People go to musicals because they want to hear some really good songs.
I've always wanted to get into acting, ever since I was younger. I'd put on shows for my family and run around play dress-up all the time. I think I was 4 when I told them I wanted to do movies.
I love musicals and I'm happy they are coming back because I'd love to do more.
It was in 1969, and I thought, wow, you know, I really didn't want to do a TV series. You know, I had my own act, and I was performing in Vegas and doing all of these exciting things.
I love musicals. I grew up on musicals.
As a child, I would put on shows in my neighborhood with friends and perform Barbra Streisand songs for my classmates.
My best memories growing up are of putting on musicals with my mom and dad, Both of them are real hams; it was like vaudeville in East Hampton.
When I was young and growing up in New York, my parents took me to children's theater quite often - elaborate presentations of 'Goldilocks' and 'Rapunzel' for Upper East Side kids. As I grew older, they took me to adult theater, mostly musicals.
I'm not really a 'puppet' person in particular; I think they are very theatrical, and I've found different uses for them in shows, but my true interest is in writing Broadway musicals.
I've never been bored in live theater.
I really like musicals - 'The Music Man,' 'Oklahoma!,' 'Li'l Abner,' 'Annie Get Your Gun.'
What excites me is doing shows now. I don't really get excitement from doing music because you never know what your music is going to bring. It seems like now it's all for nothing.
We got to see Sondheim shows, 'Phantom of the Opera,' 'Cats' and all sorts of stuff. When you're 10 or 11 years old, it's just magnificent. The story-telling, the music - it lifts you out of your seat.
I do six shows a week. Sometimes my voice gets tired, but I love it.
At one time musical theater, particularly in the '40s and '50s, was a big source of pop songs. That's how musical theater started, really - it was just a way of linking several pop songs for the stage.
That's what I think musicals will come to. No backstage stories, nothing of that sort.
Live shows have been going on for so long, can you really do something that's never been done before?
I do a lot of family shows.
Most stand-up is incredibly boring. It's time for people to do something else.
The best part of touring has to be playing shows.
Over the years, I managed to develop this comedy career, went from opening act to headliner at comedy clubs, to playing concert halls, and had an off-Broadway show with 'Sleepwalk With Me.'
I want to play main rooms in Vegas. I want to play every day like Elvis did, not just weekends.
Touring and putting out records is fun and cool, but I've been doing it for a long time.
I collect musical theatre anthologies. I have a whole library of them.
A few years later, when I was still going to these meetings, I was also "second-acting" every Broadway show [walking in with the crowd after intermission]. I snuck in to see Grease with John Travolta in kind of a secondary part and Adrienne Barbeau playing Rizzo, into Pippin, hung out with Ben Vereen and Bob Fosse. It was an amazing time for a teenager.
