Donna McKechnie has been one of the theater world’s most beloved performers for five decades, starting with her unforgettable turns in such shows as Promises, Promises and Company, and through her Tony Award-winning performance as Cassie in A Chorus Line and her work in Broadway’s State Fair; the Paper Mill Playhouse’s Follies, and the Stephen Sondheim revue Beautiful Girls. On Wednesday, July 28, she will give a special one-night-only performance of her new cabaret act, My Musical Comedy Life at the West Bank Café’s Laurie Beechman Theatre. McKechnie recently spoke with TheaterMania about the show and her future career plans.
THEATERMANIA: Why did you decide to do something different from the previous cabaret shows you’ve done in New York?
DONNA MCKECHNIE: I was asked to do a show in London at Pizza on the Park, and I wanted to bring some things new into the old show I had been doing — a different lineup of songs and adding some different connecting tissue. Some things worked and some things didn’t. Then, while I was there, Richard Jay-Alexander told me about the Adelaide Cabaret Festival in Australia; so we decided to work together and do another version of the show there. But first, we did the show with Baayork Lee’s company in Auburn, New York, which turned out to be very helpful.
TM: What are some of the songs we can expect to hear in this show?
DM: I’m singing a song from a show called The Age of Obama, by my friends Anya Turner and Robert Grusecki, which is about the age of technology. I tried it out in London and it got the best response of any song in the show. My encore is a song called Astaire by Ann Hampton Callaway and Lindy Robbins, which I haven’t done in years. And, of course, there are quite a few Stephen Sondheim songs, including “I’m Still Here.” I’m inviting him to the show — along with some of the other writers whose work I sing — but I don’t know if he’ll come out to see me.
TM: Are you going to be able to dance at the Beechman?
DM: Yes: I’ve looked at the stage and I think I found a way to throw my body around a little area — my three musicians will just have to be squashed together in one corner. I say that I hit the poses like a Polaroid shot. Of course, I’d love to be able to show off some full-out moves; that makes me happy!
TM: What was it like performing in Australia for the first time?
DM:. I’ve toured all over the US and London, so I’ve gotten used to different sensibilities from place to place, but I really didn’t know what to expect there. I got a great response. And I loved the festival; they had something for someone every hour of every day.
(© Joseph Marzullo/WENN)
TM: What other gigs do you have coming up?
DM: Tommy Tune is going to direct a concert with me, Kaye Ballard, and Lilliane Montevecchi called Three for the Road in Santa Fe on December 4. I am very excited. I think the world of him and I know he will make it quite magical. I also want do more symphony things; in fact, I’d love to see this show fully arranged for a big orchestra.
TM: You got a great reception for your memoir Time Steps. Would you consider writing another book?
DM: One book is enough for now. I had no interest initially in even writing that one. I think your personal life is no one’s business. I find it hard enough to reveal my soul through a character. Of course, I do talk about my life in my shows. I call my personal philosophy, all-reveal, half-conceal.
TM: You’ve done some choreographing and directing in recent years. Is there more of that in your future?
DM: I don’t pursue choreographing and directing jobs, but when something like choreographing Guys and Dolls at the Hollywood Bowl last summer comes my way, it’s a great gift. I’m still such a hambone that I want to focus on performing, and I get the feeling that if I don’t keep the perception of me as performer, people will stop thinking of me as one. It was hard enough to be thought of as an actor and singer after really being thought of dancer for so many years..
TM: Speaking of dancing, there’s a very popular YouTube video of you doing “Turkey Lurkey Time” from Promises, Promises at the 1968 Tony Awards. Have you seen it?
DM: Oh, yes. And I remember that night; they highly polished the floor and it was so slippery we thought we would fall — we were screaming by the end. It was meant to be fast, but that tempo was too fast. Every time I watch it, my neck hurts and I know why I have to still go to the chiropractor.
TM: Did you go see the current production of Promises, Promises?
DM: I did and I enjoyed the show. Whenever I see anything, I try to keep an open mind. My feeling is if you want to do something new, that’s wonderful, as long as you keep the integrity of the piece. And if you try to just imitate something that’s already been done, there’s a real danger to that. I think theater is called an interpretive art for a reason.
