Dale, Fogler, Foster, Gaines, Huffman, McKechnie, Pawk, Linden, Latessa And More Featured on 'The Odd Potato' Broadway Album Benefiting The Children's Charity
By: BWW News Desk Nov. 01, 2005
THE ODD POTATO – The Broadway Album stars twenty Tony Award winning Broadway stars: Jim Dale (Barnum), Dan Fogler (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), Sutton Foster (Thoroughly Modern Millie), Boyd Gaines (The Heidi Chronicles, She Loves Me, Contact), Debbie Gravitte (Jerome Robbins Broadway), Judd Hirsch (I'm Not Rappaport, Conversations with My Father), Ron Holgate (1776), Cady Huffman (The Producers), Judy Kaye (Phantom of the Opera), Dick Latessa (Hairspray), Hal Linden (The Rothschilds), Priscilla Lopez (A Day In Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine), John Mahoney (The House of Blue Leaves), Donna McKechnie (A Chorus Line), Michele Pawk (Hollywood Arms), Maryann Plunkett (Me and My Girl), Hal Prince (twenty Tony Awards including eight for Best Musical, eight for Best Director, two for Best Producer, and two Special awards, here making his CD debut), Elaine Stritch (Elaine Stritch at Liberty), Lillias White (The Life) and Scott Wise (Jerome Robbins Broadway).
Based on the true history of their family, Eileen Bluestone Sherman has penned the book and lyrics, with music by her sister Gail C. Bluestone. The Odd Potato is the story of Rachel and Sammy Levy, who want their grieving father to "snap out" of his depression so that they can celebrate Hanukkah the way they did before their mother's death. When she sees an ugly, odd-looking potato at the grocer's, Rachel remembers her mother's favorite story of holiday cheer. Using that potato and their imaginations, Rachel and Sammy manage to rekindle joy and laughter in their home and in their father's heart.
The Odd Potato was first conceived when Ms. Sherman was asked to write a Hanukkah story for a cable television show. The story developed into a children's book, and has since been adapted for a multitude of media. It has enjoyed success as a storybook, as a feature on radio where the story was read on air, an award-winning television show and, most recently, a widely performed musical, hailed by The New York Times as "impressive! Lively and good-natured. This musical may not have a Broadway size staging, but its light and warmth endure."
The Odd Potato recording is a fundraiser to benefit Variety The Children's Charity. Variety is sometimes described as "The Heart of Show Business" because it was started by a group of theatre professionals in Pittsburgh. Initially they would get together after performances to play cards in a social club they called the "Variety". One night in 1928 they heard whimpering from the empty Sheridan Theatre and when they investigated the source of the noise, they discovered an abandoned baby. The baby's mother had pinned a note to the child's clothing saying that she could no longer care for her, but had heard that theatre people were generous and she hoped they could look after the baby. A search to find the mother failed. But the theatre owners' hearts had already melted. They took the baby in and named her Catherine Variety Sheridan. They set about raising money to buy items needed for her care and were so successful that they decided to widen their view to offer assistance to local orphanages. This ideal to help underserved children remains pivotal to the ethos of Variety today. Variety spread throughout the entertainment industry and today there are branches worldwide. And what of Catherine Variety Sheridan? When Catherine was 5 years old she was fostered out to a carefully selected loving family. Over 300 Pittsburgh families applied to adopt Catherine, whose name was changed to Joan to protect her identity and ensure as normal a life as possible. Joan had a happy life and served the United States in both Korea and Vietnam as a registered nurse and spent much of her life helping disadvantaged children. She remained anonymous until the 1980s when, at the request of Variety International, she attended a Variety Convention in Los Angeles with her husband and children, to the shock and surprise of many who assumed she was only a mythic figure. She died in 1994 but her story will always be a constant reminder of the wonderful things that can be achieved when people care. Variety, Tent 8 of Kansas City initiated this all-star Broadway fundraiser in the hope that through the years its proceeds will benefit Variety's kids around the globe.
THE ODD POTATO – The Broadway Album may be purchased from select Borders Books, Tower Records, or online at http://www.theoddpotato.com
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