Feature: 30 Days Of Cabaret Gratitude - Day Twenty-Seven - The Legacy

Joanna Gleason & Chris Sarandon, Aaron David Gleason & Stacey Bone-Gleason - The Legacy

History is filled with parents, children, and grandchildren who made entertainment the family business. Debbie Reynolds & Eddie Fisher gave the world Carrie Fisher, whose daughter, Billie Lourd now carries the family torch. Drew Barrymore comes from a long line of famous actors. The list of names of show business family dynasties goes on and on, and one of the most fascinating and fabulous dynasties is the one that started with Monty Hall, a radio and television show host who married Marilyn Plotell, a television and theater producer, and writer. The Halls had three children, all of whom went into show business, but it was daughter Joanna Gleason that gave birth to Aaron David Gleason, and it is their two families that fill the stages of the New York cabaret and concert industry. Mama Gleason is an iconic Broadway actress with a Tony Award for a Sondheim musical and her son, Aaron, is a rock and roll singer-songwriter with an edgy yet laid-back aesthetic. Joanna married Chris Sarandon, a significant presence in the film industry (and the musical stage, where he and Joanna, first, met), and Aaron David married Stacey Bone, an actress and acting teacher working in Manhattan and regional theater, and the entire family lives a life of idyllic existence, where everyone lives outside of the city, gathering on weekends to explore art and ideas and the good life. It's like a family one might find in a play by Ferber & Kaufman, or Kaufman & Hart.

It isn't all fun and games, cake and sunshine, puppies and pudding, though, because life has bumps in the road, and that's what gives this family inspiration in their art.

In 2022 Joanna Gleason played 54 Below with her show OUT OF THE ECLIPSE, a musical cabaret about suffering the loss of Monty and Marilyn within months of each other. Later that year, Aaron David Gleason played the same club with COME HELL AND HIGH WATER, a musical cabaret about the crippling anxiety that he experienced from having to hold together his family during the pandemic, the quarantine, and a natural disaster that destroyed their home. During her club act, Joanna invited Chris to the stage for some duet action, and during Aaron's play, Stacey sauntered up onto the stage to harmonize with her hubby. Joanna has directed Aaron, Aaron has directed Joanna, and Stacey and Aaron have given the family their newest member - a son who is written into Out of the Eclipse as the patently clear grandson of Monty Hall. Oh, and it would appear that the little boy seems to be taking a natural interest in dance. Of course he will be an artist, a performer, a creative. It's in his blood.

Thank goodness for that blood, for this heritage, for this family. It is a family of storytellers. And The Legacy continues...

Read the Broadway World Cabaret review of Joanna Gleason's OUT OF THE ECLIPSE HERE and Aaron David Gleason's COME HELL AND HIGH WATER HERE.

The Gleason family is joined in their photos by Aaron & Stacey's son. It is the policy of Broadway World Cabaret to not reveal the names of children in our articles unless they are active performers.

Chris Sarandon was unable to attend the photo shoot for this article; we have included a 2016 portrait of Chris and Joanna made in their home.

Joanna Gleason's online presence is as follows:

Website: Coming soon!

Instagram: Click HERE.

Facebook: Click HERE.

Twitter: Click HERE.

THE GROTTO on Facebook: Click HERE. On Instagram: Click HERE.

THE GROTTO on IMDB: Click HERE.

Joanna's pronouns are She/Her/Hers

Joanna's upcoming projects include:

The Grotto - written and directed by Joanna Gleason. The film won the Best Narrative Feature Premiere at the Heartland International Film Festival in 2022.

Aaron David Gleason's online presence is as follows:

Website: Click HERE.

Instagram: Click HERE.

Facebook: Click HERE.

Twitter: Click HERE.

YouTube: Click HERE.

Vimeo: Click HERE.

Aaron's pronouns are He/Him/His

Aaron's upcoming projects include:

Working on a new album.

Chris Sarandon's online presence is as follows:

Website: Click HERE.

Instagram: Click HERE.

Facebook: Click HERE.

Twitter: Click HERE.

YouTube: Click HERE.

Chris's pronouns are He/Him/His

Chris's upcoming projects include:
Chris has an ongoing podcast called Cooking By Heart. The podcast is available on YouTube as well as anywhere that you get your podcasts. Previous guests include Carly Elwes, Amanda Bearse, Tom Holland, William Ragsdale, Jonathan Stark, Adriana Trigiani, and Michael Patrick King to name a few.

Cooking By Heart had Chris talking with actors, authors, politicians, business figures, health care professionals, musicians, and comedians. The show will center on memories of the meals or favorite foods we all grew up with, from the exotic to the mundane, dishes that still tickle or tantalize us as adults and, most importantly, Cooking By Heart will discuss the stories and people that accompany those memories.

Stacey Bone-Gleason's online presence is as follows:

Website: Click HERE.

Instagram: Click HERE.

Facebook: Click HERE.

Stacey's pronouns are She/Her

Stacey's upcoming projects include:

Visit Stacey's website for clips from some recent theatrical productions and be on the lookout for a possible solo debut cabaret show in the future ;-)

Photos by Stephen Mosher; visit the Stephen Mosher website HERE.

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