Lane Bradbury, who created the role of Dainty June/Baby June in the original Broadway production of opposite Ethel Merman, returns to the New York City stage for two appearances in the coming weeks.
In that musical about how stripper Gypsy Rose Lee came of age in the world of vaudeville, June was Gypsy鈥檚 younger, prettier sister鈥攁 favorite of their mother, Madame Rose. Rose built their acts around June until the day June finally had enough and ran away鈥攍eading Rose to the decision to put her older daughter (originally played by Sandra Church) into the world of burlesque stripping.
On September 17 Bradbury will be a special guest for the monthly Sondheim Unplugged concert at Feinstein鈥檚/54 Below, singing 鈥淏roadway,鈥� a number for June in her Newsboys act that was part of the original production of Gypsy, but was not recorded on the original cast album. The song includes the Stephen Sondheim lyric 鈥淏roadway, Broadway, How great you are/ I鈥檇 leave the farm with all its charm to be a Broadway star!鈥�
On September 24 Bradbury will take audiences on a tour of her career in her solo show Let Me Entertain You, Again, as she journeys from making her debut in Atlanta to making her Broadway debut. Bradbury will do the show at Don鈥檛 Tell Mama nightclub in Manhattan. She described it to 半岛体育 as 鈥渏ust the most fun I鈥檝e ever had.鈥�
Bradbury performed Let Me Entertain You, Again in New York previously, in 2013 and 2015. In those versions she included songs 鈥淕ee, But It's Good to Be Here,鈥� 鈥淐orner of the Sky鈥� and 鈥淎nother Hundred People,鈥� as well as four songs from Gypsy: 鈥淓verything's Coming Up Roses,鈥� 鈥滻f Momma Was Married,鈥� 鈥淟et Me Entertain You,鈥� and 鈥淏roadway.鈥�
Bradbury鈥檚 last Broadway show was Marathon 鈥�33 in 1963. It was written by June Havoc, whose life was the model for Dainty June. After that, Bradbury relocated to California for many years and pursued a career in TV and movies. Her film credits include Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Hawaii, The Barony, and Consenting Adults. Her TV work includes In the Heat of the Night, Kung Fu, The Rockford Files, The Partridge Family, The Waltons, and The Mod Squad.
Bradbury said she was lured back to the East Coast by something she experienced during a visit in 2009. 鈥淚 saw [the Broadway musical] Next to Normal and it turned me upside down. It was an amazing experience, and I found that I just couldn鈥檛 leave the theatre. That鈥檚 when I knew I had to sing again.鈥� She now makes her home in Weehawken, New Jersey, and takes ballet classes and voice lessons in Manhattan. 鈥淚鈥檓 a New Yorker now,鈥� she said.
Let Me Entertain You, Again was written by Doug DeVita and Bradbury鈥檚 daughter Elkin Antoniou, with additional material by Bradbury and musical direction by Jan Roper. The production is directed by Antoniou, who also has a history with Gypsy, having played one of Dainty June鈥檚 Hollywood Blondes in the 1993 Bette Midler TV adaptation of the musical.
Bradbury said she wants to save her Ethel Merman stories for the stage show, but she did say that one of her favorite post-Merman Madame Roses was Tyne Daly, who played the role in the 1989 Broadway revival. 鈥淪he was extraordinary.鈥�
As for seeing other actors play Dainty June, Bradbury said, 鈥淚t鈥檚 really interesting to watch someone else do it. What I don鈥檛 like to see is when it鈥檚 overdone. June is such an over-the-top character that I feel there has to be a reality to her. If you just give me over-the-top, it doesn鈥檛 get me. It doesn't move me.鈥�
Tickets to the September 17 Sondheim Unplugged at Feinstein鈥檚/54 Below cost $40鈥�$70, plus $25 food/drink minimum, and can be ordered .
Tickets to the September 24 Let Me Entertain You, Again at Don鈥檛 Tell Mama cost $20 plus a two-drink minimum, and can be ordered
