He Cannot Be 50!!!

That's what all the guests were saying at Rob Bartley's birthday party this evening at Hurley's on W48th

...or, at least, the "Rescheduled (because of the Hurricane) Not-So-Scary Halloween 50th Birthday Party" hosted by Rob's husband Danny Whitman. Rob and Danny are new friends of mine and I was so thrilled to be invited.

Danny (L) and Rob (R) created the brilliant annual Broadway Cares fundraiser  BROADWAY BACKWARDS and Rob recently directed the Off-Broadway musical BEDBUGS! which closed last weekend.

My gorgeous pals Jim Brochu and Harvey Evans were in attendance. They truly must think I'm stalking them.
Harvey met birthday boy Rob when he was playing Buddy in one of his many productions of FOLLIES and Rob played Young Buddy. Apparently Rob looked so amazingly like Harvey when he was a youngster that the director said, "Kid, if you can sing and dance the part is yours!"

On the left is a new acquaintance, John-Charles Kelly who replaced Harvey Evans as Buddy in that production of FOLLIES in Seattle with Judy Kaye, Constance Towers and Walter Charles. On the right is composer Steve Schalchlin, recently returned from London where his and Jim Brochu's musical THE LAST SESSION played a successful season.

Perhaps switching hats wasn't the best idea....

 

Other guests I saw were Tom Viola, Executive Director of Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS, and Eve Plumb of THE BRADY BUNCH. I also met Brian Charles Rooney, most recently in BEDBUGS! but perhaps most famous for playing Lucy Brown in the last Broadway revival of THREEPENNY OPERA with Cyndi Lauper and Alan Rickman.

Brian and I were bemoaning the difficulty we are having getting auditions at the moment, and suddenly a guest nearby said Brian would be perfect for the lead in an upcoming Off-Broadway musical which is auditioning next Tuesday and handed him his card with all the details. I'm telling you, this town is ALL about being in the right place at the right time!!