By Andrew Gans
03 Aug 2007

Question: During those 12 years that you weren't on Broadway, is there any production that stands out as a favorite?
Testa: Geez, I have a hard time remembering what I do. [Laughs.] The only time I can remember what I've done is Broadway simply because the years get emblazoned into your head.

Question: And, how about Broadway? Is there anything that stands out as a favorite?
Testa: Oh, God. I have to say, I stood by for Liza Minnelli in The Rink in 1984 and ended up going on for two weeks with Chita [Rivera]. It was sort of overwhelming, but it was a great part for me, and I had a great time. I think Terrence McNally sort of became a slight fan of mine. He was always very sweet during that show. I think I heard he had told some people that they should come and see me do the role because I was really good, which was very nice.

Question: What was it like getting to play opposite Chita?
Testa: It was great. She was phenomenal, and that's when I met Graci, and I've worked with Graciela Daniele a long time as well. Graci was the choreographer on that show, and Rob Marshall was her assistant. . . . No, I actually knew Graci before, but I had never worked with her. I just adore Graci. She is one of my favorite people to work with on the planet.

Question: Do you have any other projects in the works while you're in Xanadu?
Testa: Well, I'm not doing anything right now, but I had done my own show at Joe's Pub that I had worked on for about five years. It's not really a cabaret. I want to do it in a theatre. I've got to pick that back up now that we're open. During the rehearsal process, there was no time to work on anything else, so I want to revisit that.

Question: What's that show like?
Testa: It is all-sung. It's called Sleepless Variations, although that's not really the title I ultimately want to keep on it. It's a show about the kind of thoughts you have when you can't sleep, the way your brain works when you can't sleep.

Question: Is it new material?
Testa: There are 25 songs. Half of them are brand new, from people like Michael John LaChiusa and Ricky Ian Gordon and Rusty McGee and Bjork. It's just an interesting combination of music that I've put together with Michael Starobin, and we've been working for quite a long time on it. So we did two shows at Joe's Pub to see if the piece worked, and now we want to work on it some more.

Question: How long do you think you'll stay with Xanadu?
Testa: I have a year's contract.

Question: Do you like long runs?
Testa: Long runs are interesting. I've only done two — I've done Forum and 42nd Street. Both of those were two-year runs for me. [With] Forum I did a million things while I was doing [the show]. I did the workshop of Marie Christine during that time, and I did On the Town during that time, in the park. . . . I did a lot of stuff during 42nd Street as well. It's a blessing and a curse [doing] a long run. But in these days, with this financial climate, it would be nice to have a long run and have a steady job.

[Xanadu plays the Helen Hayes Theatre, 240 West 44th Street; call (212) 239-6200 for tickets or visit www.telecharge.com.]

DIVA TIDBITS
How exciting that the York Theatre Company's Musicals in Mufti series will present Stephen Schwartz and Joseph Stein's The Baker's Wife this fall! The news got me to thinking of who I'd like to see play Genevieve (the role created by Tony and Olivier winner Patti LuPone) in the Oct. 26-28 staged concert performances. At the top of my list would be Judy Kuhn — just to hear Kuhn wrap her rich tones around "Where Is the Warmth?" would be worth the price of admission. Of course, if La LuPone is free it would be more than a thrill (and a little bit of a lark — meadow, of course) to see her re-create her performance. E-mail me, and let me know who'd you like to hear belt out "Meadowlark" and "Gifts of Love." . . . The other Mufti offerings — all featuring a book by Joseph Stein — include Zorba (Sept. 14-16), Enter Laughing (Sept. 28-30) and The Body Beautiful (Oct. 12-14). The Mufti series is presented at the Theatre at Saint Peter's, which is located at 54th Street, east of Lexington Avenue. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (212) 935-5820 or visit www.yorktheatre.org.

Three Broadway-themed evenings will be offered at Manhattan's Town Hall in October as part of the third annual Broadway Cabaret Festival created, hosted and written by Scott Siegel. On Oct. 19 a concert celebrating the music of composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz will be presented at 8 PM. A host of Broadway actors — including Liz Callaway, Judy Kuhn, Lari White and several others associated with Schwartz's music — are expected to honor the composer of Wicked, Godspell, Pippin, The Magic Show and The Baker's Wife. . . . Oct. 20 will feature An Evening with Betty Buckley. The Tony Award-winning actress, who has graced the Broadway stage in Sunset Boulevard, Triumph of Love, Cats, 1776, Carrie, Song & Dance, The Mystery of Edwin Drood and Pippin, will make her solo Town Hall debut at 8 PM. Buckley will celebrate the release of her forthcoming recordings (stay tuned for exciting details!) during the concert and will also offer tunes from an eclectic repertoire that spans the worlds of pop, rock, folk, blues, standards and musical theatre. . . . Broadway Originals! is the title of the 3 PM concert Oct. 21. The afternoon performance will feature "a dazzling array of Broadway performers reprising songs they introduced either in original Broadway productions or Broadway revivals." Among those already scheduled to perform are Len Cariou, Alan Campbell, Anita Gillette, George S. Irving and Martin Vidnovic. Tickets for the concerts are $50 each and are available by visiting www.ticketmaster.com. Town Hall is located in Manhattan at 123 West 43rd Street. For more information visit www.the-townhall-nyc.org.

The 2008 season of the 92nd Street Y's acclaimed "Lyrics & Lyricists" series will feature five shows created by five different artistic directors. The series will kick off Jan. 12-14, 2008, with It's Magic: The Lyrics of Sammy Cahn. Tony Award winner Ted Sperling will be the artistic director for the concerts, which will explore "the wide variety of Cahn's lyric writing, the simplicity of songs like 'I Fall in Love Too Easily,' and the playfulness of novelty songs like '10432 Sheep.'" . . . Rob Fisher will be the artistic director for Life Is a Cabaret: A Tribute to Fred Ebb, which will be presented Feb. 23-25. Fisher was music director and conductor for the revival of Kander and Ebb's Chicago and also knew Ebb personally. The evenings will feature songs from such Kander and Ebb scores as Cabaret, The Happy Time, Zorba, Chicago, Woman of the Year, The Rink, Kiss of the Spider Woman and Curtains. . . . I've Got Your Number: Romance, The Rat Pack and Carolyn Leigh will feature artistic direction by Deborah Grace Winer, music direction by John Oddo and stage direction by Mark Waldrop. The March 29-31 concerts will pay tribute to Leigh, the lyricist of such songs as "Young at Heart," "Witchcraft," "The Best Is Yet to Come," "Rules of the Road" and "I've Got Your Number." . . . Two cabaret favorites will close out the season. The 1959 Broadway Songbook (May 3-5) will feature Jeff Harnar as artistic director, host and vocalist. One of Harnar's most acclaimed acts, the evenings celebrate the songs of 1959, including tunes from Gypsy, The Sound of Music, Fiorello, West Side Story, The Music Man and My Fair Lady. Harnar will be followed by Andrea Marcovicci, who is the artistic director, host and vocalist for Did the American Songbook End in 1965?. The May 31-June 2 concerts will feature musical director Shelly Markham on piano. The evenings will include songs written after 1965 that have become popular standards. Audiences can expect to hear tunes by Hal David and Burt Bacharach, James Taylor, Billy Joel, Joni Mitchell, the Beatles, Alan and Marilyn Bergman, Paul Simon and Stephen Sondheim. Tickets are now on sale by calling (212) 415-5500 or by visiting www.92Y.org/lyrics.

Due to fall renovation at the Merkin Concert Hall, the Kaufman Center's Broadway Close Up series will be presented at TimesCenter, located in the New York Times building on West 41st Street. The series, which presents "an inside look at the world of musical theatre," will comprise three evenings: Stephen Schwartz: Magic To Do, Sheldon Harnick: To Life! and Bound for Broadway VIII. Wicked composer Schwartz will discuss his work Oct. 1 at 8 PM. Sean Hartley will host the evening, which will feature performances by Debbie Gravitte, Liz Callaway and Marni Nixon. . . . Sheldon Harnick, who penned the lyrics to Jerry Bock's music for The Apple Tree, She Loves Me, Fiorello! and Fiddler on the Roof, will chat about his creations Nov. 5 at 8 PM. Hartley will also host that evening, which will feature Rebecca Luker and David Margulies. . . . The series will conclude Dec. 3 at 8 PM with the eighth edition of Bound for Broadway. Liz Callaway will once again host the evening that offers a sneak peek at five new shows headed for Broadway. The three-concert subscription is priced $85; single tickets are $35. For tickets call (212) 501-3330 or visit www.merkinconcerthall.org.

Broadway belter Mary Bond Davis, who originated the role of Motormouth Maybelle in the Tony-winning musical Hairspray, will head to Provincetown later this month. Davis will perform a solo concert at the The Crown and Anchor Aug. 19. The 10 PM concert will feature a mix of standards, blues, pop, show tunes and, according to press notes, "a bit of dirt and gossip." Davis will be backed by Michael Fauss on piano. The Crown and Anchor is located at 247 Commercial Street in Provincetown, MA. Tickets, priced $25, are available by calling (508) 487-1430.

Well, that's all for now. Happy diva-watching! E-mail questions or comments to agans@playbill.com.

Two Divas: Melissa Errico (l.) was a surprise guest at Betty Buckley's recent thrilling concerts at the Blue Note.
photo by Ben Strothmann

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