Terminally Delightful (2014)

Posted on May 30, 2014 by Edward Rubin in Tags Library

A drag cabaret at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 West 42nd Street, built around Joan Rivers, RuPaul and other comic personas, with Kitten LaRue among the guests. Credits: costumes Danial Helman, lighting Mike Faba, sound Kevin Heard, video Ben Laurance.

Reception: Mixed.

From the TheaterScene archive. Original review by Edward Rubin for TheaterScene.com, May 30, 2014.

Robert Morse: An Appreciation
Robert Morse seemed to be born for musical comedy. You could give him a show that wasn’t really great and he’d somehow create moments of delight; he just had that magic in him.
High Button Shoes
A Jule Styne/Sammy Cahn musical tailored for the talents of long-forgotten stars still entertained with its wacky plot and pleasant songs with a cast headed by the inimitable Michael Urie.
ON THE TOWN… With CHIP DEFFAA
I’ve been spending a good bit of time, of late, in the recording studio. It makes me very happy that we’ve now completed, and have just released, the original cast album for my show “Mad About the Boy,” with the terrific company from our production at the 13th Street Theater: John Brady, Cody Jordan. Joris de Graaf, Luca Fric, Benjamin Grier, Amanda Andrews, Katherine Paulsen, Toby Medlyn, Maite Uzal, Michael Knowles, Shinice Hemmings, Michael J. C. Anderson, Al Roths, Richard Danley. I was very proud of that whole cast and am delighted to have their good work documented. And it’s available now from Amazon.com, CDBaby.com, etc.
ON THE TOWN with CHIP DEFFAA, August 26th 2019
I'm stunned and saddened by the passing of one of the best music directors I've known--and one of the nicest gentlemen-- Hubert Tex Arnold. He died suddenly, unexpectedly of a brain aneurism. He was getting ready to play a cabaret show for Sally Maye. I liked Tex very much, both personally and professionally. He was not just an exceptionally talented pianist and arranger, he was a very giving person. He was the music director for my show "The Johnny Mercer Jamboree," and the subsequent cast album. (And that is one of my favorite albums.) His inventive jazzy arrangements, filled with surprises, gave the show--and the album--a unique identity. (And he was foremost expert on Johnny Mercer's music.
Carol Channing died Jan 15, 2019
Jacqueline Kennedy and her two children made their first public appearance after JFK's death by seeing her perform in "Hello, Dolly!" and later visited her backstage. She has since played the role in over 5000 performances, without missing a single performance. She then toured with her own revue, "Carol Channing and Her Ten Stout Hearted Men" and critically acclaimed tours of "Jerry's Girls" and "Legends," in which she co-starred with Mary Martin.