|
| The following biographies
are taken from the many different playbills produced during Bette's
onstage days. These people only represent a small portion of the
many talented men and women who have worked to make Bette's shows a huge success.
A big thank you to all of them, and to the people who haven't been
featured yet! |
|
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
(1966-1969)
Majestic Theatre |
|
BETTE MIDLER (tzeitel)
 Miss
Midler is a Hawaiian born and bred lass who calls Honolulu home. After
participating in high school dramatics and attending the University of
Hawaii, she came to New York to study acting with Herbert Berghof. Her
professional acting debut began in films in Honolulu where she
portrayed a surf bunny in a Bikini beach movie called Surf-a-go-go. Her
first New York engagement was off-off Broadway at Café La Mama where
she played the lead in Miss Nefertiti Regrets. She also played in
Cinderella Revisited down on Second Avenue and appeared in a
Catskill revue called An Evening of Tradition, an adaptation of
Sholom Aleichem and Paddy Chayefsky stories.
|
|
Playbill Magazine - 1969 |
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THE DIVINE MISS M TOUR (1972-1973)
Capitol Theatre |
|
BETTE MIDLER
 Bette
is a singing comedienne with a lusty voice backed by a lot of energy and
brash self-confidence. She does too much rock to be considered a cabaret
singer, and too much pop to be considered a rock singer. Give her any
song from the last 40 years – she will rend it, dramatically bring to
life the essence of that song, then coat it with a startling sense of
the here and now. She is a bona fide original, the first white show
woman of the current pop era. Bette
Midler is destined to become the superstar of this generation. She can
jump around from period to period, creating moods of different eras,
singing with incredible range, dancing, and being genuinely funny and
completely unique. She has the kind of magnetism that bridges the space
between the stage and audience, and turns most audiences into an adoring
cult. Bette's
first album, currently available on Atlantic Records, is appropriately
entitled, "The Divine Miss M"
|
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Capitol Theatre
-
1973 |
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THE DIVINE MISS M TOUR (1972-1973)
Universal Amphitheatre |
|
BETTE MIDLER
 Bette
Midler is "hot." Hailed by every major publication and
tastemaker as "the first star of the seventies", she is
performing S.R.O. concerts in prestigious concert halls across the
country. Her first Atlantic album, "The Divine Miss M," was
certified gold, the single releases - "Do You Wanna Dance?"
and "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" -- immediately topped all
national sales charts. In the spring she will star in her own ABC-TV
Special. Bette grew up in Hawaii, the only Jewish girl in a
working-class Samoan neighborhood,
and spent a year at the University of Hawaii studying drama.
After a brief stint in a pineapple cannery, she was hired as a
movie extra, playing a missionary's wife in "Hawaii". It paid
$350 and took her to Los Angeles for final shooting. From there she went
immediately to New York to study singing and dancing and audition for
Broadway. Eventually she landed a chorus job in "Fiddler on the
Roof' and soon graduated to the principal role of Tzeitel, which she
played for three years. After leaving "Fiddler" she was booked
into an all male bathhouse that had entertainment. She revived
torch songs of the 30's, blues from the 40's, melodrama from the 50's
and "low-rent-retro-rock and roll" from the 60's. Miss M
caused an immediate underground sensation. She takes to the stage, this
5'1" redheaded flash of energy, hand on hip. And it begins -- fun,
fantasy, mind-boggling entertainment. From raunchy-rocking humor to
insightful poignancy, the lady tugs at every emotion. Strongly
ambitious, Bette has serious ideas about her career and the directions
it will take. Ask her why she performs and she'll say, "To give
people a giggle". Pursue the subject and you'll learn that her
ultimate goal is to gather warmth and affection of the same intensity
bestowed upon her idol, Charlie Chaplin. Bette
Midler is a throw-back to the hard-work, no-nonsense,
strictly-professional ethic of show business. With a foundation like
that, Bette can afford to bill herself as "trash with flash".
Miss M is definitely hot!!!
|
|
Theatergoer -
1973 |
|
THE DIVINE MISS M TOUR (1972-1973)
PALACE THEATRE |
|
BETTE MIDLER
 Hailed
by every major publication and tastemaker as "the first star of the
seventies", she is performing S.R.O. concerts in prestigious
concert halls across the country. Her first record album, "The
Divine Miss M", and the single releases, "Do You Want To
Dance?" and "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy", immediately topped
all national sales charts. Her second album, titled "Bette
Midler", was just released by Atlantic Records, and is already an
enormous hit. She's been booked, almost on a regular's basis on Johnny
Carson's Tonight Show. Burt Bacharach featured her on his ABC-TV Special
and her performance was cited as "the hour's finest moment".
And still the requests come pouring in. Film scripts arrive daily at the office of her manager, Aaron Russo, as well
as offers for her own television series and T.V. specials.
But, like all overnight-success stories, Bette Midler's was many
years in the making. She grew up in Hawaii, the only Jewish girl in a
working-class Samoan neighborhood.
Her vivid memories of
childhood include avoiding street fights with her tougher
classmates and spending hours in movie theaters. "I used to wander
the old red light district," she says, "the tacky part of
town. And it looked very romantic and passionate to me, so alive. See,
even then I was always fascinated by the bad girls. It seemed like the
bad girls always had the most fun."
She spent a year at the University of Hawaii, studying drama.
Then after a brief time working in a pineapple cannery, she was hired as
a movie extra, playing a missionary's wife in "Hawaii" It paid
$350 and took her to Los Angeles for final shooting. From there she went
immediately to New York to become an actress. Singing and dancing
lessons took her time as well as the paying-your-dues type jobs: filing
and typing at Columbia University, selling gloves at Sterns department
store, singing for no pay in Greenwich Village coffee houses. Eventually
she landed a chorus job in Fiddler on the Roof and soon graduated
to the principal role of Tzeitel, which she played for three
years. About
that time, Bette saw a production of the Theater for the Ridiculous and
was deeply impressed. "There was this character, Waterfront Woman -
I'II never forget her. I wanted to be just like her." That,
perhaps, formed the early nucleus for her portrayal of "The Divine
Miss M." Through
some friends she learned that the owner of the Continental Baths, a New
York all-male bathhouse, had instituted an entertainment policy. She was
booked and revived torch songs of the 30's, blues from the 40's,
melodrama from the 50's and "low-rent-retro-rock and roll"
from the 60's. Miss M caused an immediate underground sensation.
The Divine Miss M is a characterization--as finely-honed as
Charlie Chaplin's Little Tramp, as rich in nuance as Jack Benny's
miserliness, as
glamorous as the sum total of all the Ziegfeld girls.
She takes to the stage, this 5'1" redheaded flash of energy,
hand on hip. "You've Got To Have Friends" she sings for her
cheering audience.
She has them.
And it begins--fun, fantasy, mind-boggling entertainment. From
raunchy-rocking humor to insightful poignancy, the lady tugs at very
emotion. Her audience is as unique as her act.
From Woodstock children to middle-aged establishment, from
bubble-gum toddlers to aged blue-haired ladies, the fans are legion and
loyal. Bette,
on the other hand, is a complete and separate personality. Strongly
ambitious, she has serious ideas about her career and the directions it
will take. While she has already been compared with most great ladies of
the theater and music, one does not see in Bette any trace of the
self-destruction that has become almost synonymous with the lives
of too many people in the public eye. Ask her why she performs and
she'll say, "To give people a giggle" Pursue the subject
further and you'll learn that her
ultimate goal is to gather warmth and affection of the same intensity
bestowed upon her idol, Charlie Chaplin.
In a business filled with more super-egos than true super-stars,
Bette Midler is a throwback to the hard-work, no-nonsense, strictly
professional ethic of show business. With a foundation like that, Bette
can afford to bill herself as "trash with hash ... sleaze with
ease"
|
|
Playbill Magazine -
1973 |
|
AARON RUSSO (producer)
 Aaron
(Baron Brusio) Russo is the most voluptuous manager to be found today
and is the very proud possessor of the most unsavory reputation in show
biz. He earned his reputation in Chicago in the mid-60's when he
unleashed a tide of rock 'n' roll upon that unsuspecting city, the likes
of which has never been equaled. Mr. Russo owned and operated the
Kinetic Playground in that city and presented The Jefferson Airplane,
The Grateful Dead, The Who, Big Brother, Led Zeppelin, Joe Cocker, The
Doors and others long before they achieved success. In 1969, a
mysterious fire forced him to close his doors and since then he has
been, at some time or other, in almost ever area of the music business
(and I do mean business, honey) including having his own record label and
managing "The Flock," for which Columbia Records will never
forgive him. Mr. Russo and The Divine have been together since
September 1972 and are completely exhausted by the intensity of their
relationship but completely fulfilled as well.
|
|
Playbill Magazine -
1973 - Written by: Bette Midler |
|
RON DELSENER
(associate producer)
 Ron
founded and is still producer of The Schafer Music Festival in Central Park.
The popular series has just completed it's 8th successful season.
Mr. Delsener has also presented the "free" concerts in Central
Park starring Barbra Streisand (135,000 people attended); Herb Alpert
& The Tijuana Brass; and most recently, Carole King. Mr.
Delsener also presented Judy Garland's "free" concert
appearance on the Boston Common in Boston, Massachusetts, on August 31,
1967, which attracted over 100,000 persons. In addition, he has
presented concerts at the Forrest Hills Tennis Stadium. He is the
producer of all the midnight concerts at Radio City Music Hall, and he
presents over 100 concerts annually in such varied locations as Carnegie
Hall; Madison Square Garden; Philharmonic Hall; The Metropolitan Opera
House; and the Nassau Coliseum. In the summer of 1971, Mr.
Delsener taped the first rock T.V. special for prime-time network
television called Good Vibrations from Central Park starring Ike
& Tina Turner, Carly Simon, and The Beach Boys. This show was
to become the prototype of the current In Concert rock
series. In 1972 and 1973, Ron produced similar Good Vibrations
Specials. Some of the performers presented by Delsener have been
The Rolling Stones; Elton John; Shirley Bassey; Paul Simon; Chicago;
Janis Joplin's last concert appearance; Carly Simon; James Taylor;
Groucho Marx; the fabulous Pointer Sisters 40's party / concert at
Roseland; David Bowie; and January of 1974, will include Marlene
Dietrich at Carnegie Hall and Johnny Mathis at Philharmonic Hall.
He has been cited by New York Magazine as "among the top ten
most influential New Yorkers in the cultural field." The
BETTE MIDLER appearance marks Mr. Delsener's second show at the Palace
Theatre. |
|
Playbill Magazine - 1973 |
|
BARRY MANILOW (musical
director)
 When
Barry first met Bette Midler, she was working at a pineapple cannery in
Honolulu and he was a pineapple. Now occasionally referred to as
the Divine Mr. M, he arranges, produces, cajoles, conducts and fights
with the Divine Miss M. He also arranges, co-produces with Ron
Dante and conducts himself on his own recently released album, all while
locked up in a Del Monte tin can. |
|
Playbill Magazine -
1973 - Written By: Bill Spaulding |
|
SHARON REDD
(Harlette)
 Sharon
was born in a flower one summer day during Indian Summer in the month of
Libra. She immediately put on a "Spinners" cassette.
After winning the Schafer Talent contest, she swept Australia with her fabulous
singing style (and a broom). She returned triumphantly to the U.S.
and was immediately cast as one of the million girls in Iphagenia,
off-Broadway. She was tapped by Petula Clark to sing in her night
club act and after three months tapped Petula right back. She was
discovered by Miss M in an all-nigh laundry, boogalooing to the rhythm
of the dryer. She graduated to headphones in the Spring of 1970
and received her Master's Degree in Bracelets shortly thereafter.
Her impression of Sarah Vaughn is known around the world and she has one
of the greatest smiles going. |
|
Playbill Magazine - 1973 - Written by:
Barry Manilow |
ROBIN GREAN (Harlette)
 The
words "Grean" (pronounced Gree-han) and "tasteful"
are synonymous. Her diverse career has ranged from jingle singer extraordinaire
to creating the role of First Singing Leper in Broadway's Jesus
Christ Superstar. Ms. Grean also likes to milk cows.
With the help of Tom O'Horgan and The Divine Miss M she has learned to
overcome the prejudice she has had to endure - branded with the name:
Episcopalian. Her father is the well-known and tasteful Charles
Randolph Grean. |
|
Playbill Magazine - 1973 - Written by:
Will Lee |
|
CHARLOTTE CROSSLEY (Harlette)
 Charlotte,
known to her friends as "So-Low-Charlow-Crossfire," happens to
be a Taurus with her moon in Leo and a lot of Leo rising. Born and
raised in Chicago, she is a member of Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism and has
appeared in such stunning productions as Hair, Jesus Christ
Superstar, and Paul Sills Story Theatre. You may have
also encountered her vivacious personality in Metamorphosis at the
Spoleto Festival - 73 or in the original Broadway cast of Tricks.
Finally, she replaced Melissa Manchester as a Harlette, and has been a
pal of The Divine for a number of years now. Charlotte, who loves Broadway
but hates the road, says that she's been influenced by Dorothy Dandridge
and Dionne Warwicke - I think she has a style all her own. |
|
Playbill Magazine - 1973 - Written By:
Frank Vento |
|
DON GROLNICK (organ)
 Don
was discovered by Miss M at Roseland one Wednesday afternoon, when he
passed her his card reading "Organ For Hire." Times
being what they were she hired him on the spot. It turned out
well, because Don plays his baby buns off and loves his music more than
anything else in life. He has played with the Best and the Baddest,
including George Jessel, The Joffrey Ballet, Neil Sedaka, and incidentally,
was leader of the now defunct "Dreams," for 48 hours.
Don loves the road and usually looks forward to a good long tour.
The last Miss M trek gave him pause, however, and it is unlikely that he
will venture out upon it again. Instead, he will devote himself to
the recording studio, and the wearing of his muck-lucks. At
least, I hope so. |
| Playbill Magazine - 1973
- Written by: Bette Midler |
|
WILL LEE (bass)
 I
have played with Will Lee (The Fish) in New York and on the road for
three years. We have apartments in the same building and patronize
the same bookstores. All this qualifies me to say that Will Lee is
not only a great guy but a great competitor as well. Outstanding
virtues: great time, great notes and great warmth. Outstanding
faults: slow-growing mustache, changes the arrangements (attributed to
his youth) and likes puns. |
|
Playbill Magazine - 1973 - Written by:
Don Grolnick |
|
LUTHER RIX (drummer)
 Luther
played with Buzzy Linhart, The Big Mr. B, Bette Midler and a host of
other star-studded personalities - including Fred Waring, Sr. (6 months
of one nighters with him). He also plays with himself.
Recently married to a wonderful girl, the former Ellen Garrett, he's
very happy. He's the next Gene Krupa. |
|
Playbill Magazine - 1973 - Written by:
Charlotte Crossley |
|
FRANK VENTO
(guitar)
 Frank
was born (somewhat earlier than yesterday, popular myth notwithstanding)
in the primitive Outback Country of Brooklyn, N.Y., one of the world's
few remaining frontier areas. A third-generation Lithuanian-American,
he soon displayed great talent for this native instrument, the guitar,
and at an early age delighted family and friends with brilliant
renditions of local ethnic dances, such as the boogie and boogaloo.
Discovered by Will Lee, a young bassist hardly older than he, he
suddenly found himself thrust into the World of The Divine (an event he
had not anticipated until the usual three score years and ten). He
has not only played incredibly well in this setting, he has also quickly
made the difficult cultural transition to Bananaland. It is only rarely
that he leaps into the air, singing "Sweet Sue," and then just
as suddenly falls into the deep "Sleep Of The Divine," from
which he can only be awakened by the legendary Kimo (Kee-mow), great
profit of the Eskimos. |
|
Playbill Magazine - 1973 - Written by:
Luther Rix |
|
BILL SPAULDING (road manager)
 Bill,
known by all as little Wuzzy was found in Buffalo Children's Hospital
and placed in the Quaker co-ed Boarding School. He was discovered
by the Captain Crunch Memorial Dead Calf Band at the tiny age of
17. He ran away to college to later become the most sought-after
road manage in Rock & Roll. Within 3 1/2 years, he hopped, skipped,
and jumped around with almost every major and not so major American and
British band, including Tom Jones, Carly Simon. Quote: "And
that's where I came from." So from sinking ships to rising
stars, Wuzzy is rising too.
|
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Playbill Magazine - 1973 - Written by:
Sharon Redd |
|
CLAMS ON THE HALF SHELL REVUE (1975)
MINSKOFF THEATRE |
|
BETTE
MIDLER
 Bette
wishes to thank Aaron Russo, Joe Layton, Ron Delsener, Lionel Hampton,
Tony Walton, Patrick Merla, Don York, Jerry Blatt (in love at last),
Andre de Shields (the Boogie Master), Charlotte, Robin and Sharon
(the Inevitable Harletltes), Michael Powell's joyous sounds,
Bruce Vilanch (who may win the bet yet), Brian Avne, Fritz Holt, George
who looks like Stephen, Act 48 Studios (so clean!), Jerry Wynn, Terry
Foster, Candy Leigh, Richard Amsel, Adrienne Goldman / Willson-Frissora,
Sherry and Vern / Eternal Designs, Fran Frank, Sydney Smith, Frank
Owens, Barry Manilow, Bill Hennessy, Fred, Ruth, Susan, Daniel and
Judith - and wants them to know that she loves them ... as well as:
Ahmet, Jerry, Aretha, Rita H., Ella F., Gerry Duval, E. Gadd, Bob De
Mora, M. Klingman, The Pink Teacup, Ms. Sharon Moore (who will probably
never recover), Joan Davis (who is a good friend), Tom Reichman, Lucille
Ball, Tom Waits, Charles Chaplin, Fat Beg, Joel Siegel, Eleanora Duse,
Beatrice Lillie, Robert De Niro (the BEST), Billie Holiday, Janis JopIin;
Richard Rodgers, Frank Zappa, P. Simon, B. Zimmerman, H. Humes, G.
Klinger, B. Gillespie, T. Titolo, R. Mason, Susie Taylor, John Prine,
Davey Jones, Patty, Marine and the late LaVerne, Cher, Dorothy Parker,
S. Sontag, S. Dali, K. Kong, Phoebe Snow, Nick Holmes, The Belmonts,
Tracy Nelson, Alex Harvey, Birgit Nilsson, Maya Plizetskaya, Theatre of
the Ridiculous, Gelsey Kirkland, Jerry Robbins, Laurel and Hardy, Sam
Cooke, Diana Boss, Laura Nyro, Karon Bihari, Mikhail Maryshnikov, The
Robert Joffrey Company, The New York City Ballet, et al., The Monty
Python Players (for This Parrot is Dead), and the Longines Symphonette
(for
changing
her
life). Aloha.
|
|
Playbill Magazine - 1975 |
|
LIONEL HAMPTON (co-star)
 In
this his fortieth anniversary in show business it is fitting that
legendary jazz giant Lionel Hampton should be making his Broadway debut
in the company of a performer as legendary as Bette Midler - a natural
step in a career that spans four decades and covers such diverse musical
idioms as swing, bop, avant grade jazz and r&b, and includes the
discovery and naming of Dinah Washington as well as work with such
greats as Coleman Hawkins, Annie Ross, Betty Carter Mingus, to name just
a few. Hamp's musical training began as a child in Catholic
school, where he learned to play the snare drum. He later mastered
the bass-drum, tympani and marimbas. At fifteen Hamp went to Los
Angeles with the Les Hite band, where they were discovered by Louis
Armstrong in 1930. Armstrong used Hite's band as backup on a
recording session, "and that was the first time jazz had ever been
played on the vibes" - by Hamp, of course. In 1936, after a
jam session and a recording session, Hamp received an invitation from
Benny Goodman to join his trio and make it a quartet. It was at
this time that Hamp married Gladys Riddle, and the two of them joined
Goodman in New York. In 1940 Hamp left Goodman to form the first
of his own "big bands," and has been at it ever since.
Hamp's was the first black band to play at a Presidential Inaugural
Ball, for Harry S. Truman. He has also played for Presidents
Eisenhower, Johnson and Nixon, for him he served as "Goodwill
Ambassador of Jazz" and served as personal aide to Governor
Rockefeller, with whose help he organize the Lionel Hampton Community
Development Corp., to provide decent housing and a university in
Harlem. Throughout the years Hamp has continued to record and keep
abreast of the musical times. In 1971 he co-produced a Jazz
Spectacular for Canadian TV. He received instruction in the Jewish
faith from Chief Rabbi Hershoff of Israel during his many tours
there. Today, Hamp is still going strong, playing clubs, theatres,
high schools, colleges and fraternal affairs and doing State Department
and World Tours.
|
|
Playbill Magazine - 1975 |
|
JOE LAYTON (director / choreographer)
As
director / choreographer of Bette Midler's Clams On The Half-Shell
Revue, Joe Layton continues a brilliant career of conceiving and
staging works for television, theatre and film. His direction of
Barbra Streisand in several TV specials (My Name Is Barbra, Color Me
Barbra, The Belle Of Fourteenth Street and Barbra Streisand and
Other Musical Instruments) resulted in one Emmy Award an two
nominations. Mr. Layton's Broadway credits include George M, No
Strings and Greenwillow (for which he received Tony Awards)
and The Girl Who Came To Supper, Sherry Drat! The Cat, Dear World and
Two By Two. In addition, he choreographed Once Upon A Mattress
for Broadway (as well as for television), and created the musical
staging for both The Sound of Music and Noel Coward's Sail
Away (which he later also directed for a London production).
Among the distinguished revivals Mr. Layton has participated in as a
director and / or chorographer are the Lincoln Center production of South
Pacific Town. Besides his work with Miss
M and Miss Streisand, he has created and stages shows for Florence
Henderson, Carol Burnett, Diahann Carroll, Raquel Welch, Debbie
Reynolds, Dyan Cannon and Jack Jones. Among his most memorable TV
creations are The Gershwin Years and the much-repeated Christmas special,
The Little Angel. Mr. Layton is especially proud of his
work with The Theatre of the Deaf debut, for which he stages
musicals numbers performed to perfection by a cast of deaf actors.
His film credits include the musical sequences of Thoroughly Modern
Millie and three films for Columbia Pictures scheduled to go into
production at the conclusion of his work with Miss M. Layton lives
in Los Angeles with his wife, actress Evelyn Russell, and their
eight-year-old son, Jeb. According to Miss M - "He has
everything I own."
|
|
Playbill Magazine - 1975 |
|
AARON RUSSO
(producer)
 Aaron
was born and raised in New York where his business acumen was evidenced
at an early age. Still in his early thirties, he is prominent as a
producer and personal manager in the entertainment industry and has
equal financial interests in the stock market. During the 1960's when
rock music first made a major impact on the culture and morals of young
America, Mr. Russo, at the age of 24, opened the Kinetic Playground in Chicago.
During it's two year life span he presented celebrated legendary performers
including Janis Joplin, Joe Cocker, the Jefferson Airplane, Alice
Cooper, Led Zeppelin, the Who, Jethro Tull and the Grateful Dead, to
name just a few. In 1972, Mr. Russo met Bette Midler and has been
guiding and directing all facts of her career since then. He is
also the personal manager for the up and coming sensation The Manhattan
Transfer. "He owns everything I have," - according to
Miss M.
|
|
Playbill Magazine - 1975 |
|
TONY WALTON
(settings and costumes)
 Tony
has a long and prestigious list of credits for set and costume
design. His numerous English credits include work for the National
Theatre, Royal Opera House, and the Sadlers-Wells Opera House Co., as
well as many West End productions. His Broadway productions
include A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, Sammy
Davis' Golden Boy, The Rehearsal, Mike Nichol's The Apple Tree
and his all-star production of Uncle Vanya, Neil Simon's The
Good Doctor, and the still current Pippin for which he received
the Tony and Drama Desk Awards. His film credits include Mary
Poppins, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, Fahrenheit 451,
Petulia, The Sea Gull, Ken Russell's film of The Boy Friend, and
the most recently Murder on The Orient Express for which he received
an Oscar nomination for his costume design. He is currently
designing the sets for Bob Fosse's Broadway musical Chicago.
|
|
Playbill Magazine - 1975 |
|
RON DELSENER
(co-producer)
Ron
is the founder and still producer of the Schaefer Music Festival in
Central Park, now celebrating it's 10th anniversary season. Mr.
Delsener has also presented the "free" concerts in Central
Park starring Barbra Streisand (135,000 people attended), Herb Alpert
and the Tijuana Brass, and most recently, Carole King. He also
presented Judy Garland's "free" concert at the Boston Common
in Boston, Massachusetts on August 31, 1967. Mr. Delsener presents
over 100 concerts annually in such varied locations as Carnegie Hall,
Madison Square Garden, Philharmonic Hall, The Metropolitan Opera House,
Nassau Coliseum, and Radio City Music Hall. Some of the performers
he as presented have been the Rolling Stones, Elton John, Shirley Bassey,
Paul Simon, Chicago, Carly Simon, James Taylor, Groucho Marx, David
Bowie, the fabulous Pointed Sisters 40's party/concert at Roseland, The
Manhattan Transfer, Labelle at the Metropolitan Opera House, Cat
Stevens, and many, many more. He has been cited by New York
Magazine as "among the top ten most influential New Yorkers in
the cultural field." In December 1973 he co-produced with
Aaron Russo the first Bette Midler engagement at The Palace Theatre and
in late 1974 was associate producer for the Liza Minnelli concert at the
Winter Garden. Mr. Delsener has recently been working as a special
consultant for Columbia Pictures on the film Tommy.
|
|
Playbill Magazine - 1975
|
|
CHARLOTTE CROSSLEY (Harlette)
 Known
affectionately as "Charlot" or "Ms. Crossfire",
Charlotte Crossley has been a Harlette for three years. Before
being rescued by Miss M, she appeared on Broadway in Tricks and
the original cast of Jesus Christ, Superstar. Her Lurex
charms have been seen this past year as a background person/singer with
the valentine-hipped Frannie Golde, as well as in Elen Stewart's Cafe La
Mama in Thoughts, which also played the II Festival International
De Teatro in Caracas, Venezuela last summer. Ms. Crossley is a hot
backup singer in the studio, as well as on the great stage. Her
stage credits include the Chicago company of Hair, West Side Story and
Paul Sills Story Theatre's Metamorphosis, in Spoleto,
Italy. "Music and the stage are my life - my life is the
stage and music."
|
|
Playbill Magazine - 1975
|
|
ROBIN GREAN (Harlette)
 The
tasteful and still lovely Robin Grean has been a cured leper in
Broadways' Jesus Christ, Superstar, sung jingles and backed up
such bizarre talents as Neil Diamond, Jerry Lewis and Frannie. She
credits The Divine Miss M and Tom O'Horgan for taking her out of the
chorus line and putting her back in the chorus line. She thinks
she is a duck and would like to play "Colette" in a movie
someday. "Reh-ee."
|
|
Playbill Magazine - 1975
|
|
SHARON REDD (Harlette)
 Sharon
has sang with the greats, the near-greats and the lame. Among the
former are Bette Midler, Perula Clark, Bonnie Rait and Barry Manilow.
The latter are too numerous to mention. When not in the studio
backing up some Diva or onstage, Sharon's charming consumers with her
many commercials - remember "The Sassy (as in Vaughan) Sound of
Sharon Redd"?; this Harlette was the first winner of the
Schafer Talent Hunt. Among Sharon's stage credits are the London
and Broadway productions of Iphegenia and the N.Y. Public Theatre
production of T-jean and His Brothers. In Australia, she
has appeared in Hair, as well as in her own TV special. And
speaking of Australians . . . Sharon recently sang with Helen Reddy in
Las Vegas and in other West Coast Pit-stops, including Hawaii.
But the tasteful Miss Redd left Ms. Reddy when she added choreography to
her act - feeling that one day the Ms. would lift off when she spread
her "wings" while experiencing her "Emotion."
"If there's a song to sing I'll sing it; and if there's not I'll
sing it anyway."
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Playbill Magazine - 1975
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MICHAEL POWELL ENSEMBLE (choir)
The
Michael Powell Ensemble launched their career four years ago as a part
of the young adult choir at Greater Zion Hill Baptist Church in New York, where Michael was pianist and arranger. When he decided to
leave and organize his own group, some members of the choir joined
him. Today, the group consists of twelve active members. The
group has toured Europe with Raphael, and worked with Josephine Baker at
the Palace Theatre, Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York, and
again with Raphael at the Uris Theatre. The group's repertoire
consists mainly of contemporary gospel music, written for the most part
by Timothy Wright and Venson Cunningham and produced by Herbert
Moon. On occasion the group fills in with the world-famous New
York Community Choir. The Michael Powell ensemble has released an
album, I've Found A Friend, on Glori Records.
|
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Playbill Magazine - 1975
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BRUCE VILLANCH
(special material)
 Bruce
is a nice Jewish boy from Patterson, New Jersey. He has always
been theatrically inclined, a condition which his parents tried to have
corrected, but to no avail. At the age of eight, he was sent to
his first professional dramatic experience, a summer at The Ted Mack
Camp, where he was the only child who could not play "Lady Of
Spain" in the leaf. He followed this with appearances on
stage, television and in some than a dozen films, including some notable
Italian disaster epics. As a sit-down comic, he has appeared three
times at Reno Sweeny and Chicago's Mr. Kelly's. He can also be perceived
as a dancing coffee can in a current Taster's Choice commercial and in
the new Diana Ross film Mahogany, in which he is prominently
featured. As a writer, he has contributed special material to
dozens of starts too shameless to pay him, and Bette Midler, who pays
rather well now. Bruce first met Miss M at Mr. Kelly's, where they
were both nearly busted for smoking Mort Sahl's newspaper. They
are close friends and even though Bruce lives in Chicago, where he is a
feature writer for the Chicago Tribune, they meet regularly to
worship at the shrine of Sophie Tucker.
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Playbill Magazine - 1975
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JERRY BLATT (special material)
 In
addition to providing special material for Bette Midler's Clams On
The Half-Shell Revue, Mr. Blatt collaborated with Miss M on Guacamole,
which won the International Animation Society's Award for Best
Animated Short of 1974. Mr. Blatt is the composer of the Broadway
musical Tricks, as well as of the WNET Theatre In America
production In Fashion, starring Charlotte Raw, and Thumby,
which was one of the inaugural productions at the Long Wharf Theatre in
New Haven. Other scores by Mr. Blatt include the award-winning
Canadian animated feature Tiki-Tiki and the film Scarecrow In
A Garden Of Cucumbers, for which Miss M sand several songs.
Mr. Blatt has also written and produced many songs for WNET's Electric
Company, one of which earned him the International Animation Society's
Award for Best Musical Soundtrack for an Animated Short of
1973.
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Playbill Magazine - 1975
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BILL HENNESSY (special
material)
Bill,
also known as Mr. Gerard, Uncle Bill and M.G.R., first started with Miss
Midler back in the days when towels were worn at the Continental Baths
instead of ties. President of the Maria Montez fan club at the
tender age of 10, he was also known as one of the youngest leading
authorities of trashy "B" movies. Little did he suspect
that this was actually preparation for working with one of the trashiest
and classiest ladies in "the Biz" today. Who knows what makes
a good worthy relationship? Some would say it's because there is a
lot of love between two good friends. Mr. Hennessy also worked
with some of N.Y.'s up and coming acts: Miss Alania Reed, Ellen Greene,
and Manhattan Transfer. He is currently devoting much of his time
and energy as manager of the group GOTHAM.
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Playbill Magazine - 1975
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JIMMIE HASKELL (orchestrations)
 One
of the most prolific composer / arranger / conductors in the music
business, Mr. Haskell has won two Grammy Awards ("Ode To Billie
Joe" 1968, "Bridge Over Troubled Waters: 1970) and is the recipient
of eighteen Gold Records for his work as arranger / conductor / contributor.
On television, Mr. Haskell has done specials for Andy Williams and Jose
Feliciano, and was musical director for the Doris Day series on CBS
during the four years it was among the Top Twenty in the Ratings.
He is currently musical director of two series on NBC, Sigmund and
the Sea Monsters and Land of the Lost. Among the more
than twenty Hanskell film scores, ranging from Westerns to social drama,
are Zachariah (the first all-electric Western), Electric Glide
In Blue (which included a seven-minute all-music finale with no dialogue),
and Bob Hope comedy I'll Take Sweden, and the Golden Globe
award-winning Walls of Fire. Along with his work with Simon
and Garfunkel and Bobby Gentry, Mr. Haskell has participated on the hit
recordings of such diverse performers as Rick Nelson, Vikki Carr, Laura
Nyro, Joan Baez, Bobby Darin, Paul Anka, Morgana King, Don Ho, B.B.
King, Gladys Knight & The Pips, The Four Tops, Neil Diamond, the
late Class Elliot, Rod McKuen, Linda Ronstadt, Dean Martin, Bobby
Goldsboro and Three Dog Night. He has appeared as guest conductor
with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and as a recording artist has
released on Capitol, Dunhill and Dot Records. Bette Midler's
Clams On the Half-Shell Revue marks Mr. Haskell's Broadway
debut.
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Playbill Magazine - 1975
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DON YORK (musical director)
Don
is a graduate from Julliard in 1969, majoring in composition and
conducting. While still in school he was able to work on two film
scores and four records for children. He was able to further his
study of composition, through a grant by the Copley Foundation with
Darius Milhaud. From 1969-1972 he wrote and played with the
jazz-rock group Brignola. He received commissions from the
National Arts Club, the Youth Symphony of New York, and the Albany
Symphony, also playing with such greats as Booker Erwin, Ted Carson,
Clark Terry, and Elvin Jones. Recently, aside from working with
The Divine Miss M, he has played, wrote and recorded the first moog quartet
(synthesizer). Mr. York has also worked with Esther Phillips,
Daryl Hall and John Oated.
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Playbill Magazine - 1975
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ANDRE DE SHIELDS (associate choreographer)
 Andre
(the man from Mars) first met the Divine Miss M over a plate of potato
salad while he was in Chicago creating the character Xander the
Unconquerable for the Organic Theatre Company's production of Warp.
Since then, and aside from directing La Mama in Venezuela and His Royal
Majesty Actors in Copenhagen, Mr. De Shields was Boogie Master to Bette
Midler's Harlettes for her 1973 Palace date. Currently he is serving
as associate chorographer to Joe Layton for Clams On The Half
Shell. Andre De Shields IS "the Wiz". |
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Playbill Magazine - 1975
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BEVERLY EMMONS (lighting design)
 Beverly
has designed lighting for the dance companies of Merse Cunningham, Vola
Farber, Elizabeth Keen, and Lar Lubovitch. Off Broadway she has
designed the lighting for the National Lampoon's Lemmings and
Viveca Lindford's I Am Woman. Recently her work was seen in
Robert Wilson's A Letter For Queen Victoria. In Addition to
lighting design she is a founding partner of TAG, a non-profit corporation
which provides technical coordination for dance and theatre
company. |
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Playbill Magazine - 1975
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THE DEPRESSION TOUR (1975-1976)
Westchester Premier Theatre |
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BETTE MIDLER
 She has created an excitement in the show
business world that reaches the stratospheric level of 'phenomenon.'
She has captured the fancy of the public and of her peers. Her
shows are events, tickets are scarce. Her record albums are
eagerly awaited by adoring fans who turn the discs into smash sellers.
She is coy, she is witty, her voice can sound as forceful as a trumpet
or as soft and luxurious as the finest satin. She has a charisma
and she has pizzazz. She is at home in a myriad of music styles.
She is Bette Midler, and she's at is again. Her 20-city, 80
performance tour is about to embark. Her new album, "Songs
For The New Depression," is going to be released shortly, and her
two previous gold albums are still selling stronger throughout the
country. Couple all this with the imminent motion picture and
television deal, and you have a brief idea as to what Bette Midler is
all about - the most exciting female performer in show business today.
|
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Westchester Premier
Theatre Playbill -
1973 |
|
A STAR SPANGLED NIGHT FOR RIGHTS (1977)
Hollywood Bowl |
|
AARON
RUSSO (producer)
 Aaron
began his career as a nightclub owner, concert producer. After meeting
Bette Midler, he became Ms. M's manager and producer of all her concert
appearances. Russo has moved into film production and is in
pre-production on Bette Midler's first feature film. |
|
Night For Rights Playbill -
1977 |
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RON
FIELD (chorographer
and director)
 Ron
Field was awarded his First Tony for choreography for "Cabaret.”
His next two Tonys came from directing and choreographing
"Applause.” This past year, Field staged Chita Rivera’s
acclaimed nightclub act. Ron choreographed Liza Minnelli in "New
York, New York.” Field is currently working on Bette Midler's upcoming
TV special and in 1977 won an Emmy for his contributions to “American
Salutes Richard Rodgers.” |
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Night For Rights Playbill -
1977 |
|
E. H. BERESFORD MONCK
(production
and lighting design)
 After
22 years of struggling in the fields of lighting and production
management; Monterey Pop, Woodstock, Concert for Bangladesh, some 30
festivals, 80 road tours, and shows with over 250 Performing artists,
Chipmonck has now been given his big break by producer Aaron Russo. He
is very dedicated to his art and is known for his steadfast adherence to
budgets. |
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Night For Rights Playbill -
1977 |
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STEVE
SCHULMAN
(associate
producer)
Steve
Schulman began his career in the A&R Division of MGM Records, and
later became Aaron Russo's partner in Chicago in both his nightclubs and
concert promoting ventures.
Schulman has spent the past several years with Chipmonck
traveling the world as Tour-Coordinator with various rock groups.
Schulman recently re-joined the Aaron Russo organization. |
|
Night For Rights Playbill -
1977 |
|
BETTE! DIVINE MADNESS (1979-1980)
MAJESTIC THEATRE |
|
BETTE
MIDLER
 Bette
Midler is divine, lovable madness, and it seems only fitting that she
would return to Broadway with her own one-woman show, at a time
when the world is mad about Bette Midler.
The Divine Miss M, the diminutive redhead, the Queen of "trash
and flash," is a native of Honolulu, Hawaii.
She was named after Bette Davis, but aficionados will know that
Bette's name has grown in huge dimensions and proportions during the past
era. Bette's
childhood created her zeal for comedy and show business, living
as a young Jewish girl in a poor Samoan neighborhood. She began
studying drama by early high school, continued in college, and landed her
first extra part during the filming of the George Boy Hill film, Hawaii.
She earned just enough money to fly to New York, and in the
late 1960's began singing in coffee houses in Greenwich Village.
Her perseverance and feisty spirit led to a chorus spot in Fiddler
on the Roof, and later the featured role of Tevye's oldest
daughter, Tzeitel.
The Bette Midler, who is affectionately known today as the Divine
Miss M, was "discovered" singing at the Continental Baths on New
York's Upper West Side.
Regular appearances on "The Tonight Show," and a legion
of die-hard Midler loyalists, helped her to land a recording contract with
Atlantic Records, a Grammy Award in 1973 for Best New Artist, and two gold
albums in succession, Bette Midler, and The Divine Miss M.
Bette later starred in her first show on Broadway at the
Palace in 1973, setting an advance single-day ticket sales record of
$160,000. In 1975, she triumphantly returned to Broadway with her zany
musical extravaganza, Clams on the Half Shell Revue, breaking her
previous single-day box office record with $200,000. Her engagement was
also extended from four to ten weeks, en route setting an all-time
Broadway record with the largest gross in history for a ten-week
engagement. The
windfall success of her national concert performance tours, her staggering
return to Broadway, and the release of her third Atlantic album, Songs
For the New Depression, ultimately pointed Bette towards television
and motion pictures.
So, in 1976, with Grammy and Tony awards under her belt, Bette
shocked and thrilled television viewers with her bawdy and virtually
uncensored Home Box Office Special, "The
Fabulous Bette
Midler Show," which won the National Cable TV Association
Award for "Best Original Programming." Music from the special
was incorporated into Bette's first live album, Bette Midler, Live At
Last. A year later, and Bette was bathing in prime-time with her first
network special titled, "Ol' Red Hair is Back." Her primetime
debut was devastating. The special not only won an Emmy for
"Best Variety or Music Special," but it went on to become a
monstrous success throughout Europe, the Orient and Australia. Bette
returned to recording Broken Blossom (her fifth album) and live
performances, completing a third World Tour that continually broke
attendance records world-wide. Upon returning to the States, she began
working on her first starring role in a motion picture, The Rose.
Released by 20th Century Fox in early November, The
Rose is the story of a '60's rock star and the saga of her turbulent
life. Directed by Mark Rydel, and produced by Aaron Russo and Marvin
Worth, the film opened with rave plaudits in New York and Los Angeles. Bette
Midler's debut performance as The Rose has been applauded as one of this
year's most exhilarating and brilliant acting performances.
While The Rose may lead to Bette's nomination for an Oscar,
her audience is also enjoying her latest Atlantic album, Thighs and
Whispers, which has received critical acclaim as probably her best
album to date. Prior
to Bette's current return to Broadway, she completed major performance
dates in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Detroit,
as well as a major European promotional tour for The Rose. |
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Playbill Magazine -
1979 |
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FRANNY
EISENBERG (Harlette)
 Franny
is a native New Yorker, born and raised in Brooklyn.
In true Harlette tradition, Franny began studying music, acting and
dancing at Brooklyn College. She studied dancing with Theodora Weisner (a protégée
of Martha Graham) and after a prolific college career in theatre arts,
graduated as a social worker. After escaping a brief stint as a New York
City caseworker, unharmed, Franny left Brooklyn for the serenity and
warmth of Los Angeles. She quickly landed a role in a Dennis Hopper film
and launched her professional career as a "singing waitress."
She later joined "The Group With No Name," which enjoyed
moderate national success while signed to Casablanca Records. Since the
group disbanded, Franny has worked as a back-up vocalist with various
artists including Bob Dylan, Gene Simmons of Kiss, and completed a
recent tour with Suzi Quatro. Franny continues to study acting with John
Medici in Los Angeles, and has studied voice for the past four years, the
last two with Marina Kosfietz. Franny became a Harlette in August 1979,
when she joined Bette for her 1979 World Tour. |
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Playbill Magazine -
1979 |
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LINDA
HART (Harlette)
 Linda,
who comes from a gospel singing family, had recorded nine albums by the
time she was 17, and went on to major in music and theatre at Los Angeles
City College. She later was featured on "The Johnny Cash Show"
for two years and was a member of the New Christy Minstrels for the same
duration. She has been active in television and radio commercials as a
vocalist and appeared in numerous
summer stock shows, including Good News opposite Allan Sues. In
addition, Linda has recorded and performed as a solo act, opening in Las
Vegas, Tahoe and Reno for such notables as Roy Clark, Mel Tellis and the
Oak Ridge Boys. She is currently studying dance with Joe Tremaine and
acting at the Actors Arena in Los Angeles, and has been a Harlette for the
past eighteen months. |
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Playbill Magazine -
1979 |
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PAULETTE
McWILLIAMS (Harlette)
 Paulette,
a soulful force in the Harlettes, was born and raised in Chicago, where
she began her musical career as the lead singer of Rufus. After
leaving Rufus, Paulette pursued a career as a commercial singer and has
been featured in over 200 commercials in the past four years. She
eventually moved to Los Angeles and was introduced by Quincy Jones on his Mellow
Madness album as a soloist. She has since worked on a number of
projects with Quincy Jones, including Roots and Michael Jackson's
recent hit album, Off The Wall.
As a solo vocalist, she also had a debut solo album released on
Fantasy Records. Paulette says the high point of her career was singing a
duet with Sara Vaughn during a performance in Tokyo. Paulette has also
studied acting at the Goodman School of Drama in Chicago and at the Lee
Strasberg Theatre in Los Angeles. She has been studying modern jazz and
ballet for the past four years, and continues to sing commercials when
she's not tramping around as a Harlette. |
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Playbill Magazine -
1979 |
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ADOLFO
"SHABBA-DOO" QUINONES (dancer)
 Shabba-Doo
is one of the original members of the era's most widely acclaimed and
unique dance group, "The Fabulous Lockers." Born and raised in
Chicago, Shabba-Doo, went to the West Coast in 1972, where he
immediately began dancing an Don Cornelius's "Soul Train."
Later, Shabba-Doo, along with other Soul Train dancers formed the
"Fabulous Lockers," who became regulars on television, appearing
on "The Tonight Show," "Dick Van Dyke and Company" and
others. Their popularity finally led to their own NBC television special,
"Saturday Celebration." Shortly after touring with the likes of
Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald, Steve Alien and Bill Cosby
with the Lockers, Shabba-Doo ultimately decided on a solo career. Since
going solo and introducing his own dances "Posin'," "Poppin',"
"Electric Boogalooging" and "Cool," to name a few,
Shabba-Doo was also featured in Toni Basils's Follies Bizarre, and has
appeared on numerous television shows including "Sunday Night
Spectacular" for NBC. Shabba-Doo has received rave reviews for his
featured performance in the Bette Midler show since he signed on
for her 1979 tour this summer. |
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Playbill Magazine -
1979 |
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JERRY BLATT
(staging / writer)
 Mr.
Blatt's association with Miss Midler goes all the way back to a somewhat
shady afternoon in the Pink Teacup where they shared a cup of coffee and
the bill. Since then he has served as head writer and Director on
Bette's World Tour, was a writer of Clams On The Half Shell Revue,
of Bette's Emmy Award-winning NBC-TV special, "Ol Red Hair Is Back," and is credited with writing all the
on-stage concert sequences in The Rose. Jerry began his
career at the Louisville Actor's Theatre where he worked with the noted
director Jon Jory and wrote the musical scores for many productions including
Tricks and Chips N' Dale, due for a N.Y. production late
this spring. Most recently he did the score for Jory's Space Age
musical version of Titus Andronicus. A veteran writer for
television, Jerry also wrote many songs for the highly-successful PBS
series "The Electric Company," and won the International
Animation Society Award for this memorable "Guacamole" segment on the PBS special. "Vegetable Soup." His television
credits also include the critically acclaimed, "In Fashion," and
PBS Theatre In American special, which starred Charlotte Rae. |
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Playbill Magazine -
1979 |
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MARLA BLAKEY (choreographer)
Her
inventive style and background in contemporary and modern jazz has made
her one of the most active choreographers in the business today. In the
past two years, Ms. Blakey has traveled around the world staging and
choreographing for music, theatre and television. She has staged and choreographed musical shows for Donna
Summer, Deniece Williams, Cab Calloway, Candi Staton, High Energy and
others. Ms. Blakey began her career in choreography as a dancer and
created the Marta Blakey Dancers who toured nationally, performing at
nightclubs in Las Vegas, Miami and Atlantic City.
Her group also performed at military bases throughout Europe in
Holland, Germany, France and Italy. Ms. Blakey currently resides in L.A.,
operates the Marla Blakey Dance Studio out of Boston, and has been working
with Bette Midler's 1979 Tour since August. |
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Playbill Magazine -
1979 |
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TONI
BASIL (additional
choreography)
 Toni,
affectionately known as "The Dance Queen of Rock and Roll," is
one of those rare individuals with enough talent to handle both performing
and behind the-scenes choreography successfully. During the last year, Ms.
Basil performed nine sold out shows at the Roxy Theatre in Hollywood and
also opened for Don Rickles at the Sahara in Las Vegas. She has also
appeared on most national talk shows, and made special guest appearances
on "Saturday Night Live" and "Laverne and Shirley."
Ms. Basil is the first choreographer to fuse classical ballet dancers with
rock and roll dancers, which she introduced in her own Follies Bizarre
Show at the Fox Venice Theatre, earlier this year to SRO audiences.
She earned her title as the "Dance Queen of Rock and Roll,"
choreographing for a list of prominent rock stars including Tina Turner,
David Bowie and Manhattan Transfer. She also created the notorious
contemporary dance troop, The Lockers,
and has choreographed and appeared in numerous motion pictures
including,
America
Graffiti, Head, Easy Rider, The Last Movie and Five Easy
Pieces. Ms. Basil has enjoyed a close working relationship with Bette Midler
and has choreographed three of Bette's tours including the 1978 World
Tour
and Bette's debut motion picture, The Rose. |
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Playbill Magazine -
1979 |
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BRUCE VILLANCH
(writer)
 Bruce has been working with Bette Midler since the dawn of time. In addition to
collaborating with her on material for her Palace engagement, her Clams On
The Half Shell Revue, her Emmy-winning NBC special "Ol' Red Hair Is
Back," her Home Box Office concert, her live album, and her California
driving test, he has personally trekked with her to such glamorous retreats as
Buffalo, Cleveland and King Of Prussia, Pa., invariably in the dead of
winter. His non-divine activities include five years of very sincere criticism
on the Chicago Tribune; an Emmy nomination for the first Barry Manilow special,
the musical Platinum (which he co-authored); Peter Allen's recent, successful
Up In One; Diana Ross's show at the Palace and countless TV specials,
including 23 for Donny and Marie Osmond, who offered to cap his teeth for free
if he could nail down Sophie Tucker for a guest shot. |
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Playbill Magazine
- 1979 |
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WILLIAM R. DARLINGTON (sound
engineer)
William
"Bill" DarEington, who engineered the riveting concert sequences
in Bette Midler's debut motion picture, The Rose, is a three-year
veteran with the Divine Miss Midler. He has served as her sound engineer
on two World Tours, while working freelance for other artists including
George Benson, the Rolling Stones, and Cher. Born and raised in Lancaster,
Pennsylvania, Bill currently lives in Los Angeles. |
|
Playbill Magazine
- 1979 |
|
E. H. BERESFORD MONCK
(lighting designer)
Mr.
Monck, popularly known as "Chipmonck," lives in a seedy
California beach community with his darling child bride Camille.
Camille and Chipmonck won their most recent and coveted award for
their arrangement of work lights at the Goodyear Blimp temporary landing
field in Secaucus, New Jersey. It was at this gala that the two met Ms.
Midler, who was delivering the dedication address that evening. Chip would
like to take this opportunity to thank Delores Delago, with whom he
has worked for the past 3 years, for his "Big Broadway Break, and
further realizes that this is his last chance to "get it right."
|
|
Playbill Magazine
- 1979 |
|
MARC
SHAIMAN (vocal arranger)
 Marc,
white Libra, hails from New Jersey. He has served as musical director for
Zora Rasmussen, High-Heeled Women, formerly the Harlettes and Peter Allen,
who taught him life is not a cabaret on Broadway. He collaborated with
Bette Midler on additional lyrics for "Big Noise," taken from
her current Atlantic Records album, Thighs And Whispers, as well as
working as a vocal arranger with Ms. Midler. He would like to speak to you
all individually about his new show Dementos, which he co-wrote
with Robert I. |
|
Playbill Magazine
- 1979 |
|
TONY BERG (co-musical
director and lead guitarist)
Tony
has enjoyed a diversified career as a musician, songwriter, and arranger
for records and motion pictures. He
scored the soundtrack and appeared in Robert Ahman's A Perfect Couple, and
has arranged for Jack Nitzche, the Neville Brothers and producer Brooks
Arthur.
|
|
Playbill Magazine
- 1979 |
|
JON
BONINE (trombone, bass
trombone)
Jon
received a Bachelor and Masters Degree in Performance from the University
of Colorado, and later moved to Los Angeles where he has been a popular
session musician. He has
performed with some of the jazz idiom's most gifted musicians, including
Ray Charles, Harry James, Louie Bellson, and most recently, Chuck Mangionc.
|
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Playbill Magazine
- 1979 |
|
JOEY
CARBONE (keyboards)
 A
native New Yorker, Joey Carbone has an extensive musical background
performing with some of rock music's most respected stars. Throughout his
career he has played with Elton John, Kiki Dee, The Righteous Brothers,
Rick James, John Stewart, Johnny Rivers and others. He was also signed to
CBS Records' publishing arm for three years as a stall writer and he
currently resides in Los Angeles. |
|
Playbill Magazine
- 1979 |
|
RICH COOPER (trumpet)
Rich
is a veteran jazz session trumpeter having recorded with such notables as
Stan Kenton, Buddy Rich, Woody Herman and Harry James. While he says that
he's spent a lifetime in Las Vegas, he also managed to get away long
enough to perform on the motion picture soundtrack for The Last Waltz. |
|
Playbill Magazine
- 1979 |
|
CARL HALL
(background vocals)
Carl
began singing as a child in his Pittsburgh church choir, and later became
a featured soloist with the Raymond Rasberry Gospel Singers of Cleveland,
Ohio. An accomplished singer/actor, Carl is also a prominent musical
arranger having worked with Lena Horne, Carry Simon, Cat Stevens, Roberta
Flack, Dionne Warwick, Bette Midler and many others. He was choral
arranger for the Broadway musical, Truckload and has worked on the
Broadway shows, Tambourines To Glory, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, appeared
as a soloist in Leonard Bernstein's Mass, and most recently
appeared as the Wizard in the Broadway
hit musical The
Wiz. |
|
Playbill Magazine
- 1979 |
|
RANDY KERBER (co-musical
director and keyboards)
Randy
began studying piano at the age of seven, and has played with many of
contemporary music's most distinguished performers, including Johnny
Mathis, Sammy Davis, Jr., Mel Torme and Don Ellis. In between working with
Bette on her 1978 World Tour, Randy has also played with one of music's
fastest rising new stars, Rickie Lee Jones. |
|
Playbill Magazine
- 1979 |
|
DAVID
LUELL (saxophone, lyricon)
David
remains one of the busiest session men in Los Angeles for records,
television and motion pictures. In 1976 he toured with Joni Mitchell, and
has been featured on albums by Cold Blood, L.A. Express, Greg Allman, Tony
Orlando, Donna Summer, Bob Seger, Leo Sayer, Cheryl Ladd and many others.
A member of the team for A Perfect Couple, David has also
performed on soundtracks for Hardcore, Roller Boogie, and One To
One and is featured on the television themes of "Laverne and
Shirley," "Starsky and Hutch," "Love Boat" and
"Fantasy Island." |
|
Playbill Magazine
- 1979 |
|
JOHN
PIERCE (bass)
 Born
in Santa Monica, California, John's musical career began playing
classical violin at age 5. He
started playing bass at 16, and has since recorded with Boz Scaggs, Cher,
Peter Alien, Alice Cooper, Paul Anka, Randy Bachnran and countless others. |
|
Playbill Magazine
- 1979 |
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CHAS
SANFORD (lead guitar)
Chas
Sanford, began his musical career in London as a session guitarist and at
one time worked with Traffic. He came to Los Angeles in 1976, and has
enjoyed success as a songwriter, having recent tunes recorded by the
Baby's and Ken Scott. In his free time, Chas is also building a career as
a solo artist. |
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Playbill Magazine
- 1979 |
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DAVID
SHANK (percussion)
Dave,
a native of Chicago, has spent much of his musical career performing in
Las Vegas with headliners including the Jackson's, Sonny & Cher, Helen
Reddy, Diana Ross and the Osmonds. He currently lives in Los Angeles where
he is also active as a session musician. |
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Playbill Magazine
- 1979 |
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ART
WOOD (drums)
Art,
the rhythmic force in the band, is a well traveled session drummer. He has
worked with rock stalwarts, Garv Wright, Peter Frampton, and Leon Russell,
and performed on the musical score for Robert Altman's, A Perfect
Couple. |
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Playbill Magazine
- 1979 |
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STEVE
SCHULMAN (tour manager)
Steve
has managed such World Tours as the Neil Young with Crazy Horse, George
Benson, and the Stills/Young Band, bringing this experience to the Divine
Miss M's most recent World Tour. In May, 1979, he joined forces with:
TOM SHANNON (tour business
manager)
who
has provided business management to such touring companies as The
Electric Light Orchestra, Donna Summer, Commodores and the O'Jays. Steve
and Tom operating as International Music Management, provided their
first team effort for Bette this past summer on a most successful U.S.
Tour. |
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Playbill Magazine
- 1979 |
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BONNIE
BRUCKHEIMER (production associate)
 Bonnie
has worked in the production area of feature films for the past tem years. She has been involved with motion
pictures such as Lost Horizon, Scarecrow, Nightmoves, Stay Hungry, A Star Is Born, Blue Collar and
most recently The Rose,
when
she became associated with Bette Midler. Since then, Ms.
Bruckheimer has lost all touch with reality. |
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Playbill Magazine
- 1979 |
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JANET
BEROZA (production coordinator)
Janet
served as Production Supervisor for last season's ravish musical version
of King of Hearts; Peter Alien's Up In One; and the original
Broadway, London, California and national companies of Annie. She
was stage manager for Bette Midler's Tour for the New Depression and
Home Box Office concert, making her record debut as the opening voice on
Ms. Midler's live album, uttering the immortal words "Where
are we ... Cleveland?" to which there has yet to be a reply.
Ms. Beroza has recently begun producing and is currently associated
with singer Lisa Raggio on several upcoming projects. |
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Playbill Magazine
- 1979 |
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RON DELSENER (producer)
Ron
is the founder and presenter of the Central Park Music Festival, now in
its 14th year. Mr. Delsener presents over 200 concerts annually in such
varied locations as Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Forest Hills Tennis
Stadium, The Metropolitan Opera House, Madison Square Garden, Nassau
Coliseum, Radio City Music City Hall and The Palladium Theatre. He
has presented such performers as Elton John, The Rolling Stones, Paul
Simon, Groucho Marx, Neil Diamond, Bruce Springsteen, Shirley Bassey,
David Bowie, Cat Stevens, Billy Joel and many, many more. Mr. Delsener's
Broadway credits include Bette Midler at the Palace Theatre in 1973; Clams
On The Half Shell Revue starring Bette Midler at the Minskoff Theatre
in 1975; Liza Minnelli at the Winter Garden Theatre; Johnny
Mathis at the Uris Theatre; and Lily Tomlin's fabulously successful
Broadway review entitled Appearing Nitely which toured across the
United States and Canada. Most recently, Mr. Delsener presented Gilda
Radner - Live From New York at the Winter Garden Theatre. Mr.
Delsener's ("Good
Vibrations From Central Park") became the prototype for ABC-TV's
"In Concert" series. In addition, Mr. Delsener was
special promotion consultant for the Columbia Motion Picture presentation
of Tommy. In 1978, Mr.
Delsener was voted "No. 1 Concert Promoter" by both Billboard
Magazine and Performance Magazine, two of the most respected
music publications in the world. New York Magazine voted him
"No. 1 Concert Promoter" and one of the 10 most powerful people
in the arts in New York City. |
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Playbill Magazine
- 1979 |
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