BROADWAY AND OFF
In 1968 I played piano for the closing-night performance of an off-Broadway show entitled “Horseman, Pass By”, which had some great actors. That performance led to a call for me to audition as a musician for the show “Oh! Calcutta!”, still in previews but already a huge hit. I went to the Bronx home of Peter Schickele, aka PDQ Bach. He along with the other two ‘Calcutta’ composers, Stanley Walden and Robert Dennis, hired me as musical director. They then explained that the show was unusual in that it was the first with nude actors moving on a theater stage. The three composers would play the show through opening week in June, and then our new band would take over. We were: Jon Bauman (later know as Bowzer with Sha Na Na) on electric harpsichord and electric piano, Brad Burg on piano, Al Pollick on drums, and myself conducting at the Farfisa organ and keyboard bass.
The Eden & Belasco Theaters, New York (1969-72); Edison Theater, New York (1977-1982); also productions in Philadelphia and Chicago.
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Musical direction for other New York theater productions:
“What’s A Nice Country Like You (Doing In A State Like This)?”
Upstage At Jimmy’s (1973-4); also The Happy Medium, Chicago.
and “Let My People Come” (yes, another shocker)
Village Gate & Morosco Theater (1975-76); also Washington DC and Hollywood, Florida.