I saw MY ONE AND ONLY on New Year's Eve. What a festive way to celebrate. I loved seeing the one and only Tommy Tune and a surprisingly good Twiggy. Great fun. It is hard to ruin Gershwin tunes. And the dancing was sublime. Remember the late great Charles "Honi" Coles dancing the Title tune?
I really did love this show. I actually saw it with Sandy Duncan and her husband, Don Corriea. They were both loads of fun. I really did enjoy the show. I saw that & Cats that year. (I got to meet Laurie Beechman)
"Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there - fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge - they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around."
A Great Show - I snuck into NYC to see it twice. (scary crap at the time)
The last time was Halloween. Tune and Coles encored the "My One and Only" number that night- sensational. Twiggy and Tune came out and stage-doored in Halloween costumes photos of which, by coincidence, were later published in his bio.
"There's no damn business like show business - you have to smile to keep from throwing up." - Billie Holiday
Twiggy was out the first time I saw this in January 1984. Her understudy Stephanie Ely was wonderful. I wanted to see it with Sandy Duncan and Don Correia but I was away at college at the time.
Hey Dottie!
Did your colleagues enjoy the cake even though your cat decided to sit on it? ~GuyfromGermany
A very close friend of mine was in the original Broadway cast and her stories of her involvement with the production, including her casting and the now legendary out-of-town tryout, still fascinate me to no end.
This chapter will definitely be fantastic whenever she gets around to writing her memoirs.
Here's the full number from the 1983 Tonys, marred, unfortunately by the opening credits.
The NY Magazine article about the trials and travails of My One And Only's tryout and subsequent overhaul is a great read. It's proof that even shows in dire condition can be turned around, with enough talent and money! I just heard a spiritual...
Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop.
Every time I think of this show, I still see Twiggy's expressionless face as she navigates the choreography through that Tony performance. You can practically hear her counting out the steps through the television screen. It's oddly hypnotic. Watch as her smile just disappears starting at 4:14 and she can't stop staring at her feet. The Twiggy close-ups at that point are just CRUEL.
Regardless, it's such a fun number and I wish I could have seen the show.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
When Don and Sandy went in, there were changes to the choreography so that Don could always be on her, uh, less-prepared side.
When American Theater Productions was putting together the national tour and trying to find viable names, the idea was floated to star Donnie and Marie... it took a while to get the owners to realize there was a little bit of an incestuous "ick" factor with that idea
"The gods who nurse this universe think little of mortals' cares. They sit in crowds on exclusive clouds and laugh at our love affairs. I might have had a real romance if they'd given me a chance. I loved him, but he didn't love me. I wanted him, but he didn't want me. Then the gods had a spree and indulged in another whim. Now he loves me, but I don't love him." - Cole Porter
I was a kid when I first saw this show, and I ended up seeing it 13 times. I even started a fan club for Tommy Tune and got to meet him backstage -- I remember that he smelled very good. Carol Burnett and Whoopi Goldberg were backstage with me and my mother, waiting on line to speak to Tommy. I gave him a needlepoint that my mother and I made for him -- it was of the My One and Only logo (red background with silhouettes of Tommy and Twiggy). He was so nice. Anyway, this is still my favorite show and I've seen hundreds of shows since.
I have only seen the London production of MY ONE AND ONLY but that was years ago. Thought it was a fun piece. Would love it to see it come back again :)
Still one of the most magical moments I have ever had in the theatre was the barber shop / tap scene with Tommy Tune and Charles Honi Coles. It was as if the world had come to a complete stop. I can't put it into words. It was a stunning few moments of musical comedy heaven.
Here's a clip with Dexter Jones and Jeremy Benton recreating that scene with the original choreography. (There used to be a clip online with Tommy Tune and Charles doing the number but I can't find it again.) Dexter Jones and Jeremy Benton recreate My One and Only
"The gods who nurse this universe think little of mortals' cares. They sit in crowds on exclusive clouds and laugh at our love affairs. I might have had a real romance if they'd given me a chance. I loved him, but he didn't love me. I wanted him, but he didn't want me. Then the gods had a spree and indulged in another whim. Now he loves me, but I don't love him." - Cole Porter
For whatever reason, I didn't see it until about a week before it closed. Sandy Duncan and Tommy Tune were terrific together and, as others have stated, it was a joyous evening of pure musical comedy gold. I don't feel I missed anything by not seeing Twiggy, (Duncan is a better singer and dancer) and just to hear Georgia Engel (she replaced Denny Dillon) mutter curses in that inimitable voice of hers was priceless.
Cheyenne Jackson tickled me. AFTER ordering SoMMS a drink but NOT tickling him, and hanging out with Girly in his dressing room (where he DIDN'T tickle her) but BEFORE we got married. To others. And then he tweeted Boobs. He also tweeted he's good friends with some chick on "The Voice" who just happens to be good friends with Tink's ex. And I'm still married. Oh, and this just in: "Pettiness, spite, malice ....Such ugly emotions... So sad." - After Eight, talking about MEEEEEEEE!!! I'm so honored! :-)
I was in college when the show was playing and on a tight budget, so I second-acted the show. I thought it was great. I especially liked how Twiggy would switch from a high-pitched cockney accent while speaking to a low singing voice. I wish could have seen the entire the show.
I loved that show, although it's also the site of my most embarassing celebrity encounter. At the stage door, I told Tommy how much I loved him as the voice of Silent E on The Electric Company. Um...that was Tom Lehrer.
About that same time frame, also saw Tommy in Times Square in a mink coat, red leather pants and tall black boots. Sartorial eloquence indeed.