Irving Berlin’s America

ON THE TOWN WITH CHIP DEFFAA… CELEBRATING “BROADWAY BEFORE BEDTIME”

June 2, 2026

There are plenty of podcasts dealing with theater and pop culture. (I’ve been a guest on my share of them.) The podcast “Broadway Before Bedtime”—presenting new episodes every week--features two theater pros interviewing other theater pros. What makes this podcast unique is that its gifted co-creators/co-hosts—Yair Keydar and Remi Madden Tuckman--are just 13 years old! They first gained attention when they alternated, playing a key character, “Brendan,” in the 2024-25 Off-Broadway musical, Drag. I wrote in these pages back then—and I choose my words with great care--that they were the most talented child actors on stage in New York that season, and about as impressive as any child actor I’d seen in years. [more]

IN SEARCH OF LOST IRVING BERLIN THEATER SONGS…

July 3, 2024

Chip Deffaa with some of his Irving Berlin sheet music and memorabilia

Berlin, incidentally, could not write music. He could play piano—not too well, and in only one key. He would play, sing, and hum songs that he created, which a musical secretary would then take down and put into written form for him. The typed lyrics that Shaw saved (with the words “you’re a dumb kop”) may have been typed by Berlin himself or may have been dictated by Berlin to a musical secretary. In any event, the songs “Angelo” and “It Can’t Be Did” have survived only because Lillian Shaw happened to be a “saver.” By contrast, Shaw’s good friend, Fanny Brice, for whom Berlin also wrote special material, was not a “saver.” [more]

Irving Berlin and Me (And a Brush with Death Along the Way)

April 5, 2022

In the past 20 years, I’ve produced a total of 34 different albums; 16 of them have dealt with Irving Berlin (1888-1989). The newest album in this ongoing Berlin series, "Chip Deffaa’s Irving Berlin: Love Songs and Such"--featuring such gifted artists as Betty Buckley, Karen Mason, Steve Ross, Anita Gillette, Jon Peterson, Natalie Douglas, Jeff Harnar, Sarah Rice, Bobby Belfry, Keith Anderson, Molly Ryan, and Seth Sikes--was the hardest of all the albums to produce. And, for reasons I’ll address in a bit, it took by far the longest time to produce; life is not always easy. But for me, this is the most satisfying album of the bunch. (And as I type these words, I’m happy to note it’s just been nominated for a MAC Award, which is extra gratifying!) I know I’ve made a worthwhile contribution to Berlin’s recorded legacy. [more]

On the Town with Chip Deffaa: As Nightclubs Begin Coming Back

July 20, 2021

Gianni Valenti, who runs one of the city’s best-known and most important nightspots, Birdland Jazz Club on 44th Street, deserves a lot of credit for leading the way. He was one of the first club owners to announce plans to reopen. He’s reopened strong, booking lots of respected artists, like Delfeayo Marsalis, Allan Harris, Ken Peplowski, etc. (For Birdland's full schedule, go to www.birdlandjazz.com.) And he’s keeping prices as low as possible to make sure the place is packed. For many shows at Birdland this summer, you can buy tickets online and pay only a nominal cover charge—some nights just 99 cents (plus a service charge). That’s the same cover charge the club had when it first opened way back in 1949. [more]

EDITH O’HARA—A PERSONAL REMEMBRANCE

October 21, 2020

There were few women in positions of authority when she started in theater. But as she once told me, “If I wanted to do something, I just went ahead and did it.” She blazed a trail for others to follow. And she was proud of the fact that many notables had worked at The 13th Street Theatre, at one time or another (often when they were just getting started), including Bette Midler, Barry Manilow, Chazz Palminteri, Amy Stiller, Jamie DeRoy, Christopher Meloni, Armelia McQueen, Charles Ludlam, Austin Pendleton, Barnard Hughes, Richard Dreyfuss, and many others. For 17 years, the unique, dark monologist Brother Theodore--a Greenwich Village icon, whose wonderfully theatrical late-night rants enthralled fans--made The 13th Street Repertory Company his base. Her production of Israel Horovitz’s “Line” ran at her theater for some 45 years, becoming the longest-running theatrical production in New York. She liked to have things happening at her theater, day and night. [more]

ON THE TOWN WITH CHIP DEFFAA… for Aug 3rd, 2018

August 4, 2018

Thanks to the Internet, word tends to get around very quickly about what is being done in theatres everywhere-even in college theatres. Cohen told me, for example, that students at Towson University mounted a production of "Rent" with an unauthorized changed ending; in their revision of "Rent," the character of "Mimi" died at the end. Cohen reflected: "Theatre is sort of self-monitoring. Fans of musical theatre are so passionate that when they see that a show has been changed, they'll quickly say that something is not right here. They may comment in online blogs or on chat boards." And thus, the unauthorized changes to "Rent" very quickly came to the attention of MTI, which licenses "Rent." Cohen added that the director of the Towson University production of "Rent" seemed to imagine she had the right to change the ending of the show-but to him that simply indicated her naivete or ignorance of the law. [more]

ON THE TOWN… with CHIP DEFFAA, February 3, 2018

February 6, 2018

A CHORUS LINE at Westchester Broadway Theatre

If you’re in the mood for a night of laughter, “The Outsider”—a new comedy by Paul Slade Smith, receiving its East Coast premiere in January and February at the Paper Mill Playhouse--is great good fun. Oh, I’m not claiming it’s profound or a show that you’ll never forget, like “A Chorus Line.” If “A Chorus Line” is like a fine roast-beef dinner, “The Outsider” is more like a hot dog with all the trimmings. But sometimes a hot dog with all the trimmings just hits the spot. [more]

A “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” GREETING FOR EDITH O’HARA, IN HER 100TH YEAR…

April 14, 2016

Chip Deffaa, Editor-at-Large This month, the 13th Street Repertory Theater will kick off its [more]

ON THE TOWN … with CHIP DEFFAA (Dec. 21, 2015)

December 23, 2015

It did my heart good to see Matanya Solomon dancing all-out after being pretty much sidelined as a "Nutcracker" dancer, due to injury, for the last two years. I greatly admire all good dancers for their dedication and hard work; but to not give up after being hampered for so long is extra admirable. And he was fun as the Grandfather, making the most of the part (and interacting well with others) in the prologue (staged by Victoria Mazzarelli and Tim Melady). [more]

ON THE TOWN WITH CHIP DEFFAA…. Oct. 31st 2015

October 31, 2015

I’m glad I got to attend the opening night of “The Bandstand”–an intriguing, ambitious, original musical--at Paper Mill Playhouse. Does the show–which some are hoping may eventually go to Broadway--need work? Yes, definitely. Is it worth seeing now? Again, yes, definitely! It’s fresh, bumpy in spots, and occasionally a bit too melodramatic--but it grabbed me from the start, and held my attention throughout. There are some excellent performances. And the energy is great. [more]

On The Town with Chip Deffaa … for May 18th, 2015

May 17, 2015

#10. Edith O'Hara with Chip Deffaa and cast members from Mad About the Boy

The Visit Chip Deffaa, Editor-at-Large “The Visit”–with music and lyrics by John [more]

RIP, JOE FRANKLIN (March 9, 1926-January 24, 2015)

January 25, 2015

Joe helped me in countless ways over the years–more than I could detail here--and I dedicated one of the books I wrote to him. He's been a good force in my life since I was very young. I’ll miss you, Joe. I can’t imagine walking through the heart of Manhattan without stopping off to see your office at 300 West 43rd Street. [more]

On The Town .. With Chip Deffaa .. Dec 12, 2014

December 12, 2014

Its Only a Play marquee Chip Deffaa, Editor-at-Large As the year winds down, I’d like to use [more]

On The Town … With Chip Deffaa … April 4, 2014

April 4, 2014

I sure felt the spirit of the late Jonathan Larson strongly at the Trumbull (Connecticut) High School's production of his musical Rent. This was the school, you may recall, where the principal tried to cancel the students' production of Rent, and the students protested successfully for weeks until they won the right to do the show. Perhaps the fact that they had to fight so hard to do the show gave them an extra investment in it. But they pulled it off well. [more]