BWW Interviews: Steve Martin's Broadway Musical Dreams

Steve Martin may indeed be the quintessential Renaissance Man. His extensive show business career spans nearly half a century and encompasses arena-filled comedy shows, respected acting roles in both comedic and dramatic films, Oscar hosting duties, and an array of writing credits including film, theater and literature. Yet throughout his long and celebrated career, one thing has always remained by his side: his banjo.

In the last few years, Martin has emerged as a serious and respected bluegrass banjo player, releasing his Grammy-winning album, "The Crow," in April of 2009 and more recently, "Rare Bird Alert," which features collaborations with the Dixie Chicks and Paul McCartney. He is currently taking his act on the road, performing with his band, the Steep Canyon Rangers. Yesterday he took a break from his busy schedule to speak to BroadwayWorld about the current tour, a combination of authentic bluegrass music and his signature comedy. "We've got a really good show" Martin exclaims enthusiastically, "There's lots of humor in there. I didn't know how that would work out, but it really has."

Martin began his career in the late 1960's where he was a mainstay at LA's famed "Troubadour Club," a legendary nightclub considered to be the birthplace of the singer-songwriter movement in America. Performing amongst such greats as Carole King and James Taylor, Martin remembers what it was like to be the lone stand-up act among legendary artists. "It was a very exciting time for me. Really an undiscovered bar scene with a lot of talent." he recalls. "It was a real hang out for musicians. I was listening to the music of Linda Rondstadt and the Eagles. In fact, I even remember Glenn Frey coming up to me and pitching me the idea of naming his band 'Eagles'."

Nowadays, Martin focuses his energy on his musical composing, novel writing, and banjo playing talents. With all these creative endeavors to pursue, one has to wonder how the entertainer is able to fit everything into his schedule. "David Letterman asked me about that recently when I was on his show," quips Martin. "I told him, 'Well, I don't really have a job.'"

At age 64, Martin has some hesitations about the idea of bringing his comedy and music to the Broadway stage. "You know, I don't think I have the stamina to do 8 shows a week," he confessed. "That to me is very hard. If I had to do two shows in one day, it's like when I started out." Yet Martin was not ready to completely rule out the idea of coming to Broadway. "I have thought about some kind of musical involving my music." he explains. "That would be kind of interesting. I have thought of it in that way, as a creator of something, not so much a performer. So that's in my head."

For now, Steve Martin will just have to put that idea on his "to do" list as he continues to bring his musical talents to venues across the country. His goal is to enlighten audiences to the sound of bluegrass music and perhaps even convert some of them into true fans. While he is realistic about the fact that some audience members have only bought tickets to see Steven Martin, "the comedian", it doesn't bother him in the least. "I'm guessing half the audience knows what bluegrass is and half doesn't," Martin speculates. "But they do know good music when they hear it. And they all go away happy."

Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers are currently on tour through September 2011 including a stop at the Bergen Performing Arts Center in Englewood, NJ on May 19. For the complete tour schedule, please visit: http://www.steepcanyon.com/tour/

Steve Martin's latest album, "Rare Bird Alert" on Rounder Records is available on standard CD as well as a Deluxe CD edition.