person hanging around, took time made eye contact and that was when my star-struck stammer finally hit, and mostly a result of absorbing the entire experience of all these actors milling about.

I don’t do the stage door experience any more as after a couple years I realized it wasn’t really my thing. But I fondly recall that hot July evening: all I can see is the gorgeous Katie Finneran smiling up at me from the sidewalk. I’ve remained a fan ever since, and am looking forward to seeing her again in Promises Promises (where she’s playing another choice supporting role that will put her on the Tony radar yet again). And, oh yes, I’m still smitten.