Harvey's Broadway Blog: Beautiful Weather, Beautiful People

Harvey Returns! Welcome to The Return of special new series on BroadwayWorld.com - four time Tony Award-winner Harvey Fierstein's personal MySpace blog of bringing his brand new musical, A Catered Affair to Broadway. We'll be exclusively picking up Harvey Fierstein's blog as he shares his first hand reports from rehearsals to Opening Night (and beyond). Check back for updates as rehearsals get underway!

FLEET WEEK IN NEW YORK!

WHAT MORE COULD I ASK FOR?

Can you imagine how divine it was to look out at the audience every show this week and see all those gorgeous men and women in uniform? And everywhere you walked in New York the streets were simply littered with our troops. There's simply nothing like Fleet Week and Memorial Day Weekend.

PHOTOS AS PROMISED

Now, I know I promised photos from last week's events, but I have to warn you first that they just came out ROTTEN. I don't know why. I think I may have gotten the lens of my camera wet or something. But here are a mess of photos and I hope they are not too out of focus for you.

SONDHEIM & COMPANY

As you may remember, I performed for Jerry Bock'S 80th and faced an audience consisting of Stephen Sondheim, Hal Prince,Sheldon Harnick, Joe Stein, FREDDY GERSHON and more. Here is a really bad shot I tried to sneak from backstage. Sorry.



And here's a shot of me with accompanist CHARLES DECHATEAU. (Ain't he yummy? You can see him in person playing cello at SOUTH PACIFIC)



BACK AT A Catered Affair...

...it was another week of fabulous houses, celebs dropping in, and terrific performances. Here's a taste of the week...



Diva Barbara Walsh stopped by for an intimate chat.



MICHAEL LANGORIA, who is currently killing them nightly as Frankie Valle in Jersey Boys came by to see MATT SCOTT go on for Matt Cavenaugh who was off to attend a family wedding.



Here's MATT SCOTT readying himself for his first scene in the show. Those who've seen it know that his character begins the show naked in bed with Leslie Kritzer.



And just to be fair, here's a shot of him dressed to perform a later scene in the show. That's ZBORNIK mugging in the mirror. She's his biggest fan and he did a FABULOUS JOB!!!!



Faith Prince got a new do just in time for award season. She's looking hot!!!!



Phylis Newman dropped in with THE BOCKS for a visit.



And I ran over to SIRIUS to record an hour of gossip and music with the AMAH-ZING Seth Rudetsky.



Back in my dressing room again where my dresser, KEITH SHAW, models a T-shirt that I am begging them to sell in the lobby: ARE YOU COMING? and the back says TO A Catered Affair.
What do you think? A winner?



And here's associate company manager ASHLEY modeling my pants. I was thinking of sending this photo to OPRAH and seeing if I could get ASHLEY a diet book deal. Think it would work?????

So, there you have a gaggle of photos from my world to yours.

Otherwise, things roll along as planned at the show. I must admit that I still find it fascinating that our show is so polarizing. There are folks who just love it. Absolutely adore it. In fact, we are starting to recognize people who are returning to see the show again and again. It has a profoundly deep impact on many people. And that makes me so proud. But then there are folks who just loathe what we're putting on. I don't think it's because they are dumb or heartless. They just don't connect with the material at all. And their reaction isn't just "ho-hum" but true rejection. I suppose it's possible that the show is setting off something within them, but I ain't no shrink and I don't even want to go there. But I do find the dual reactions fascinating.

There is another reaction that I find amusing. I have been told by several people that they've heard that my character doesn't quite fit in with the other characters. This makes me laugh since THAT IS THE POINT OF MY CHARACTER! He is an outsider. He doesn't belong in their world. He stands apart and watches them live their lives while he has no real life of his own. He is a gay man who has no idea that a full life is even available to him, and so he lives on the edges of other people's lives. The story is, in fact, told from his memories and the audience can see him watching the action from the sidelines even when he's not in a scene. It is only at the end of the show that he makes the decision to live his own life, (which is also the lesson he teaches his sister). In any case, I find it amusing that someone would think we're making a mistake rather than ask themselves why we would be doing what we're doing.

Well, so much for making demands of our audience, eh?

Meanwhile, not even our harshest critics would dare diss the towering performances turned in nightly by Faith Prince, Tom Wopat,Leslie Kritzer and the rest of the gang. Believe me, each of them is a force of nature worthy of a trip to the WALTER KERR all on their own!!!

ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST RECORDING

So, this week the cast CD gets released. How about that? The entire cast will be at BARNES AND NOBLES at LINCOLN CENTER this Thursday at 5:30 to sing and sign copies of the CD. If you're around, I'd love to see you there. I hear the recording is fantastic, but I haven't taken the time to listen to it yet. Heck, I hear it live 8 times a week. But for anyone out there who can't make it to NY... I hope you can pick up a copy and give it a listen.

TAPING THE SHOW

Speaking of Lincoln Center... We've just been informed that the LINCOLN CENTER LIBRARY OF THE PERFORMING ARTS will be video taping our show for posterity. Ain't that cool? So, from now on, the show will be preserved for anyone studying theater. Not sure when the taping will be, but probably in the next few weeks.

So that's the news for now. I hope y'all have a fabulous holiday weekend and SEE A BROADWAY SHOW and... as always...

STAY TUNED!