I鈥檓 on my balcony at the lovely Anchor Inn in Provincetown, Massachusetts, where I can see the signature Pilgrim Monument (Provincetown is where they landed before Plymouth Rock FYI). I鈥檓 winding down with my Provincetown concerts but still have Beth Leavel coming up on Labor Day weekend and then Krysta Rodriguez September 24. On September 12, I鈥檓 going to do a preview performance of the show I鈥檒l be running this fall called Seth鈥檚 Broadway Breakdown. It鈥檚 a celebration of Broadway coming back filled with my deconstructions. More details later, but for tickets get thee to . If you have never seen one of my deconstructions, a little Dear Evan Hansen
On Stars in the House we have a fun week coming up (with Lindsay Mendez, Derek Klena and Nick Blaemire) September 1 (featuring a matching donation to the Actors Fund from Julia Rhodes) and then a reunion of Jennas to coincide with of Waitress. That will feature Shoshana Bean, Nicolette Robinson, Betsy Wolfe, and Jessie Mueller, who originated the role. You can watch it on our or at StarsintheHouse.com.
Speaking of SITH, we celebrated 1960鈥檚 Broadway with some of the women who were starring in shows back then. We spoke to the incredible Karen Morrow who was fantastic in a string of shows that didn鈥檛 run like The Grass Harp and I Had a Ball. She felt her teeth weren鈥檛 great in the early 鈥�60s. When she鈥檇 do TV shows, she鈥檇 keep her smile contained. Then she paid to get her teeth redone and began smiling with both rows of teeth. Check out this photo from a past Chatterbox. She is proud of what she paid for.
If you鈥檝e never seen her stellar performance in I Had A Ball, please watch . Her voice has such incredible power. It鈥檚 amazing that she gives a stage performance that has to fill a theatre with not only her voice but her physiciality, yet it works amazing in closeups as well. This number will make you filled with joy. P.S. she鈥檚 still annoyed that she didn鈥檛 get to fully take in her applause at the end because Buddy Hackett came out in the middle of it. #Upstage
She always excelled at comedy (she was in the 1970鈥檚 sitcom Tabitha, a sequel to Bewitched) and I found this crazy number she did back in the 鈥�60s . She had no memory of it. It鈥檚 basically a comment on how wide you have to open your mouth to get a big sound (pre-body mics). So surreal and hilarious.
Also on the show was Anita Gillette. Yes, she鈥檚 known for tons of amazing TV game shows and films like Moonstruck, but she began on Broadway. Her first Broadway show, you ask? How about Gypsy鈥颈迟丑 Ethel Merman! She played one of the Hollywood Blondes (and understudied Dainty June) whose first entrance is in Act 2. And that鈥檚 how she got her signature hair color. The other ladies decided she should dye her hair, so during Act 1 when they had nothing to do, they dyed it. She arrived that night at the theatre as a brunette and left as redhead. When she got the job, she didn鈥檛 know she was pregnant. When the powers-that-be found out, they were going to fire her. Instead, her job was saved by the star. Ethel told them 鈥淪o what, she can鈥檛 do the cartwheel anymore. She can do the splits instead. Let her keep the job!鈥� and she stayed in the show.
Her next big gig was understudying Anna Maria Alberghetti in Carnival. A few weeks into rehearsal, Gower Champion, the director called her over. This was their 鈥渃onversation鈥� which was had as he was directing Kaye Ballard. 鈥淗i, Anita. Wait a second, Kaye! You enter from stage left. Anyway, Anita, we don鈥檛 think you look Italian enough for the part you understudy so- Kaye! Cross the entire stage! Anyway, Anita, we鈥檙e going to fire y- Kaye! All the way across鈥搘e鈥檙e going to fire you. Thanks, Anita.鈥� Yes, she was fired, but she was asked to stay in the show until they found a replacement for her. She was, of course, devastated, and wanted to quit right away. Her husband (at the time) told her that the business was often going to be difficult and she was either going to be able to take it or she should leave altogether. So, she decided to stay in the show. Well, they didn鈥檛 want to pay for an audition pianist, so they auditioned her replacements during her understudy rehearsal. Yes, she was in the theatre every week watching other women try out for her role.
Finally, before they found anybody, she got another job. A featured role in The Gay Life understudying Barbara Cook. She gave notice and right after, Anna Maria got sick. During Anita鈥檚 final weekend in the show, she went on and nailed it. Suddenly, they wanted her to stay. Well, she already agreed to the next show and had told Carnival she was leaving. Thus followed a series of late-night phone calls from notoriously boundary-less bully David Merrick. She told us that he would call at 2 AM demanding that she tell Kermit Bloomgarten (the producer of The Gay Life) that she was staying with Carnival.
Anita told me Merrick told her that if she didn鈥檛 come back to his show he would kidnap her baby. She didn鈥檛 believe him and took the other job. Well, later on, Anna Maria had to miss two weeks of the show and they asked Anita to come back and take over the role. Her agent negotiated her name above the title and David Merrick arranged for a photographer to come and take pictures of her on a ladder next to the new Marquee that stated 鈥淎nita Gillette in Carnival.鈥� Well, her agent wasn鈥檛 specific enough. Yes, she got her name above the title, but two weeks later Merrick sent her a bill from a New Jersey sign company for $200. That鈥檚 right, she had to pay for the new marquee. You can read all about his chicanery in the book The Abominable Showman. It鈥檚 fascinating鈥攁nd very reminiscent of a certain ex-government office holder. Merrick would have people do jobs for him, and then, when it came time to pay, he would not pay them anything. Eventually, they would sue him for the money they were owed. Because he was rich and loved lawsuits, he would hold out until they settled鈥sually for half of what he promised to pay them. Back to Anita, back in the 鈥�60s on the Bell Telephone Hour.
And finally, we had the lovely Penny Fuller. I asked about Applause (the musical version of All About Eve) and she told me she auditioned for the role of Eve Harrington but didn鈥檛 get it. Then, while she was in Los Angeles doing a TV pilot, she got a call telling her that the show was doing its out-of-town tryout and they wanted her to replace the woman they cast. She flew to Baltimore, watched the show and realized that they had cast the role too young... the actress didn鈥檛 seem like a believable threat to Margo Channing (played by Lauren Bacall). Penny spent a few days rehearsing and was on that weekend. The show wound up being a huge hit. So much so, that when Bette Davis (the film鈥檚 Margo Channing) wanted to see it, she couldn鈥檛 get a seat. Penny remembers doing the show and hearing a weird jingle-jangle sound offstage. It was so odd. After her scene she found out why: Bette couldn鈥檛 get a seat in the house, so she was watching the show from the wings鈥攁nd the jingle-jangle was her bracelets. Here鈥檚 Penny where Eve shows her true colors.
Peace out and Happy Labor Day weekend!
