The American Century Theater presents About The American Century Theater The American Century Theater was founded in 1994. We are a professional nonprofit theater company dedicated to presenting great, important, and worthy American plays of the twentieth century—what Henry Luce called “the American Century.” The company’s mission is one of rediscovery, enlightenment, and perspective, not nostalgia or preservation. Americans must not lose the extraordinary vision and wisdom of past playwrights, nor can we afford to surrender the moorings to our shared cultural heritage. Our mission is also driven by a conviction that communities need theater, and theater needs audiences. To those ends, this company is committed to producing plays that challenge and move all Americans, of all ages, origins, and points of view. In particular, we strive to create theatrical experiences that entire families can watch, enjoy, and discuss long afterward. Board of Directors Chair Louis George Vice-Chair Wes MacAdam Treasurer Wendy Kenney Board Gabe Goldberg, Madi Green, Vivian Kallen, Jack Marshall, Kevin McIntyre Staff Jack Marshall Artistic Director Rip Claassen Tom Fuller Emily Morrison Brian Crane Rhonda Hill Ed Moser Ellen Dempsey Bill Gordon Joli Provost Kate Dorrell Steven Scott Mazzola Ginny Tarris Lindsey E. Moore This program is supported in part by Arlington County through the Arlington Commission for the Arts and Arlington Cultural Affairs, a division of Arlington Economic Development; the Virginia Commission for the Arts; the National Endowment for the Arts; and many generous donors. An Evening with Danny Kaye is supported in part by a grant from The McElwaine-Stroock Fund of the Jewish Communal Fund, made in memory of Robert M. McElwaine. The American Century Theater presents An Evening with July 18-August 16, 2014 Gunston Theatre Two 2700 South Lang Street, Arlington Musical Director Jeffrey Biering Stage Manager Production Manager Lighting Design Lindsey E. Moore Ed Moser Marc Allan Wright Director Stephen Nachamie This production of An Evening with Danny Kaye appears as part of TACT’s Robert M. McElwaine “Reflections” Series. There will be one fifteen-minute intermission. Please—Silence and stow all electronic devices. The video and/or audio recording of this performance by any means whatsoever is strictly prohibited. On stage Danny Kaye. Brian Childers Musical Director. Jeffrey Biering Production staff Director .......................................... Stephen Nachamie Production Manager ........................................Ed Moser Stage Manager ...................................... Lindsey E. Moore Lighting Design. Marc Allan Wright Projections Technician ................................Shayne Weyker Master Carpenter .......................................Michael Salmi Assistant Stage Manager/Sound Technician .............. Chris Beatley Master Electrician ................................Juan Ramirez-Cortes Follow Spot Operator ....................................Colin Martin Properties Master ................................... Lindsey E. Moore Wardrobe Assistant ................................. Catherine Casino Wig Stylist ...........................................Paul Alan Hogan Publicist .............................................. Emily Morrison Production Photography ............................Johannes Markus Program Design .....................................Michael Sherman House Manager ...........................................Joli Provost Poster and Cover Art ....................................Ernie Fimbres The director is a member of the STAGE DIRECTORS AND CHOREOGRAPHERS SOCIETY, a national theatrical labor union Special thanks to— Anya and Marcel Drimer Andrew McElwaine Ernie Fimbres Silver Spring Stage Lou George Quotidian Theatre Company Melinda Patrician Gail Winston and Gary Donaldson Edith Marshall Become a fan of The American Century Theater on Facebook. Keep up with shows, auditions, volunteer opportunities, podcasts, videos, and more. www.AmericanCentury.org Download the podcast. Listen in as Artistic Director Jack Marshall discusses An Evening with Danny Kaye with Brian Childers (Danny Kaye), Director Stephen Nachamie, and Musical Director Jeffrey Biering. It was the Fall of 2000, and a musical I had directed for The American Century Theater, Hollywood Pinafore, was playing at Gunston’s Theatre Two. At the same time, my friend, the late Robert McElwaine, a publicist for many Hollywood stars during the Fifties and Sixties, was trying to interest me in directing a two-actor musical he had written (with music supplied by legendary Hollywood bassist Bob Bain) about his long-time client, Danny Kaye, and Kaye’s relationship with his wife, lyricist, and mentor, Sylvia Fine. It was called Danny and Sylvia. Danny Kaye was the first and only entertainer whom I actively idolized, and Bob’s show seemed like a perfect opportunity to pay Danny back for all the joy he brought to the world with his unique—indeed, inimitable—talents. But who could possibly play Danny Kaye? It may have been my discussions with Bob that sparked it, but one night, as I watched Brian Childers (starring as a hapless Hollywood screenwriter) do a comic scene in Hollywood Pinafore, something about his body language and timing suddenly reminded me of Danny. I had never thought of Brian as being anything like Danny Kaye before, but this one second convinced me: if anyone could play “The Kid from Brooklyn,” Brian could. After the performance, I told Brian about the McElwaine script and asked if he would be interested in doing it. “Are you kidding?” he said. “I love Danny Kaye!” (Months later, Brian confessed to me that he barely knew who Danny Kaye was.) The TACT board agreed to let me direct a workshop production of Danny and Sylvia, and Bob, who was on the board of The Writer’s Center in Bethesda, rented that organization’s theater for a limited two-week run in the Spring of 2001. During rehearsals, I worked with Brian on Danny’s signature postures and moves—his expressive hands, his dancer’s stance, his loose-limbed clowning. They had been imprinted in my brain from watching every Kaye movie, never missing an episode of his CBS variety show, and seeing him live on stage. Every night, Brian went home and watched videotapes of Danny, over and over. He was especially anxious about doing Kaye’s patter songs justice: Danny Kaye was probably the greatest patterer who ever lived. “I can’t do that!” Brian protested the first time I had played a series of Kaye songs for him. “Nobody can do that,” I told him. “But if you can do eighty percent of that, it will still be better than anyone else alive.” Brian worked and worked. Bob McElwaine was pessimistic. “I don’t see Danny,” he once told me. For my part, I doubted that the show would find an audience. Kaye’s movies, other than White Christmas, are seldom seen on television, and I was afraid that there was no longer an audience for the real Danny Kaye, much less a nervous imposter. Well, we were all wrong. The Bethesda run sold out, and every performance ended with cheers and standing ovations. On closing night, Bob grabbed me by the arm and said with wonder in his voice, “I saw Danny on that stage! He was there!” TACT opened its 2001–2002 season with a new production in Arlington, and despite opening on September 12, just a day after the tragedy of 9/11, Danny and Sylvia got rave reviews and full houses. Brian’s channeling of Danny Kaye went from solid to remarkable to eerie, and even though the Helen Hayes Awards seldom recognize performances from small theater companies (especially ours), nobody was surprised when Brian Childers won the 2002 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Performance in a Musical. Brian Childers has gone on to successful and still expanding performing career, but he didn’t abandon Danny Kaye. He performed Danny and Sylvia off Broadway, starred in another Kaye revue in Florida, and in a magnificent tribute to his reputation and the definitive Kaye portrayer, was chosen to play Danny at the Hollywood Bowl in a gala honoring the 100th year of Kaye’s beloved Brooklyn Dodgers. When I learned that Brian had launched a new one-man show reenacting the unforgettable concert performances that were widely acknowledged to show the great entertainer’s talents at his best, I asked if he would bring it to Gunston Theatre Two. Brian immediately agreed. So here we are, in 2014. There is magic in the air, for much is honored by this performance: The American Century Theater, which in this instance achieved its mission with perfection, bringing back to public consciousness a major figure in 20th century American entertainment, and allowing his memory, legacy, and style to make audiences laugh again; Robert McElwaine, Danny’s loyal friend and advisor, who made it his quest to ensure that the culture didn’t forget the man whom he regarded as the greatest pure talent he ever experienced in a lifetime surrounded by Hollywood immortals; Brian Childers, who epitomized the courage, sweat, and inspiration of the acting profession by transforming himself from someone who didn’t know who Danny Kaye was into a performer who could conjure up the essence of Kaye’s talent and charm to delight a new generation of audiences; and most of all, Danny Kaye himself. It’s good to have you back, Danny. —Jack Marshall, Artistic Director The American Century Theater On Stage Brian Childers (Danny Kaye) has captured hearts across the nation in concert, musical comedy, and most notably with his critically acclaimed