Jennifer Ashley Tepper Continues Telling the Untold Stories of Broadway
(© Matthew Murphy)
The Untold Stories of Broadway, Volume 2, is the latest in a series of books about that very subject created by musical-theater aficionado and 54 Below Director of Programming Jennifer Ashley Tepper. An exploration of eight Broadway theaters with interviews from the people who were there, the work hits bookshelves via Dress Circle Publishing on November 17. To prepare, TheaterMania quizzed Tepper on the book's creation and what she learned in the process.
1. Which fact that you learned most surprised you?
I was surprised by how many Broadway folks told me ghost stories that they experienced firsthand! There are some great tales about spirits that have haunted certain theaters. It was shocking to hear two separate stories from people who worked on different shows, about the same ghost rattling around in the elevator at the Palace.
There are also surprising stories about actors peeing in sinks, drunk audience members climbing on stage, creative teams bonding with hookers, accidental fires, nude photos…you name it!
2. In this book which interview subject were you most intimidated by, and why?
I was intimidated by the idea of meeting with George C. Wolfe, because I consider him to be such a genius…I had never met him before prior to my reaching out cold for an interview. He suggested his apartment as a good meeting place. I had to take a few deep breaths before I rang his doorbell. But within minutes of the interview starting, we were laughing about backstage antics at Jelly's Last Jam and singing bits of Caroline, or Change. Being in the same room as George truly felt like being in the same room as one of the greatest minds of our time. He has changed theater in so many ways. The way he articulated ideas and told stories to me about his shows, from Angels in America to The Normal Heart, was one of the most special experiences I’ve had while writing these books. We actually bonded and I could not have felt less intimidated by the end of our interview.
3. Which story changed the way you look at a particular theater?
There are a remarkable number of stories about the Palace Theatre that involve Richard Rodgers…even though, of course, there is an actual Richard Rodgers Theatre. The incredible Tony Walton speaks about the night that he and Julie Andrews went to see Judy Garland at the Palace in 1956, and how Richard Rodgers was there too. Apparently Judy Garland did a shout-out to Julie Andrews and told everyone to "go see My Fair Lady if they could get a ticket" and then Garland also invited Richard Rodgers on stage to play a song!
Later in the chapter, the wonderful actress Jessica Molaskey talks about being in Oklahoma! at the Palace in 1979. On the night after Richard Rodgers died, which happened to be New Years Eve, the cast of Oklahoma! sang "The Sound of Music" after curtain call in his honor on the Palace stage. As Jessica tells it, the cast was singing, "I go to the hills when my heart is lonely…" just as revelers were beginning to celebrate in Times Square, and "it was like a celestial chorus was ushering Mr. Rodgers up" both inside and just outside the Palace doors. So even though there’s a theater in his name on 46th Street, I now always think about Richard Rodgers at the Palace, and often hum one of his songs when I walk by.
4. Is there anything you thought you knew but ended up not really knowing when you found out "the truth"?
It’s been really fun to include one chapter in each book on a "lost theater" that is either demolished or no longer a Broadway house. In book two, we feature the Criterion Center Stage Right, which is now the Times Square Toys "R" Us. Since it closed in 1999, I never got to actually see the theater myself…but using the stories I heard, I could actually reconstruct the theater throughout the chapter.
Everyone from Anne Bobby to Laura Linney to David Loud remembers the outrageously grand staircase that was a prime feature of the Criterion Center Stage Right. From my research, I found out that that staircase was built as part of the International Casino, a nightclub on the spot, in 1935. Patrons could travel from floor to floor without taking a break from ordering cocktails, as a bar was built directly into the staircase’s marble, bronze, and granite facade. Over the decades, the venue was the famous Bond Clothing Store, where the gorgeous staircase set the shop apart. During the disco era, the staircase lit up different colors when stepped on by partiers. And as a legitimate theater venue, the legendary staircase was descended upon by the likes of Jason Robards and Natasha Richardson. The truths of the Criterion Center Stage Right staircase!
5. What piece of information broke your heart the most?
I was honored to speak with Jonathan Burkhart, a gifted filmmaker and Broadway producer. He was best friends with Jonathan Larson for many years. He told me a remarkable story involving two experiences he and Jonathan had inside of the Nederlander Theatre, many years before Rent. It’s an untold Jonathan Larson story that completely broke my heart, and I think it will be very meaningful to a lot of people.
The Untold Stories of Broadway, Volume 2 is currently on presale and available at www.dresscirclepublishing.com.
