Happy almost Hanukkah!

I’m so excited our amazing Hanukkah video just “dropped,” as the kids say. It was put together by the peeps who created Shabbat on Broadway last year (Amanda Lipitz and Henry Tisch). They teamed up with Park Avenue Synaogue’s Cantor Azi Schwartz and the organization I founded called The Jewish Broadway Alliance as well as the fabulous arranger/Music Director David Strickland to create this wonderful mashup of Charles Strouss and Martin Charnin’s “Tomorrow” with the Hanukkah song “Ma-O-Tzur.”

The fun backstory is that Julie Benko had sung a beautiful arrangement of “Tomorrow” at Shabbat on Broadway last year. When Amanda asked me who should sing this new mash-up for the music video, I asked, “Why not Julie Benko?” Amanda told me that Julie was pregnant and the date that was scheduled for filming would be only two weeks after she gave birth, implying there’s no way she’d be able to work that quickly after giving birth. I immediately texted Liz Callaway and asked her when she returned to work giving birth. I knew the answer! Two weeks after Liz had a Cesarean section, she started tech for Miss Saigon. I sent the screen shot to Amanda and she called Julie right away. Julie agreed!

The video came out so great! Take a gander and spread it around. We need some light!

Speaking of Hanukkah, do you remember watching TV back in the day and hearing, “It’s 10 PM. Do you know where your children are?” My new version is, “It’s almost Hanukkah. Have you bought even one gift yet?”

My answer is N-O. People namedrop A.D.D. but it’s a real thing. When I try to do anything in advance, I describe it as trying to walk through wet sand. It’s arduous. However, I’m super comfortable doing things the last minute, even though it’s really stressful. The fun part is it’s a nightmare either way!

I must say, though, I usually complete whatever I need to get done, even if it’s right up to the bitter end of my deadline. There are very few times I can remember that I didn’t really get it together…however, amazingly, one of them was filmed!

I used to do a reality show online, and the very first episode was about a concert I was putting together with Andréa Burns, Titus Burgess, and Ana Gasteyer. I remember being in a total panic because I hadn’t printed out any music. In fairness to me, it was also the very first day of Disaster! rehearsal. Like, literally the first. Before the show was on Broadway (at The Nederlander), Off-Broadway (at St. Luke’s), Off-Off Broadway (at The Triad) we did it as a one-night benefit for Only Make Believe, this wonderful organization that brings theater to hospitalized children. I had that benefit the same night as day one of rehearsal and I was even more scattered than usual. The “fun” thing is it was caught on camera! 

Here’s the episode!

There have been a slew of benefits and award ceremonies over the past few weeks, and I want to mention some. The Theater Development Fund (TDF) very kindly honored me and James (my husband!) with an award for the humanitarian work we do. It was a great ceremony that was held in the morning, so it came with a delish breakfast. 

Laura Benanti agreed to present us with the award, and she was fantastic, as per usual. And she was super-funny. I’m so thankful that Laura always credits me with being one of the first people who knew she was funny! And, related to that, I just posted this video where she deconstructs how she came up with one of my favorite comedy moments from Gypsy. 

Take a gander!

In the video, she talks about Louise’s “sass.” Laura herself sassed me during the TDF awards ceremony. 

After she introduced us, I thanked TDF for creating TKTS, which is the discount ticket booth in Duffy Square. I mentioned that I would always go there every weekend with my dad when I was in high school. I also mentioned that it was the early ‘80s when Broadway was a clunkfest. Basically, the only show was snooze-y Brigadoon. 

Suddenly, Laura was next to me, took the microphone and said, matter-of-factly, “My dad was the star of Brigadoon.” Busted! 

However, I stand by my statement. That show has the effect of Sominex on me. Of course, I will also say, Laura’s dad is fantastic! If you don’t know, his name is Martin Vidnovic and he has one of the greatest voices ever on Broadway. Here he is with fabulous co-star Meg Bussert in the aforementioned Brigadoon. They are in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade singing alongside what else but the Loch Ness Monster. #WhatThe?

The big award show I did was last week’s Red Bucket Follies. I hosted it for the 12th (I think?) year in the row and it was thrilling as usual. Sadly, it was Tom Viola’s final show because he is retiring as the head of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. He gave a beautiful goodbye speech and told us the advice his therapist friend gave him years ago.

Tom confided that he was overwhelmed by how much need there was and he wasn’t sure if Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS would be able to help enough. His friend gave him four phrases and advised Tom to write them down and carry them everywhere. Tom did and, all these years later, he then took them out of his pocket and read them to us:

• Begin where you are
• Do what you can with grace
• Move forward in faith
• Ask for help

They were so inspiring to hear! I was so moved. Of course, typical me, my reaction then turned to annoyance and when I came back onstage, I glared and said, “Now he tells us?” Seriously, man! I could have used that advice years ago!

Anyhoo, Tom has done such an incredible job leading BC/EFA through the horrific early years of AIDS crisis as well as making an incredible imprint helping in so many other areas. BC/EFA grants millions to The Phyllis Newman’s Women’s Health Initiative, The Actors Fund, and, of course, makes emergency grants to help after disasters like Hurricane Katrina, the earthquake in Haiti, and so many more.

P.S. If you’re like me, and you still haven’t gotten holiday gifts, the BC/EFA website has so many! Every year, they make an ornament with a famous actor in costume as their classic role. This year, the ornament is Betty Buckley as Grizabella from Cats.

This year at the Red Bucket Follies, we had the star of the ornament make an appearance. I showed the audience the ornament and then Betty came out onstage, to rapturous applause!

You can buy the ornament and check out all BC/EFA’s amazing gifts here.

After Betty and I chatted, I had them pull up the curtain behind us. I just happened to have a piano there so I could play “Memory” for her. She sang that whole thing, in full character, and the audience flipped out. Afterwards, Christopher Sieber, who was backstage, was commenting to me about the complete silence in the theatre as Betty sang. Brava!

P.S. If you don’t the story about her getting the part of Grizabella, I will give you a truncated version. Starting in 1969, Betty had done 1776 and Pippin on Broadway (and Promises, Promises in London) and, in the late 1970s, she got cast as the stepmom in Eight Is Enough, a role that was beloved amongst TV viewers for years.

Well, speaking of years, when the show ended, she felt that all her peers had stayed on Broadway and performed their signature roles, but because she was contracted to her TV show, she missed out on creating hers. So, when Cats was in auditions, she told me that they were looking at many women, but Betty felt that this was going to be her role. When she got to the callback, Trevor Nunn, the director, had her sing “Memory” again and again (this was confirmed by Terrence Mann who was in the wings, waiting for his call back!).

Finally, Betty finished the audition, but she didn’t think she had been cast. She went to Trevor (even though she was super-intimidated by the RSC director) and said calmly, “I know there are many women who can sing the part as well as I can. But there aren’t any who can sing it better. And…it’s my turn!” By her “turn,” she meant that she was at the point in her career where it was her turn to have a signature role. 

Trevor must have agreed because she did indeed get the gig. The theatre community must have agreed as well because she also wound up winning the Tony Award. Here is her incredible performance on the Tony Award telecast. Note how she has to go from a low squat to standing right before her, “Touch me!”

And that brilliant performance is why, when I was wrote the Tony Award opening number for the 1998 Tony Awards, I insisted she be one of the three “divas” featured! It was thrilling to feature her singing what was, by then, her signature song, alongside Patti LuPone and Jennifer Holliday. Watch!

Speaking of divas, I have a new show called Divas by The Decade, where I inside scoop and deconstruct all the divas that made Broadway the greatest place in the world. I’m doing it in Raleigh, North Carolina and at Myron’s in Las Vegas.

And, speaking of divas again, I just got booked to do my concert with Jessie Mueller in Chicago at the Studebaker Theater! Check out my website for deets.

And finally, hearkening back to BC/EFA ornaments, here’s a deconstruction I did of Evita when that year’s ornament was Patti LuPone.

Enjoy and peace out!