Radio daze

Today was the long awaited recording date of a radio show called Arts & Books hosted by Michael Cathcart for Australia's ABC Radio National. Michael had contacted me while I was back in Sydney about putting together an episode called TONY SHELDON'S NEW YORK.

I had not met Michael or his wife, playwright Hannie Rayson who would be producing the episode, so when he gave me the brief to think up some ideas about show business in NYC and perhaps line up a few guests to be interviewed, I don't think he was expecting me to embrace the task with quite so much fervor. We met in a quiet cafe on W49th St where the staff kindly turned down the background music and seated us away from the lunchtime crowds while I held forth about my personal history, the history of the American musical and the PRISCILLA Broadway experience. Then we moved on to catch up with my "guests".

 Audra McDonald and Will Swenson graciously consented to chat in Audra's dressing room at the Richard Rodgers Theatre between performances of  PORGY & BESS and needless to say charmed the pants off Michael and Hannie. I thanked them with a box of two dozen Schmackery's cookies which will send their blood sugar levels into the stratosphere and probably kill them.

My fave male vocalist Jack Donahue raced downtown on his way to see Jeff Macauley's gig at Don't Tell Mama and during the course of his interview (at the Renaissance Hotel in Times Square) came up with the best quote of the day. He bemoaned the fact that this town is so full of artists concentrating on their careers that when you run into people in the street they only talk of their next booking (or lack thereof) when Jack would rather talk about their dogs or their gardens. He feels that they often miss out on having a life because they don't take the time to just walk through the park and literally stop and smell the roses.
I think Michael and Hannie now have enough material for two episodes. I left them looking slightly dazed and preparing to spend the rest of the evening at their hotel editing the tapes. Can't wait to hear the final result!