\u00a0After working in Children\u2019s Theatre and Regional Theatre for several years, I really wanted to work at home. And home for me is New York City\u2026born and raised!
\nSo I thought to myself \u2026what are Black Actors mainly doing in New York (the year being 1977) and my answer was \u201csinging and dancing\u201d.<\/p>\n
I considered myself an Actor, who could sing and \u201cmove well\u201d.
\nI realized that \u201cmoving well\u201d 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\u2026my goal being to learn how to do a clean double spin. (which I did).<\/p>\n
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\u2026then 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\u2026And 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\u2019d be happy to come in. (thinking that would never happen)\u2026needless to say they called!<\/p>\n
So, I go to the audition\u2026this is for the role of one of the Train Porters. We\u2019re shown the routine\u2026It\u2019s sixteen shuffles and a time step. I\u2019m 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.<\/p>\n
Well, I watched the first group of guy go up to do the routine\u2026and literally NONE of them could do sixteen shuffles and a time step. WELL\u2026when I got up there\u2026I turned into Fred Astaire! And I got cast in my first Broadway Show. Just show\u2019s to go you\u2026what a little tap\u2019ll do you!!<\/p>\n
A little postscript\u2026On the first day of rehearsals of most shows, there is what is called a \u201cshow and tell\u201d 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\u2019s cast as the Porters could really tap. I got the Choreographer Larry Fuller, off to the side and asked him,\u201d How long is it going to take for us to learn this routine?\u201d He said \u201cIf you were paying us\u20262 years\u2026since we are paying you\u20266 weeks!\u201d……SHOWBIZ BABY<\/p>\n
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\u00a0After working in Children\u2019s Theatre and Regional Theatre for several years, I really wanted to work at home. And home for me is New York City\u2026born and raised! So I thought to myself \u2026what are Black Actors mainly doing in New York (the year being 1977) and my answer was \u201csinging and dancing\u201d. I considered […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":116,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-highlight"],"metadata":{"_edit_lock":["1555703801:116"]},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n