Whatever Happened to? (broadway folk of the 80s and before)- Page 4

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 11/23/04 at 9:47am

About Jere Shea and the "Damn Yankees" revival--from what I remember, he was offered both Giorgio and Joe Hardy at the same time, and since he obviously couldn't do both, he had to choose. I guess he decided it would be better to originate a Sondheim role than do a revival of another show.

As for winning the Tony, playing a "Tony Award winning role" doesn't mean anything. Although it's hard to win a Tony without a meaty role, we'll never know if Jere Shea would have been as good as Jarrod Emick was (or if he would have been even better). But thank you for posting about him! I was actually quite curious what had happened to him.

[emonkeygirl]

Posted: 11/23/04 at 9:52am

Camille Saviola was also recently (1-2 years ago) in a production of Lorca's "House of Bernarda Alba" with Chita Rivera in L.A. It was wonderful...

[cabarethed]

Posted: 11/23/04 at 10:16am

I saw Liz Larson as Columbia in Rocky Horror.

[MusicMan]

Posted: 11/23/04 at 3:15pm

Isn't Meg Bussert teaching at HB studios? Or possibly NYU? I'm associating her with the Village.

[Mr. Tuttle]

Posted: 11/23/04 at 9:32pm

Meg was on the staff of AMDA for a time..I don't think she's still there (let's hope not).

[Mr. Tuttle]

Posted: 11/23/04 at 10:36pm

Since you're all busy stuffing the turkey, I thought I'd do the leg work and find your favorite lost Broadway stars:

MARTINE ALLARD
She's part of a performance group called Cabaret Lulu with some other Broadway folk..including Partrick Jude..remember that name? He was from "Chess" and "Marlowe". She was also part of ther "Broadway Roamnces Manhattan" CD by BC/EFA.

link: http://www.cabaretlulu.com/artists.htm

But apparently she recently went through a weight reduction operation and has lost a lot. Here's the link. Please note that it seems like it could be her (she calls herself an entertainer), but I have no way of verfying that it is the Martine Allard we're discussing:

http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/profile.phtml?N=A1093822230

CAMILLE SAVIOLA
Shr recently co-starred with James Garner and Joe Mantegna on the 2002 tv series "First Monday" playing a Supreme Court judge. Her 2003 run as Mama Morton apparently was her first Broadway appearance since the original "Nine".

JOHN HERRERA
In June 2003, he directed the Florida Atlantic University production of "South Pacific".

FAYE GRANT
Is involved in pre-production of the "V: The Second Coming" mini series for NBC. She also starred on the 2001 tv series "State of Grace". She owns a furniture decorating retail store but I don't know where. And..of course..she is married to the WB's "7th Heaven" Stephen Collins.

JAMES RUSSO
He's mainly making films..independent ones. His sister is Rene Russo.

KAY McCLELLAN
If this is correct, she has left the business and she is now an Assistant Professor of English at South Plains College in Lovelland , TX and is also an author. Again, can't verify that this is who we're looking for, but she does say she was a NY actress, but doesn't list any stage credits besides a role on "One Life To Live"

Hope this will make ya happy! I'll be back with some new lost discoveries soon!

Updated On: 11/23/04 at 10:36 PM

[Mr. Tuttle]

Posted: 11/23/04 at 11:22pm

Ok..here are a few more you might remember!

JUNE ANGELA
Tony nominee Best Actress in a Musical "Shogun"

June had been in show biz since age 5 and was a regular on PBS's "Electric Company". She has not appeared on Broadway since the ill fated "Shogun" but has done much voice work including "The Wild Thornberry's". In November 2003, she performed for 40,000 people in Nanning, China in the Festival of the Arts.

PAUL HIPP
Tony nominee as Buddy Holly in "Buddy"

Paul has not appeared on Broadway since his 1990 musical. He was a regular on the NBC series "Three Sister" and has been in the movies "Midnight In The Garden of Good and Evil" and "Face/Off".

BRUCE ADLER
Tony nominee as Bella Zangler in "Crazy For You"

Doesn't look like he been on Broadway since his back to back Tony noms in 1991 and 1992. He appears to be touring doing a Sammy Cahn themed show. However, this summer he was in "Breakfast At Tiffany's" at the St. Louis MUNY.
Link: http://www.bruceadler.com/index.html

CON O'NEILL
Tony nominee for "Blood Brothers"

Seems he left the US and hasn't returned.

BRENT TABISEL
Tony nominee for "Big"

Not much happening with him besides getting busted with Macauley Culkin in Oklahoma City for drugs this past summer. I do believe he was in "Summer of '42" during one if it's out-of-town tr youts.
Link: http://dumbrichpeople.blogspot.com/

Whew. How's that?

Updated On: 11/23/04 at 11:22 PM

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 11/23/04 at 11:27pm

I'm surprised no one's mentioned Merle Louise.

[Booming Baritone]

Posted: 11/24/04 at 5:21am

I happened to see the opening night of INTO THE LIGHT and it was an incomprehensible mess -- not the actor's fault. The cast was hardly "Born-Again" and included Bill Parry (recently of BP's GYPSY), and Tim Jerome's ex-wife (can't for the life of me remember her name, Susan... something) among others. I think the run lasted a week. My favorite moment in the show was the singing, dancing nuns singing over and over, "into the light" while executing dopey paddle turns etc. Truly a "springtime for hitler" moment.

Had a brief chat with Dean that night and he said that while he was doing the Disney films playing these squeaky clean types, off-camera he was living a life of way too much drinking, drugs and debauchery. When he was doing COMPANY he was going through an excruciatingly painful devorce and his life was crashing around him. No way anyone could keep that intensity of emotion over a career without burning up to cinders. Nice man. Yes, he is a "born-again" but I believe it saved his life.

Kim Crosby is still singing in concerts -- she sings with Craig Shulman on his concert tours. I hear she still looks adorable and sounds great.

I heard Meg Bussert at a benefit a few months ago. She looks and sounds as good as ever -- just lovely.

I wish there were more shows being written for these wonderful performers who are sounding better than ever and are at the top of their game vocally and dramatically, but are not 20 somethings anymore. One can't only do endless revivals of FOLLIES, ya know?

[Auggie27]

Posted: 11/24/04 at 8:51am

Great info, especially from Tuttle and Baritone. The Dean info isparticularly illuminating. As is usually the case, the story behind the one line version ("left to become born again Christian") is more complex.

I used to live near Merle Louise, and saw her taking her constitutional walks (she used to hot-foot it downtown when doing SPIDERWOMAN.) Her Beggar Woman remains, to my thinking, the single most overlooked performance in musical theater. Can you believe she wasn't even nominated for a Tony for SWEENEY? I believe she had a tough divorce in the 80s.

Speaking of other company folk, where's Beth Howland? She returned for the 90s two-night only concert of COMPANY (including Jones), and married Charles Kimbrough, also of the show. I never knew if she was a real singer, since Amy's material in company is, to put it mildly, unique.

[RockyRoad]

Posted: 11/24/04 at 1:16pm

Wow..thank you Mr. Tuttle for all your investigative journalism! I can't believe you tracked down all those folks.

And it was heart breaking to see Martine Allard. I hope she has recovered as I loved her on the cast recording.

And Bret Tabisel busted for drugs? They grow up qucik!

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 11/25/04 at 3:02am

Auggie: I agree with you about Merle, that's why I was curious whether or not people overlooked her or just don't care what she's up to now. Actually, she's currently my musical theatre teacher and she's fantastic - her stories are amazing.

[The Ninth Show]

Posted: 11/25/04 at 6:40am

Meg Bussert. That certainly takes me back. She was my first favorite Broadway performer and inspiration when I was a teenager. She's the reason I'm in the theatre today.

Meg's currently a full time master teacher in vocal performance at NY University. She returned to the stage last year to play the Mother Abbess in Sound of Music at Paper Mill, earning rave reviews for her performance.

Here's her bio from the NY University web page:

Meg Bussert
Actor, Vocalist, Educator

Artist Teacher

B.A. - Purchase College
M.A.T. - Manhattanville College
N.Y.S. Certification - English/Secondary

Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions
The Steinhardt School of Education
New York University

----------------------------------------------------------------

Meg Bussert is a full-time master teacher in Vocal Performance teaching Acting and Music Theatre Studies. Her professional affiliations include Actors Equity Association, Screen Actor’s Guild, American Federation of Radio and Televisions Artists, the Michael Chekhov Association, and the Actors’ Work Program.

Professor Bussert is a Broadway veteran honored with a Tony Award nomination for her portrayal of Fiona in the acclaimed 1980 revival of Brigadoon (director Vivian Matalon/choreographer Agnes DeMille) and a Theatre World Award for Marian in The Music Man (director/choreographer Michael Kidd) playing opposite Dick Van Dyke. As Guenevere in Camelot opposite Richard Harris as the King, she toured and returned to Broadway. This production of Camelot was captured on cable television for HBO and later A&E (Ace Award nomination). Last year she moved into new repertoire playing the Mother Abbess at New Jersey’s State Theatre, the Paper Mill Playhouse, and Mrs. Paroo at Casa Mañana in Texas.

Other Broadway: Irene starring Debbie Reynolds, later Jane Powell; Lorelei with Carol Channing; Something’s Afoot with Tessie O’Shea; Damn Yankees with Victor Garber, later Jerry Lewis; and Gorey Stories. New York and Regional Operetta roles: the leading ladies in The Firefly and New Moon (both at Town Hall), The Student Prince (Pittsburg Civic Light Opera), H. M. S. Pinafore (Canada and US tour). Regional work: Nellie in South Pacific (starring Richard Kiley), Charity in Barnum (Paper Mill Playhouse), La Carlotta in Kopit/Yeston’s Phantom (Westchester Broadway Theatre), Meg in Damn Yankees, Rosabella in The Most Happy Fella, and Sally in Cabaret. She premiered the role of Lucy in Lucy’s Lapses for the Portland Opera.

Professor Bussert performs concerts, recitals, and cabarets, and she frequently lends her talents to the creation of new works in readings and backers auditions. Discography: Phantom (RCA/BMG), Sousa for Orchestra (ESS.A.Y.), Lost in Boston (Varese Sarabande). Television appearances: Great Performances “A Salute to Alan Jay Lerner,” Pete and Pete, short stints on One Live to Live and All My Children. She was also the voice for “I Don’t Want To Play in Your Yard” over the credits for Morning’s at Seven. A life-long passion for theatre and music began as member of a Thespian Troupe at Maine South High School.

[Booming Baritone]

Posted: 11/27/04 at 4:51am

I didn't know Meg Bussert was a thespian.

[Leadingplayer]

Posted: 11/27/04 at 8:19am

Jere Shea actually did the role of Joe in Damn Yankees pre-Broadway run at the Old Globe. In between the San Diego run and the Broadway run he got the part in Passion(when Peter Gallagher who had done the workshop dropped out.) He chose to go with Passion and drop out of DY.

Posted: 11/27/04 at 9:07am

Con O'Neill is still acting. I saw him in Mother Clap's Molly House by the guy who wrote Shopping and F.... in London last year. It was directed by Nicholas Hytner and was quite dirty!

[Jean-Michel]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 10:37pm

John Weiner, the original Jean-Michel in "La Cage aux Folles," left show business in 1998. He worked as a systems analyst for an investment company from 1998 to 2002, then in Employee Communications for major book-publishing firm from 2002 to 2003, and currently holds an IT position with a leading law firm in New York.

[Feodor Sverdlov]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 11:04pm

Anne Twomey pops up in episodic television and TV movies, all the time. I haven't laid eyes on Russ Thacker, since he and I sat together at a performance of FORBIDDEN BROADWAY, in Washington, D.C., in 1987! I think he's living in D.C., though.

[Mr. Tuttle]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 11:15pm

Well well..this thing just won't die, will it? Guess it was brought back after it's Christmas vacation!

I am suprised that no one has commented on the pic of Martine Allard and what she's gone through. I thought there were many supporters of her on this site.

[Feodor Sverdlov]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 11:25pm

Thanks for the update on John Weiner, who I was acquainted with way back in the Philadelphia theater days.

[jasonvanemburgh]

Posted: 2/9/05 at 12:07am

ann crumbe was also in , I believe Bed and Sofa, next door to where I live in Philly at the Wilma Theatre a few years back

Posted: 2/9/05 at 1:03am

Ann Crumb did do a few things in Philly (I lived there for a few years) and I know Terri White (from the original post)bartends and sings at Roses Turn on Grove Street in the Village. She's amazing and she sang back up to my "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" when I got up to sing there a few months back!!

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 2/9/05 at 8:04am

This is the best thread ever.

Does anyone know what happened to Stanley Brojowski, one of the original and funniest cast members from WHEN PIGS FLY?

[Auggie27]

Posted: 2/9/05 at 10:17am

Viva Terri White. I'm glad to hear she's still singing.

More obscure folks:

Catherine Burns (Oscar nominated for LAST SUMMER, and original Mary McGreggor in JEAN BRODIE on Broadway.) Still in NY, but doing what?

Laura Esterman (MARVIN'S ROOM, TEIBLE AND HER DEMON opposite Murray A.)

and the person I confused her with:

Christine Estabrook (BOYS NEXT DOOR and many others).

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 2/9/05 at 10:21am

I keep seeing some commercial lately with Kim Crosby on it - she looks great and I usually recognize her first from hearing her voice before looking up to see who's on the screen. I couldn't tell you what the product is - but she's very recognizable in the commercial.