INTERVIEW: ‘Jerry’s Girls’ celebrates the timeless music of Jerry Herman
Jerry Herman is a Broadway legend deserving of a career retrospective. Jerry’s Girls, a revue of the composer’s impressive oeuvre, is a fitting celebration of the man behind Hello, Dolly!, Mame, Mack & Mabel and La Cage Aux Folles.
Jerry’s Girls is back in New York City with a new semi-staged production at the York Theatre Company on Midtown’s Eastside. Directed by Pamela Hunt, the revue stars Stephanie D’Abruzzo, Christine Pedi and Stephanie Umoh, and is part of York’s Musical in Mufti series (a mufti, or muff tee, stands for in street clothes without the trappings of a full production).
“It started off as a three-person, three-woman show long ago in a club,” Hunt said of the musical’s origins. “It started at the Royal Poinciana Playhouse in Palm Beach, [Florida,] and then it had Carol Channing … Leslie Uggams and Andrea McArdle. And then it moved to Broadway. It was a whole different thing. Channing could not do it, and it had Dorothy Loudon, Chita Rivera and Leslie Uggams. And that’s the version that we’re doing is that version, which is a little bit different. Well, what enticed me to do it is first of all is Jerry Herman’s music, which is pretty wonderful. I mean, it’s all those songs. I think a lot of them the audience will know, and there’s many others that you may not know.”
Hunt believes Herman’s songs are wonderful selections for the theater, and in particular for women in the theater. Think of all the possibilities with Milk and Honey, Dear World and Parade. Throw in A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine, Miss Spectacular and The Grand Tour, and the options are seemingly endless.
The production features the three singers with book in hand, much like the Encores series at New York City Center. The cast started rehearsals on a Monday and had their first show five days later, on a Saturday. They continue at the York through Aug. 13.
“You have to have very good people who can read well and pick up things,” Hunt said. “I do lightly stage it because I have some rolling music stands, which are marvelous. … I’m also going to be using projections.”
Some of the projections are of actual images from the year when the shows first premiered. There are some pictures of original cast members as well. “It’s … everybody revisiting what they may know, but also just, oh, yes, I remember that wonderful actor doing that song,” Hunt said.
Hunt was quick to point out that the show is a musical revue of Herman’s catalog, rather than a staging of these specific musicals. “We do have our obviously Hello, Dolly! section, but we’re not doing Mame,” she said. “We’re not doing the shows themselves. It’s the music from these wonderful shows, so you need strong women who sing well, who can be funny, who can act. You really need people that are very versatile. … They are asked to do a lot of different types of things. You’re not just doing one straight line, like you’re not just doing Dolly Levi. You’re not just doing Mame. You’re doing all these different things.”
She added: “It’s a revue, so it’s representing all of his music. … I think what this will do for the audience is you realize how strong this material is.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Jerry’s Girls, directed by Pamela Hunt and featuring the songs of Jerry Herman, continues at the York Theatre Company through Aug. 13. The musical revue is presented as part of the Musicals in Mufti series. Click here for more information and tickets.
