Interview: Jeremy Sussman: FROM NO BUSINESS TO SHOW BUSINESS at Don't Tell Mama

This month, Jeremy Sussman returns to Don't Tell Mama with From No Business to Show Business. Through lesser-known and quirky novelty songs, as well as the standards of Rodgers and Hammerstein, Irving Berlin, Van Heusen and Burke, Adler and Ross, Cahn and Styne, Harold Rome and others, Sussman, an offbeat and captivating performer, tells the story of how he charmed his parents by earning a law degree while privately pursuing his love of performing and piano-playing on the side. For Sussman, No Business is anything that is not Show Business. Directed by Geoff Stoner, with musical director Gregory Toroian on piano, Skip Ward on bass, and David Silliman on drums.

Below, read a conversation with Sussman about the show and catch him at DTM on Sunday, September 28 at 4 pm, Thursday, October 9 at 7 pm and Tuesday, October 21 at 7 pm.

What are you most looking forward to about this show? 

My past shows were mostly just collections of interesting songs from my trunk.  This one is mostly autobiographical and I’m looking forward to letting people know more about who I am and how I’ve evolved and to see how they react.

What was the process of putting this show together and writing out a bit of your personal backstory?

I began with the core idea of my lifelong career choice between law and performing.  My father’s backstory and his choices are also relevant to mine, and his interactions with Danny Kaye were pivotal to both our stories. 

 What draws you to older novelty songs? 

So many of them are done with wit and precision that’s hard to find now, particularly when it comes to songs that do not involve love stories.  “One Meat Ball,” which is about the humiliating travails of someone trying to get by in a restaurant with only fifteen cents to spend, is the perfect example.  Come to my show and check it out!

How did you work on balancing out the set list?  Can you tell us what the song selection process was like? 

I started by writing out a list of 50 songs I like to sing or I wanted to learn.  That list was already somewhat balanced among ballads, up-tempos and novelties.  As I worked out the story, I chose mostly from the list, but as the story changed, I had to adapt the song lineup, introducing songs not from the original list.

Aside from the show, what have you been filling your time with lately? 

Home improvements, family and friends and my stamp collection.

Are there any other projects you’re working on that you’d like to share with us? 

The content of the show brought up difficult questions concerning my relationship with my parents, and I’ve had to revise or re-examine a lot of long-held beliefs, which is not easy to do when you’re 82 years old. Autobiographical cabaret leads you down many strange nooks and crannies!

Header photo by Helane Blumfield