BWW EXCLUSIVE: GETTING SIRIUS WITH SETH: McGillin, York and Stritch Pay Tribute to Cy Coleman

Welcome to BroadwayWorld's newest feature: GETTING SIRIUS WITH SETH, a sneak peek preview of Rudetsky's weekly popular Sirius Radio Live program. Each Thursday, we're bringing you highlights from the program, which airs nationally on Fridays. Want the scoop before the rest on your favorite stars in entertainment? Check GETTING SIRIUS WITH SETH each week here!

This week, Broadway stars Howard McGillin, Rachel York and renowned pianist Billy Stritch pay homage to one of the giants of Broadway, jazz and popular music, Cy Coleman.

"He was the sweetest, most supportive person. He made everyone feel like they were in the club," noted pianist Billy Stritch about his close friend Cy Coleman. It was about 5 years ago that Stritch was approached by lyricist David Zippel about the idea of doing a revue of Cy Coleman songs, not only his old classics but also songs he was working on at the time of his death. The result is the aptly named, "The Best Is Yet To Come: The Music of Cy Coleman", now playing at 59E59 Theater through July 3.

Joining cast members Lillias White, David Burnham, Sally Mayes and Rachel York is actor Howard McGillin, who holds the title 'longest running Phantom of the Opera in history'. "Yes, it's something north of 2500 some-odd performances," noted McGillin. "They really kept me around." What memory stood out most for the star after this astounding run? "The fact that every morning when I would wake up after a show, the pillowcase would stick to my face," quipped the actor. "There's so much glue involved in the make up process that you could never get all that off your face. You were always finding glue on your face somewhere. I learned early on not to buy new bedding!"

Rachel York recalled the audition process that lead to her Broadway debut in Coleman's CITY OF ANGELS. "They were looking for a Marilyn Monroe type at the time," says the actress. "I was trying to think of all the different ways I could do Marilyn Monroe and I just said 'I'm going to watch a bunch of Marilyn Monroe movies and figure it out'...So I went to the audition and did my little Marilyn Monroe thing and evidently they really liked it. " York will never forget what happened next as she exited the audition. "I saw [CITY OF ANGEL'S playwright] Larry Gelbert in the elevator and he said 'You're going to be a big star.' York immediately called her agent and told him she was pretty sure she got the part. "It was a dream come true," the actress recalled fondly.

"The Best Is Yet To Come: The Music of Cy Coleman" is currently playing at 59E59 Theater through July 3. For more information, please visit: 59e59.org/

Sirius/XM's Live On Broadway with Howard McGillin, Rachel York and Billy Stritch will air exclusively on Sirius/XM Channel 72 on Friday, June 24 at 7 PM ET with encore presentations on Sunday, June 26 at 11 PM ET, Tuesday, June 28 at 7AM and Wednesday June 29 at 12 noon ET.

SIRIUS XM LIVE ON BROADWAY is hosted by Seth Rudetsky & records live every Wednesday at noon at the Broadway Concierge & Ticket Center, located inside the Times Square Information Center, 1560 Broadway, between 46th & 47th Street, in between the Palace Theatre and McDonalds. It is free to the public.

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