By Andrew Gans
13 Apr 2004
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| Toni DiBuono and Fred Barton (right) in The Two Svengalis |
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| photo by Richey Fahey |
Fred Barton and Toni DiBuono, who met during their stints in Gerard Alessandrini's Forbidden Broadway, reunite for a new musical this month at Don't Tell Mama.
Entitled The Two Svengalis, the new musical features songs by singer-composer Barton and a book by Barton and actress DiBuono. Their debut writing collaboration will play the New York cabaret April 21-30.
According to production notes, The Two Svengalis concerns an "inhibited suburban housewife [who] picks a singularly ineffectual vocal coach to help her learn how to sing. After discovering a shared secret in their pasts, the two lost souls find they have a mysterious ability to inspire greatness in one another. Suddenly their star power gels and they become overnight mega-celebrities." The musical features 14 new songs, including "Suffocated Lady," "Party Girl," "Break My Heart" and "I'm the Queen and You're Not."
Fred Barton was the arranger and music director for Off-Broadway's Whoop-Dee Doo. He was the original arranger-performer-pianist for the first edition of Forbidden Broadway, and his cult musical Miss Gulch Returns! received a 1985 Back Stage Bistro Award for Musical Comedy Performance. A recording of that musical was reissued on CD in 1999.
Toni DiBuono was most recently on Broadway in The Boys From Syracuse. She has been seen Off-Broadway in Up Against It, Bad Habits and Forbidden Broadway. Her screen credits include "Mathnet," "Law & Order" and "Our Home." DiBuono is the recipient of a Drama Desk Award and an Outer Critics Circle Award.
