Barbara Bleier and Austin Pendleton Will Honor Barbara Maier Gustern with March 27th Performance at Don't Tell Mama

The theatrical community of New York City was devastated this month by the loss of beloved vocal coach Barbara Maier Gustern. On March 10th the voice teacher for many members of the Broadway, Off-Broadway, and cabaret communities was assaulted, sustaining injuries from which she would not recover. On March 15th, the Eighty-seven-year-old friend to all passed away, and on March 22nd her assailant was arrested and charged.

At the time of the attack, Barbara Maier Gustern was coming from a rehearsal. Always on the go, and in the act of creating art, Maier Gustern was looking forward to an upcoming performance of the cabaret show Barbara Bleier AND Austin Pendleton SING STEVE AND OSCAR. The trio of close friends had worked, often, in recent years on cabaret shows centering around cabaret artist Bleier and iconic character actor Pendleton, with director Maier Gustern often joining the duo onstage for at least one number. In the aftermath of the attack on their fearless leader, Pendleton and Bleier and Musical Director Paul Greenwood opted to cancel their March 13th show, and since their friend's death, the STEVE AND OSCAR company has chosen to move forward with the Sondheim/Hammerstein tribute show, but with a special gesture to honor their lost friend.

On her Facebook page, Barbara Bleier writes:

"Austin, Paul, and I will be dedicating the proceeds for this show to Barbara Maier Gustern's favorite charity, the food kitchen at the Holy Apostle's Church, in her honor. It was our honor to have Barbara direct this show, and to rehearse with her the songs she was going to sing. We miss her more than we can say."

The Indiana-born Barbara Maier had a B.A. in Psychology from DePauw University and a Master's in the field from Columbia University, though she chose to pursue a life in the arts after a guest at a party recommended that she look into the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, where she was hired as a teacher after one trial lesson.

Maier met actor Josef Donald Gustern at the Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale and the couple married in July of 1963. The twosome had opportunities to perform on stage together in musicals like The Threepenny Opera, during their lifetime, and had one daughter, deceased in 2003. Mr. Gustern died in 2017. Barbara Maier Gustern's grandson, AJ Gustern, has been very vocal, publicly, about the devastation he has felt during this difficult time, as has a theatrical community that has sought answers and solace throughout the social media.

Publicist Betsyann Faiella, close friend to Barbara Maier Gustern, offered that, "Barbara was an angel on earth. She found her way to teaching as a younger person, and when she suffered immeasurable personal loss she turned that grief into love and benevolence. But Barbara did not suffer fools, either, and she was an exceptionally gifted teacher. I'm having a hard time imagining life without her."

Friend and colleague Barbara Bleier said that "Barbara saw what was unique and beautiful in every voice and every person, and she helped that voice and that person to emerge."

When asked for a quote, award-winning songwriter Michele Brourman emailed Broadway World the following:

I first met Barbara Maier Gustern when I played a house concert in NY with my dear friend Barbara Bleier. Months later, Barbara Gustern called to insist that I stay with her on an upcoming trip. When I arrived at her door, she had cooked us dinner -

Chicken Cacciatore and a big bottle of red wine.

At bedtime, she bade me goodnight in red flannel pajamas that she'd bought

In the children's department at Macy's - they fit her perfectly!

I got to listen sometimes as she taught; she was patient, generous, loving.

We spent one evening laughing and noshing with four of her students who all clearly adored her - and she adored them. (We managed to cram in a bunch of music and theatre together,

discovering that we liked and hated all the same things.)

Barbara became my NYC home only a few years ago. I wish we'd had decades!

Barbara Bleier and Austin Pendleton Sing Steve and Oscar will play Don't Tell Mama on March 27th and April 3rd with all proceeds going to Maier Gustern's favorite food kitchen; friends of Gustern's and of the community wishing to donate directly to the organization may contact the church directly:

Church of the Holy Apostles

296 9th Avenue

New York, New York 10001

For information and reservations to Barbara Bleier AND Austin Pendleton SING STEVE AND OSCAR visit the Don't Tell Mama website HERE and HERE.

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