Women of theater subject of fun evening

By Eileen Wingard

Eileen Wingard
Eileen Wingard

LA JOLLA, California — Eddie Shapiro grew up in Manhattan where his parents took him to Broadway musicals from the time he was five years old. While other boys were memorizing sports scores, he went to the library to devour playbills, learning the names of the writers, directors, producers and star performers of Broadway musicals. Shapiro, a freelance writer and theater journalist, captivated his Jewish Book Fair audience with tales from his recent publication, Nothing Like a Dame.

Prior to Shapiro’s Nov. 15 lecture, there was an underwriter’s reception during which JCompany Director,  Joey Landwehr, showcased nine of his talented students in songs from Broadway shows. Cameron Chang sang “What I Did For Love,” from Chorus Line, Erin Love and Erika Ashkenazi belted out “All That Jazz,” from Chicago, Amber Bartlett intoned “Memory,” from Cats,  Adira Rosen rendered “My Own Morning,” from Hallelujah, Baby, Gabriella Lipson warbled “Summertine,” from Porgy & Bess, Nathaniel Pick offered “Sleepy Man,” from The Robber Bridegroom, Ian Laughbaum performed “Before the Parade Passes By,” from Hello, Dolly, and Gabriel Mayer presented “Our  Private World,” from 21.

Before Shapiro’s talk, On the Town, the JCompany’s outreach chorus, sang several selections. First, the male members escorted the two current Book Fair Chairs, Phyllis Epstein and Susan Levin, and two former Book Fair Chairs, Leslie Caspi and Linda Daniels, to four chairs where the ladies sat down while the boys sang and danced around them to the title tune of Shapiro’s book, There’s Nothing Like A Dame. Next, the female members of the chorus came out and, to the audience’s delight, the energetic chair ladies joined the girls in a can-can line.  On the Town’s singing and antics served as a wonderful introduction to Shapiro’s talk.

The entertaining speaker told about the many hours he spent interviewing the twenty-one subjects of his book.  His selection process included strict criteria: each woman had to have received at least one Tony Award, and the bulk of their career had to have been spent in the theater. He also researched their many published interviews, framing his questions to bring out other aspects of their lives and careers.

With many, he developed close relationships. When Carol Channing and her husband, Harry Kullijian, went to Disneyland, Shapiro was invited along. He even helped 90-year-old Harry, mount a horse on the carousel. The Channings were still very young at heart and lived life to the fullest. Sadly, Harry died several weeks later.

Among the twenty-one Broadway divas were Chita Rivera, Angela Lansbury, Lesie Uggams, Patty Lupone and Elaine Stritch.

Shapiro certainly did an excellent job of capturing the personalities and careers of these famous stars.  He obviously charmed them all so that they opened up to him about many of their innermost opinions and recollections.

Shapiro’s presentation was one of the highlights of the 2014 San Diego Jewish Book Fair under the auspices of the San Diego Center for Jewish Culture, Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center.

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Eileen Wingard is a freelance writer who focuses on the arts.  She may be contacted via eileen.wingard@sdjewishworld.com