After working in Children’s Theatre and Regional Theatre for several years, I really wanted to work at home. And home for me is New York City…born and raised!
So I thought to myself …what are Black Actors mainly doing in New York (the year being 1977) and my answer was “singing and dancing”.

I considered myself an Actor, who could sing and “move well”.
I realized that “moving well” was probably not going to cut it. And after a disastrous dance audition for the Broadway show OVER HERE, I signed up to take dance class at the Alvin Alley dance studio…my goal being to learn how to do a clean double spin. (which I did).

In early 1977 I was cast in an Off-Broadway Musical called LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. (very little dancing was required). I was in the midst of rehearsals, when I got an audition for the new Broadway Musical ON THE TWENTIETH CENTURY. I went in and sang for Hal Prince and all went well. I got a callback to come in and dance. I was ready this time…then I found out it was a tap dancing audition. Now I had taken tap lessons as a kid, but I was nowhere near, what I thought a Broadway tapper should be…And given the fact that I truly was in the middle of tech rehearsals for LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, I told my agents to tell the casting folks that I was unavailable for a call back. But if at a later time, they were still seeing people I’d be happy to come in. (thinking that would never happen)…needless to say they called!

So, I go to the audition…this is for the role of one of the Train Porters. We’re shown the routine…It’s sixteen shuffles and a time step. I’m thinking two things: 1. This is just the first part of a much harder routine. 2. I can at least do sixteen shuffles and a time step.

Well, I watched the first group of guy go up to do the routine…and literally NONE of them could do sixteen shuffles and a time step. WELL…when I got up there…I turned into Fred Astaire! And I got cast in my first Broadway Show. Just show’s to go you…what a little tap’ll do you!!

A little postscript…On the first day of rehearsals of most shows, there is what is called a “show and tell” All the creatives are there; playing the score, reading the script, displaying the set and giving a taste of the choreography. The tap number that they showed us, was a show stopping tap number, complete with jump splits! NONE of us guy’s cast as the Porters could really tap. I got the Choreographer Larry Fuller, off to the side and asked him,” How long is it going to take for us to learn this routine?” He said “If you were paying us…2 years…since we are paying you…6 weeks!”……SHOWBIZ BABY