BWW Blog: Meet BWW's May Blogger, Andrea McArdle

Hello everybody at BWW! My name's Andrea! What's yours?!

You know I just had to start out with a musical lyric take-off for my BroadwayWorld blog, right? I'm so excited to spend the next few weeks with all of you, I'll be giving you the birds eye view of my crazy days and nights as I rehearse, perform, rehearse, perform, and rinse and repeat on a bunch of really fun projects including an incredible partnership with Oceania Cruises for their upcoming Life In The Theater series, more on that later this month!!

As a long time "family member" of this website, I remember the early days of our Standing Ovations concerts and the many, many photo ops with my beloved Linda Lenzi and Walter McBride, and my very own BroadwayWorld concert at Joe's Pub way back in 2005. It was directed by my show biz fairy godfather Richard Jay-Alexander and it was quite a night, such fun, and as always when it comes to BWW, a sold out benefit for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids. Robert Diamond and his team are always first in line when it comes to giving back and caring for our community.

So here I am, recently moved back to midtown (so happy to be two blocks from Times Square again), and busy as hell! That's the way we like it right, no free time, all singing, all dancing? I'm SO LUCKY to be a part of the fabulous new touring production of the legendary 4 GIRLS 4, I'm performing alongside an INCREDIBLE roster of INSANELY TALENTED ladies, who are they you ask? Drum roll please, Faith Prince, Maureen McGovern, and Donna McKechnie! Hello? Amazeballs much? We joke that we've bestowed Faith the honorary surname of "McPrince" so she can join our little "McCrowd", hah, boy are we having a blast!

About two years ago-I believe, my beautiful angel of a manager, Wayne Gmitter, who also represents, Donna, Faith and Maureen , thought that we'd all make an ideal cast to revive the magic of Rosemary Clooney's inspired idea of an act, 4 GIRLS 4. Wayne along with his co-producer and our musical maestro extraordinaire John McDaniel, purchased the trademark from Ms. Clooney's estate, gathered up the troops, booked the various dates, and let us loose. I cannot tell you how special it is to share the stage with these amazing women, the talent, caring, and support they show me every gig is just a gift, and to make it even more delicious, joining us from time to time, to cover a spot when one of us might have a conflict, are Leslie Uggams (my darling cast mate from JERRY'S GIRLS -one of the best ladies ever-LOVE HER!), and the stunning Christine Andreas, wow, is she incredible.

It's been a whirlwind putting it all up, including me nearly breaking my leg a day before our first performance, nothing like working a crowd and a gown with a huge Terminator like boot on your foot, "I'll Be Back...with one more song!"

Our next date is this Friday at Strathmore in Bethesda, MD, shout out to my Bethesda peeps, come and join us! In addition to 4 GIRLS 4 on Friday, I'm performing, alongside my musical director, muse and brother from another theatrical mother, Steve Marzullo, as part of Symphony Space's WALL TO WALL Cabaret

(BWW link here: /cabaret/article/Barbara-Cook-and-More-Set-for-Symphony-Spaces-WALL-TO-WALL-Cabaret-53-20140403#.U2F2WseKTPg)

I'll arrive back Saturday afternoon, drop off my bags, jump in the shower, work up the hair and makeup and zoom up to 95th street, it's going to be a really incredible night I think, Barbara Cook, James Naughton, Billy Stritch, Andrea Marcovicci, Steve Ross, Christine Pedi (my HILARIOUS chum from doing NEWSICAL -go Team D'Angora!) and many other towering talents will all be performing, I'm really excited. On that note I have to run to rehearsal for the event, so until next time, keep on keepin' on BWW peeps and I'll check back in soon, I'll try and get some backstage pics and stuff, just for you!

Xoxo,

Andrea