BWW FRIDAY FLASHBACK: Broadway on Late Night and Not So Late Night Television, with Gwen Verdon, Chita Rivera, Norbert Leo Butz and Rebecca Naomi Jones
By: Michael Dale Sep. 04, 2015
It's no coincidence that what we consider to be the Golden Age of Broadway came at a time when a great many television talk shows, game shows and variety shows were based in New York and theatre talent chatting about their new plays and performing songs from their new musicals were mainstays on the national airwaves.
When Steve Allen and Jack Paar ruled the late night screens on THE TONIGHT SHOW, New York's performing artists were frequent guests, but that ended when Johnny Carson moved the program to the west coast.
The announcement that on September 18th AN AMERICAN IN PARIS will be the first Broadway musical to perform on THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT adds to the exciting resurgence of Broadway on the late night circuit.
As current host of THE TONIGHT SHOW, Jimmy Fallon recently welcomed the cast of AMAZING GRACE to perform their musical's title song, but his commitment to Broadway musicals goes back to his gig hosting LATE NIGHT. Here's Rebecca Naomi Jones and the cast of AMERICAN IDIOT tearing his studio apart.
David Letterman hosted some terrific appearances by Broadway casts during his stint on LATE SHOW. Check out his hilarious response after watching Norbert Leo Butz and company's non-stop dance performance from CATCH ME IF YOU CAN.
Of course, THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW was Broadway's best friend during the 1950s and 60s, with numerous performances by original casts every season. But a good many primetime variety shows also provided valuable exposure. Here's Chita Rivera and company performing the title song of BAJOUR on THE ENTERTAINERS. Oddly, it was Herschel Bernardi who sang the song in the musical, but that Peter Gennaro choreography was made for Chita Rivera.
REDHEAD was the first Broadway musical both directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse, thanks to Gwen Verdon making his double duty a non-negotiable term for her own signing on. The plot has her performing an old-fashioned music hall number, "Erbie Fitch's Twitch," dancing in the same Charlie Chaplin style she'd later use in SWEET CHARITY.
This 1959 clip is from THE DINAH SHORE CHEVY SHOW. Lesser creative talents might have conceived the number as an in-one solo directed to the audience. But having her play to an unappreciative gathering of snooty highbrows, still giving it her all despite their eye-rolling rejection, makes the theatre audience adore her even more.
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