The Odd Potato's History of Stars
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JIM CORTI
(played "Murray Weintraub" in the February '03 reading)
Broadway: Ragtime, A Chorus Line, Candide. National tours: Urtinetown, Cabaret, Bob Fosse's Dancin'. Regional theatre: Strike Up The Band ("George Spelvin"), Goodspeed Opera House; The Hot Mikado ("Ko-Ko"), Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera and T.U.T.S., Houston; Lost in Yonkers ("Louie"), Weston Playhouse, Vermont. Chicago theatre: Another Midsummer Night ("Puck") and Book of the Night ("The Dealer"), Goodman Theatre; Grand Hotel ("Otto Kringelein"), Joseph Jefferson Award, Marriott's Lincolnshire; Falsettoland ("Mendel"), Wisdom Bridge.
return to topBJ CROSBY
(played "Millie Harris" in Broadway Sings The Odd Potato)
BJ Crosby most recently played "Matron 'Mama' Morton" in the Broadway production of Chicago. Prior to that she starred in George C. Wolfe's Harlem Song at New York's Apollo Theater.
Other Broadway credits include One Mo' Time and Smokey Joe's Café for which she received Tony and NAACP nominations for Best Actress in a Musical, an Olivier Award nomination for the London Premier and a Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album.
National tours: The Civil War, Dreamgirls (Effie). Television: "Ally McBeal", "The Rosie O'Donnell Show", "Law & Order", "Mad About You", "The Life of Romare Beardon", "The Bill Cosby Show", "Family Matters", "Victoria's Secret", and "Smokey Joe's Café: Live From Broadway". Other stage credits: Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Ain't Misbehavin', Lady BJ Sings Lady Day. Concerts: New Jersey Symphony (guest soloist), Disney World with Dynamite National Talent and Stepp Stewart. Recordings: A Tribute to Billie Holiday with Ellis Marsalis (Ace Award), He's Right on Time (Rev Daryl Coley, Sparrow Records).
JIM DALE
(sings "The Odd Potato Song" on The Odd Potato CD)
Jim Dale became "The Toast of Broadway" (NY Times), when he created the flamboyant title role in the now world famous Cy Coleman musical, Barnum, (Tony Award/Drama Desk Award). At the age of 18, the British born actor was the youngest professional comedian in Great Britain, touring all the great Variety Music Halls. In the 60's he became the first recording artist under the wing of the now legendary George Martin who produced many hit records for him.
Mr. Dale received a Tony nomination for Candide. He has recorded all four books in the Harry Potter series, written by J.K. Rowling, and received the following awards: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Grammy Award 2001–Best Children's Audio Recording, Audie Award 2001–Best Performance by Solo Male Narrator, Audio File Earphone Award; Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Benjamin Franklin Award 2001–Best Children's Audio Recording, Audio File Earphone Award; Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Grammy Award Nomination 2000–Best Children's Audio Recording, The Benjamin Franklin Award 2000–Best Children's Audio Recording, Audio File Earphone Award.
Jim has lived in New York since 1980, and is married to Julie Schafler Dale, owner of Madison Avenue's prestigious "Julie: Artisan's Gallery".
Visit Jim Dale on the web at: www.jim-dale.com
MOLLY EPHRAIM
(played "Rachel Levy" in Broadway Sings The Odd Potato and appears on The Odd Potato CD)
Molly Ephraim made her motion picture debut as "Wendy Greenhut" in the 2008 Disney movie, College Road Trip. She also appeared as "Bielke", Tevye's daughter in Fiddler on the Roof on Broadway and previously played daughter "Ally" in "Hench At Home", Michael J. Fox's 2003 sitcom pilot starring Craig Bierko and Tracy Pollan.
She was recognized by the Drama League for her outstanding performance in her portrayal of Little Red Ridinghood in the 2002 Tony Award winning Broadway Revival of Into The Woods starring Vanessa Williams. Other credits include: The Snow Queen at Prince Music Theatre, the Arden Theatre Company's Into The Woods (for which she received a Barrymore Nomination), staged readings directed by Patricia Birch of King Island Christmas, and Great Expectations, as well as many regional theatre productions, among them, Fiddler On The Roof, Annie, South Pacific, Carousel, and The Nutcracker.
Molly is currently a senior at Princeton University.
DAN FOGLER
(sings "I Am A Latin Latke" on The Odd Potato CD)
Dan Fogler received a 2005 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his appearance as William Barfee in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, which was also his Broadway debut. He also received the Lortel, Outer Critics, Drama Desk (Best Ensemble), and Broadway World Award for his performance. Fogler first created the character of Mr. Barfee in C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E (Theatorium, NYC) and was with Spelling Bee throughout its thrilling journey from Barrington Stage to Second Stage to Broadway.
Other theatre credits include the Ref in Joe Fearless (Ford Theatre, NYC), Fred in Bridges and Harmonies (NYC Drama League), the Interrogator in Bobby Gould in Hell (Theatre Row), Mr. Crawley in Warner Brothers’ Scooby Doo/Stage Fright (national tour), Bane Barrington/Bill in The Voyage of the Carcass (Greenwich Street Theatre) and The Detective Sketches (Lincoln Center Theater Lab).
Dan is scheduled to be a voice actor in the upcoming animated films Horton Hears a Who! and Kung Fu Panda. Dan's play Elephant in The Room, inspired by Ionesco's Rhinoceros was accepted into The NY International Fringe Festival 2007.
SUTTON FOSTER
(sings "It's Not Fair" on The Odd Potato CD)
Sutton Foster is currently starring as the German yodeling fraulein "Inga" in Mel Brooks' new musical production of Young Frankenstein.
She is the recipient of the 2002 Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award and Astaire Award for her performance as "Millie Dillmount" in Thoroughly Modern Millie. She received her second Tony nomination as "Jo March" in Little Women on Broadway. She returned to Broadway in May 2006 in The Drowsy Chaperone, a spoof of 1920s musicals. She played the role of "Janet van de Graff," a famous Broadway starlet who opts to forgo a stage career in favor of married life. Her performance in Chaperone earned her a third Tony nomination.
Sutton received the 2003 Michigan Governor's Award for Emerging Artist. She appeared as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl in Concert in 2002 and as Svetlana in Chess in Concert in 2003, both for The Actors' Fund of America, and can also be heard on the newly released album The Maury Yeston Songbook (PS Classics).
In 2007, Foster was offered two television acting roles. The first as the sister of host Johnny on "Johnny and the Sprites," a children's musical puppet show. Next came the role of Coco on the HBO television series "Flight of the Conchords."
Visit Sutton Foster on the web at: http://www.geocities.com/suttonfosteronline/
BOYD GAINES
(sings the reprise of "If We Had One More Day" on The Odd Potato CD)
Boyd Gaines won a Tony Award for his appearance in The Heidi Chronicles; Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards for his performance in She Loves Me; and Tony and Lucille Lortel Awards for Contact.
He was recently seen on Broadway in Twelve Angry Men at the American Airlines Theatre and also appeared in The Show Off, Company, and Cabaret on Broadway. His Off-Broadway credits include: Major Barbara, The Shawl, The Comedy of Errors, Spring Awakening, The Extra Man, The Maderati, The Winter’s Tale, The Barbarians, and A Month in the Country (for which he received a Theatre World Award).
Regional theater performances include: Dedication (Williamstown Theatre Festival); The Good German (Westport Country Playhouse); On the Verge (Yale Repertory Theatre); Hamlet, Love’s Labour’s Lost, The Importance of Being Earnest, and She Loves Me (all for Baltimore Center Stage); The Voysey Inheritance; Oliver, Oliver (Long Wharf Theatre); The Tempest and Our Town (both at The Guthrie Theater); and Tartuffe (The Kennedy Center).
On film Mr. Gaines can been seen in: Second Best, I’m Not Rappaport, Heartbreak Ridge, The Sure Thing, Porky’s, Fame, and Ray’s Male Heterosexual Dance Hall (an Oscar-winning short). And on television: "The Confession," "Piece of Cake," "One Day at a Time," "L.A. Law," "Frasier," and "Law & Order."
JARED GOLDSTEIN
(played "Sammy Levy" in the February '03 Reading)
Jared Goldstein made his Broadway debut in Madison Square Garden's A Christmas Carol.
His credits include: Off Broadway's Children's Letters to God (Brett); The Scarlet Letter National Tour (ensemble); The Adventures of Zak (Willie), a member of The Kids for Kids Project. Regional: Rags (David). Feature film: Manhattan Midnight (Danny). Television: "The Conan O'Brien Show," "Gagsters" series for a major network in France.
Love and thanks to my vocal coach Jay Kerr, and to my manager Marianne Leone. Hugs to my family for being there and supporting me.
Visit Jared Goldstein on the web at: www.jaredgoldstein.com
FRANK GORSHIN
(1934-2005)
(played "Murray Weintraub" in Broadway Sings The Odd Potato)
Frank Gorshin was most recently seen on Broadway appearing as the legendary entertainer George Burns in his one man show, Say Goodnight Gracie.
After two years in the Army during the Korean conflict, serving in Special Services as an entertainer, he returned to civilian life and quickly got a job in the Paramount Films' The Proud and the Profane, Bells Are Ringing, Where the Boys Are, and Ring of Fire.
But it was the role of The Riddler on the television series "Batman" for which he received an Emmy nomination, that changed his professional career. Mr. Gorshin went on to receive his second Emmy nomination as a guest star in a classic "Star Trek" episode.
Frank Gorshin as "George Burns" in Say Goodnight
Gracie
Photo: Carol Rosegg
No stranger to the stage, he made his Broadway debut in 1970 as the star of Jimmy based on the life of New York Mayor Jimmy Walker. He also starred in touring companies of What Makes Sammy Run; Promises, Promises; Peter Pan; Prisoner of Second Avenue; Deathtrap; Doubles; Ah, Wilderness!; On the 20th Century; Breaking Legs; Guys and Dolls; and most recently The Sunshine Boys co-starring with Dick Van Patten.
Other film roles included 12 Monkeys, Meteor Man, Twilight of the Ice Nymphs, Luck of the Draw, Castle Rock, Beethoven's 3rd, Manna From Heaven, "Back to the Bat Cave" for CBS and Blood Head directed by Christopher Coppola.
Mr. Gorshin passed away on May 17, 2005. We will miss him.
Visit Frank Gorshin on the web at: www.therealfrankgorshin.com
DEBBIE GRAVITTE
(played "Anna Levy" in Broadway Sings The Odd Potato and sings "Don't Forget The Pepper" on The Odd Potato CD)
Debbie Gravitte was most recently on Broadway playing Matron "Mama" Morton in the hit revival of Kander and Ebb's Chicago at the Ambassador Theatre. Tony Award winner for Jerome Robbins' Broadway, Debbie made her Broadway debut in the original cast of They're Playing Our Song and went on to appear in Perfectly Frank (Drama Desk Nomination); Zorba, Blues In The Night, Ain't Broadway Grand, and Les Misérables. She's been featured in the Encores' productions of The Boys From Syracuse, Tenderloin, and Carnival. Off-Broadway: Free To Be You And Me, Out of Sterno and Broadway 68 at LaMama, ETC.
Debbie has sung in concert worldwide with numerous orchestras, including the London, Stockholm, Jerusalem, and St. Louis Symphonies. She recently finished her third solo CD, Big Band Broadway, the follow up to Part of Your World, The Alan Menken Album and The MGM Album.
On television, Debbie's appeared on PBS' "Broadway Plays Washington," "Evening with the Boston Pops," "A Rodgers and Hart Celebration," "Ira Gershwin's 100th at Carnegie Hall," and "Rodgers and Hart." She was seen with Bette Midler in the feature Isn't She Great? and can be heard as one of the voices in The Little Mermaid. Debbie is the proud and tired mother of three beautiful children.
Visit Debbie Gravitte on the web at: www.debbiegravitte.com
JUDD HIRSCH
(narrates The Odd Potato CD)
Judd Hirsch was last seen on Broadway in the revival of Herb Gardner's I'm Not Rappaport, reprising the role that earned him his first Tony Award for the original Broadway production. Mr. Hirsch also won the Tony and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Actor for the 1992 production of Mr. Gardner's Conversations With My Father.
Other Broadway credits include Art (also London and the national tour); the 1996 revival of Gardner's A Thousand Clowns; Lanford Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Talley's Folly (Tony nomination); Chapter Two; Jules Feiffer's Knock, Knock (Drama Desk Award); and Barefoot in the Park.
He appeared Off-Broadway in a string of performances, including in Bruce Jay Friedman's Scuba Duba, Jean-Claude Van Itallie's King of the United States and Mystery Play and Lanford Wilson's Hot L. Baltimore and Talley's Folly before receiving an Obie Award for these achievements. Also Off-Broadway, he appeared in Chekhov's The Seagull and Richard Dresser's Below the Belt.
Mr. Hirsch developed a production of Death of a Salesman, playing Willy Loman at the Manitoba Theatre Center in Winnipeg and at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto.
He made his TV debut in the Emmy Award-winning movie "The Law" and has since headlined four TV series: "Delvecchio," "Taxi" (two Emmy Awards), "Dear John" (Golden Globe Award) and "George & Leo" with Bob Newhart.
Mr. Hirsch's film credits include King of the Gypsies, Ordinary People (Oscar nomination), Without a Trace, Teachers, Herb Gardner's The Goodbye People, Sidney Lumet's Running on Empty, Independence Day, Man on the Moon and A Beautiful Mind.
RON HOLGATE
(sings "A Great Miracle Happened There" on The Odd Potato CD)
Ron Holgate won a Tony Award for his performance as Richard Henry Lee in 1776. He also received a Tony nomination for his performance in The Grand Tour.
Mr. Holgate recently appeared in the National Tour of Urinetown as Caldwell B. Cladwell, greedy corporate villain and recently starred as Don Quixote in a national tour of Man of La Mancha.
He previously appeared in the Broadway revival of Kiss Me Kate as "Harrison Howell" and as "Buffalo Bill" in Annie Get Your Gun. Other Broadway credits include: Lend Me a Tenor; Guys and Dolls; 42nd Street; Milk and Honey; Sweet Charity; Saturday, Sunday, Monday and the original production of ...Forum.
CADY HUFFMAN
(sings the reprise of "A Great Miracle Happened There" on The Odd Potato CD)
Cady Huffman received the 2001 Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for her portrayal of "Ulla" in The Producers. She was also Tony nominated for her performance in The Will Rogers Follies.
Other Broadway credits include: the original production of La Cage aux Folles, Bob Fosse's Big Deal, Steel Pier and Dame Edna: The Royal Tour.
Other credits include Big Rosemary (title role, written and directed by Blake Edwards), Italian-American Reconciliation and Gemini (Rome, Italy), As You Like It and Cymbeline (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art), L'il Abner (Encores!).
Film: Hero, Throw the Hoolihan, Space Marines, Sunday on the Rocks (produced by Cady and Amy Richards; directed by Joe Morton; starring Julie White, Cady, Amiee Turner and Suzzanne Douglas). Television includes "Mad About You," "The George Carlin Show," and "Pig Sty." Go Hawks!
MARK JACOBY
(played "Joe Levy" in Broadway Sings The Odd Potato and in the February '03 reading)
Mark Jacoby, recently seen as the Padre in the Tony Award nominated Broadway revival of Man of La Mancha, earned Tony, Outer Critics' and Joseph Jefferson Award nominations for his performance as Gaylord Ravenal in Showboat, directed by Harold Prince, and originated the role of Father in Ragtime on Broadway.
He made his Broadway debut as Vittorio Vidal in Sweet Charity (directed by Bob Fosse) and also appeared as Baron von Gaigern in Grand Hotel on Broadway. For two and a half years, Mark played the Phantom in Phantom of the Opera on Broadway (a role he created in the American national tour). Other exciting roles include Guido Contini in the Chicago premiere of Nine (winning the Joseph Jefferson Award), Playwright in Enter The Guardsman (receiving a Drama Desk Nomination), and Norman Rockwell in the new musical, Rockwell, produced at New York's Blue Heron Theatre.
SKY JARRETT
(played "Sammy Levy" in Broadway Sings The Odd Potato and appears on The Odd Potato CD)
Sky Jarrett recently completed the Tenth Anniversary U.S. Tour of The Will Rogers Follies with Larry Gatlin produced by Dallas Summer Musicals. Previously, he made both his New York and Broadway debuts as Tiny Tim in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol with F. Murray Abraham at The Theatre at Madison Square Garden.
Sky has also delighted in performing the roles of Linus in You're A Good Man Charlie Brown at Palistage Youth Theatre, Hansel in Hansel and Gretel with the Random Farms Kids Theater, and Michael Darling in Peter Pan at Yorktown Stage. Sky can be heard on the Nickelodeon series "Blues Clues" and seen on the VH-1 promos for "I Love the 70's". Thank you to Eileen Sherman and Jay Kerr for this wonderful opportunity. Kisses and hugs to my family and friends.
JUDY KAYE
(sings "My Mother's Menorah" on The Odd Potato CD)
Judy Kaye is the winner of a 1988 Tony Award and Drama Desk nomination for her performance as "Carlotta Giudicelli" in the Original Broadway Production of The Phantom of the Opera. She was also Tony nominated for her recent performance as "Rosie" in the hit ABBA musical Mamma Mia.
She also won a Theatre World Award, LA Drama Critics' Circle Award and her first Drama Desk nomination playing "Lily Garland" in On The Twentieth Century, directed by Hal Prince. She starred in Broadway in The Moony Shapiro Songbook; Oh Brother! and Grease. Her national tours and regional productions include: 20th Century; Grease; Fiddler On The Roof!, Jesus Christ Superstar; You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown and Annie Get Your Gun.
Ms. Kaye debuted with the Santa Fe Opera as Eurydice in Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld, as "Dinah" in Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti for the Anchorage Opera and as "Mrs. Lovett" in Sweeney Todd for Michigan Opera Theatre. Her most recent concert appearance was in Villa-Lobos' Magdalena at N. Y. 's Alice Tully Hall which she also recorded. Her other recordings include A Stephen Sondheim Evening, Songs of New York and her own solo album Where Oh Where: Rare Songs of the American Musical Theatre.
Miss Kaye's critically acclaimed nightclub act has played NY and LA and she was featured as Alan King's daughter in Just Tell Me What You Want, and in TV roles on "Kojak," "The Doctors" and "Mr. Deeds Goes To Town."
Visit Judy Kaye on the web at: www.judykaye.com
DICK LATESSA
(sings "Do It for the Kids" on The Odd Potato CD)
Dick Latessa received Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards in 2003 for his performance in Hairspray on Broadway.
Lincoln Center Theatre: Guare's Chaucer in Rome. Broadway: Cabaret (Helen Hayes Award), Proposals, A Funny Thing Happened..., Damn Yankees, Will Rogers Follies, Rumors, Broadway Bound, Rags, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Passione, I Oughta Be in Pictures, Chapter Two, Follies, Awake and Sing. Off-Broadway: Over the River and Through the Woods, Philemon (Obie), Juno, Diamonds, Sophistry, Fit to Be Tied, Man in His Underwear. Encores!: Promises, Promises; DuBarry Was a Lady; Li'l Abner. Regional: Kennedy Center, Huntington, Long Wharf. Film: Stigmata, Substance of Fire. TV: "Thicker Than Blood," "Law & Order," "True Blue," "Working It Out," "Philemon" (PBS), "Izzie and Moe," "Soul Man," and "The Sopranos".
HAL LINDEN
(sings "One More Day" on The Odd Potato CD)
Hal Linden moves effortlessly among stage, film, TV and concert performances and has received countless accolades including three Emmys and a Tony. A native New Yorker, Hal began his show business career as a clarinet player and big band singer, then studied acting at the American Theatre Wing with Paul Mann and Lloyd Richards.
He received his first big break in 1958 when he was hired to understudy Sydney Chaplin in Bells Are Ringing on Broadway. Five days later, he made his Broadway debut, eventually starring opposite Judy Holliday on Broadway and in the national tour. Bells Are Ringing was one of many Broadway productions in which Hal appeared, including On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, Subways Are for Sleeping, The Apple Tree, Ilya Darling, Wildcat, The Education of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N and revivals of The Pajama Game and Three Men on a Horse.
His performance in the musical success The Rothschilds won him a Tony, national critical acclaim and the attention of TV producer Danny Arnold. The starring role in the "Barney Miller" TV series was the result. In addition to that long-running hit, television audiences know him from "Blacke's Magic," "Jack's Place" and "The Boys Are Back" as well as "FYI," "The Hal Linden Special," "Hal Linden's Big Apple" and "Animals, Animals, Animals," a Peabody Award winner.
Films include The Colony; My Wicked, Wicked Ways; Father Figure; Starflight One; The Other Woman; "I Do! I Do!" for television and the features Out to Sea; When You Coming Back, Red Ryder?; and A New Life.
Recent stage credits include the Broadway productions of The Sisters Rosensweig and I'm Not Rappaport, a nine-city tour starring in Man of La Mancha and the Las Vegas company of Chicago.
Hal also keeps a heavy schedule of nightclub and concert dates in venues ranging from symphony orchestra halls to intimate cabarets. In 1982, Hal donated "Barney Miller" memorabilia to the Smithsonian where it is enshrined with other symbols of American popular culture. Hal served for a number of years as the National Chairman of the March of Dimes and has helped raise some $75 million as host of its annual telethon. He is also the National Spokesman for the Jewish National Fund.
PRISCILLA LOPEZ
(sings "You Would Miss Me" on The Odd Potato CD)
Priscilla Lopez has just finished The Oldest Profession by Paula Vogel at the Signature Theatre. She appeared last season in the Pulitzer Prize winning play for 2003 Anna in the Tropics. Ms Lopez won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a musical for her portrayal as Harpo Marx in A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine. She received a Tony Nomination and an Obie Award as Diana Morales in A Chorus Line where she introduced the show's hit song "What I did for Love". She is also a recipient of the Rita Moreno Hola Award.
Her Off-Broadway credits include Class Mothers '68, a six character one-woman play by Eric Weinberger, the musical review newyorkers, The Passion of Frida Kahlo, Antigone in New York, Other People's Money, Extremities, Key Exchange, Buck and Your Own Thing.
On Broadway, she appeared in The Sisters Rosenswieg, Nine the Musical, Lysistrata, Pippin, Company, Her First Roman, Henry Sweet Henry and Breakfast at Tiffany's.
Regionally, she has played Los Angeles in Vanities at the Westwood Playhouse, Irma La Douce at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Death and the Maiden at Santa Fe Stages and Roman Holiday at the Muny in St. Louis.
Television audiences may have caught her in "The Annisa Ayala Story," "All in the Family," "Cosby," "Family," and "Law and Order". Her film credits include Maid in Manhattan with Jennifer Lopez, Center Stage, Revenge of the Nerds II, Cheaper to Keep Her and Tony and Tina's Wedding at the Tribeca Film Festival playing the role of Josie Vitalle.
JOHN MAHONEY
(appears as Mr. Weintraub in "It's Not Fair" on The Odd Potato CD)
John Mahoney received a Tony Award, a Drama Desk nomination, and a Clarence Derwent Award for his performance in House of Blue Leaves, but he is best known for his Golden Globe and two-time Emmy Award nominated performance as Martin Crane on the hit TV show "Frasier". He received his second Drama Desk nomination and a Theater World Award for his portrayal of "Harold" in the off-Broadway production of Orphans.
He is also remembered by audiences as the college professor who was splashed in the face with a drink in the 1988 film Moonstruck. Ironically, teaching is one of the professions he tried before becoming an actor. Born in Manchester, England, Mahoney immigrated to the United States after high school and joined the Army, where he worked on losing his British accent. He received a bachelor of arts degree from Quincy College and a masters in English from Western Illinois University. However, he did not decide to pursue acting until after trying a variety of other careers, including college professor, hospital orderly and medical-journal editor, all of which left him unfulfilled.
At age 37, Mahoney enrolled in classes at Chicago's St. Nicholas Theater–co-founded by playwright David Mamet–where he performed opposite John Malkovich, who invited him to join the Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Mahoney has since appeared in more than 30 Steppenwolf productions, including the 2001 production of Michael Healy's The Drawer Boy, in which he co-starred alongside Frank Galati and Johnny Galecki.
Mahoney's feature-film credits also include She's the One, The American President, Primal Fear, Barton Fink, Suspect, The Russia House, Frantic, Betrayed, Eight Men Out, Say Anything, The Manhattan Project, Article 99, Striking Distance, The Hudsucker Proxy, Reality Bites and In the Line of Fire. His most recent film work was in the independent film Almost Salinas, with Lindsay Crouse and Virginia Madsen.
On television he has starred as a regular on the drama series "The Human Factor," "H.E.L.P." and "Lady Blue," in the miniseries "Favorite Son," and in such television movies as "Will," "Dinner at Eight," "The Image," "The Killing Floor," "First Step" and David Mamet's "The Water Engine."
DONNA MCKECHNIE
(sings "Do It for the Kids" on The Odd Potato CD)
Donna McKechnie has appeared on Broadway in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, The Education of Hyman Kaplan, Sondheim: A Musical Tribute (which she also choreographed) On The Town, Promises Promises, Company, State Fair (Fred Astaire Award for Best Female Dancer), and her Tony Award-winning performance in A Chorus Line.
Her regional theatre credits include You Never Know at the Pasadena Playhouse and productions of I Do! I Do! and The Goodbye Girl. Donna played the lead in Bob Fosse's last production Sweet Charity (Helen Hayes Award nomination).
She made her opera debut with the San Francisco Opera performing in Die Fledermaus. Her television and film credits include "Fame," "Cheers," "Family Ties," "Twirl," "Dark Shadows," and "The Little Prince" as The Rose. She created the role of Lottie in the Reprise! production of Mack and Mabel.
Donna recently completed numerous productions of her one-woman show Inside the Music, played Mama Rose in Gypsy, Desiree in A Little Night Music, played Sally in the revival of Follies, and choreographed and performed in No Way to Treat a Lady at the Arts Theatre (London's West End), where she also starred in Can Can. She recently returned from London after a successful premiere of her new cabaret Gypsy in My Soul.
Visit Donna McKechnie on the web at: www.donnamckechnie.com
MICHELE PAWK
(sings the reprise of "My Mother's Menorah" on The Odd Potato CD)
Michele Pawk received a Tony Award for her performance as "Louise" in Hollywood Arms, written by Carrie Hamilton and Carol Burnett. She also recently starred in the hit ABBA Musical Mamma Mia! on Broadway opposite her husband John Dossett.
Other Broadway credits include: Chicago, Seussical, Cabaret (Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle nominations), Triumph of Love, Crazy for You (Drama Desk nomination), and Mail.
Off-Broadway: Reefer Madness, After the Fair, Hello Again, Merrily We Roll Along, john & jen. Regional: Hollywood Arms, Dirt, A Class Act (Japan), Oedipus: Private Eye, The Gig.
Film: Cradle Will Rock, Jeffrey, The Girl in the Watermelon, Flight of Black Angel. Television includes: "Law & Order," "Law & Order: SVU," "Quantum Leap," "Dear John," and "Golden Girls." Recordings: Seussical, Cabaret, Crazy for You, After the Fair, Hello Again, Merrily We Roll Along, Lost in Boston III, Broadway Bound, The Stephen Schwartz Album, The Stephen Sondheim Album and the Sherman Brothers Album.
Visit Michele Pawk on the web at: www.michelepawk.net
MARYANN PLUNKETT
(sings "A Little Imagination" on The Odd Potato CD)
Maryann Plunkett, best known for her Tony-Award winning performance as Sally in Me And My Girl, recently appeared in Richard Nelson's new play Rodney's Wife at Williamstown Theatre Festival and later Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons.
Other roles on Broadway include: Agnes of God, Sunday in the Park with George, The Crucible, The Seagull, St. Joan, and A Little Hotel on the Side with National Actors Theatre. She also appeared Off-Broadway in Aristocrats at Manhattan Theatre Club.
Regional theatre appearances include: All's Well that Ends Well, Uncle Vanya at the Huntington, Park You Car in Harvard Yard for Hasty Pudding Theatricals (Harvard University) and at Westport Country Playhouse, Hurdy Gurdy Man at New York Stage and Film, and Road to Mecca at the Berkshire Theatre Festival.
She is a founding member of Portland Stage and has recorded numerous audio books. Maryann's television credits include: "Law and Order" and "Star Trek"; on film, she is featured in Center Stage, Lobster Farm, and The Squid and the Whale. And she is Jamie's mom.
HAL PRINCE
(appears on The Odd Potato CD)
Mr. Prince directed the premiere productions of She Loves Me, Cabaret, Company, Follies, Candide, Pacific Overtures, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Evita, The Phantom Of The Opera, and Parade.
Before becoming a director, Mr. Prince's productions included The Pajama Game, Damn Yankees, West Side Story, Fiddler On The Roof, Fiorello!, and A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum.
Among the plays he has directed are Hollywood Arms, The Visit, The Great God Brown, End Of The World, Play Memory and his own play, Grandchild Of Kings.
Currently he is preparing two new musicals, LoveMusik the story of Kurt Weill's marriage to singer Lotte Lenya, and Paradise Lost based on Joseph Roth's The Tale of the 1002nd Night.
His opera productions have been seen at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Dallas Opera, Vienna Staatsoper and Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires.
He served as a trustee for the NY Public Library and on the National Council of the Arts of the NEA.
Recipient of a 2000 National Medal of Arts from President Clinton for a career spanning more than 40 years, in which "he changed the nature of the American musical."
The recipient of twenty-one Tony Awards, he was a 1994 Kennedy Center Honoree.
CHARLOTTE RAE
(played "Mrs. Fanny Rosenblum" and "Grandmother Rifka" in Broadway Sings The Odd Potato)
Charlotte Rae has played every type of role, from the original Mammy Yokum in Broadway's L'il Abner to her Emmy nominated role as Mrs. Garrett on NBC's "The Facts of Life." Her television credits range from early work on such shows as "Car 54 Where Are You?" to "Molly the Mailperson" on "Sesame Street" to her co-starring role on "Hot L Baltimore." She also received an Emmy nomination for "Queen of the Stardust Ballroom."
Her many stage credits include: the famed NYC production of Threepenny Opera (original cast recording); Tony nominated performances in Pickwick and Morning, Noon, and Night; and her musical debut in Three Wishes for Jamie. A few NYC stage credits include: The Beauty Part with Bert Lahr, David Rabe's The Boom Boom Room at Lincoln Center, Terrence McNally's Whiskey (Obie nomination), and The Vagina Monologues at the Westside Theater. She played "Winnie" in Samuel Beckett's Happy Days both in NYC and LA (Drama Critics Circle nomination).
Charlotte's most rewarding roles have been "Mistress Quickly" in Henry IV, Part 1 and 2 and the "Nurse" in Romeo and Juliet, both Joseph Papp productions for Shakespeare in the Park.
RANDY SKINNER
(provided tap highlights for "A Little Imagination" on The Odd Potato CD & Direction & Musical Staging for Broadway Sings The Odd Potato)
Mr. Skinner most recently choreographed Irving Berlin's White Christmas: The Musical in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Boston.
He received Astaire, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Tony Award nominations for his work on 42nd Street.
He also choreographed the opening number for the 2001 Tony Awards telecast. Other productions include State Fair (Outer Critics nomination), Ain't Broadway Grand (Tony, Outer Critics nominations), Puttin' on the Ritz (Kennedy Center), Gotta Dance! (City Center), Do Re Mi (City Center Encores!), Lucky In The Rain, George M, Babes in Arms (Goodspeed).
He has received the Los Angeles Drama Critics Award, LA Dramalogue Award, Connecticut Critics Circle Award, and Cleveland Times Theatre Award.
MARY STOUT
(played "Mrs. Fanny Rosenblum" in the February '03 Reading)
Mary Stout is currently appearing on Broadway in Disney's Beauty and the Beast as "Madame de la Grande Bouche." She was previously seen on Broadway starring as "Mrs. Fairfax" in Jane Eyre: The Musical (directed by John Caird).
Other Broadway: Me and My Girl, Copperfield, A Change in the Heir, My Favorite Year, A Christmas Carol, The Radio City Christmas Spectacular. National tours: Beauty and the Beast, Nine, Pirates of Penzance. Many regional appearances including Night Governess (McCarter) and Bremers on AMC's Emmy and Ace Award nominated series "Remember WENN." Film: Aladdin, Hunchback of Notre Dame, 24 Nights, Sweet and Lowdown, The Holy Man, Swimming on the Moon.
ELAINE STRITCH
(appears on The Odd Potato CD)
Elaine Stritch received a Tony Award for her solo performance in Elaine Stritch at Liberty.
Born in Detroit, Elaine studied at the New School in New York City under the direction of Erwin Piscator. Beginning her career in musical comedy on Broadway, she went from standing by for Ethel Merman in Call Me Madam to her Tony-nominated performance in the recent revival of Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance.
Her Broadway credits include Angel in the Wings, Pal Joey, On Your Toes, Bus Stop, Goldilocks, Sail Away (which she performed in both New York and London, and just recently in concert at Carnegie Hall to celebrate Noel Coward's centennial), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (following Uta Hagen in the role of Martha), Company and Show Boat.
In London's West End, she starred in Neil Simon's The Gingerbread Lady and Tennessee Williams' Small Craft Warnings. Other stage credits include the concert version of both Follies and Company at Lincoln Center and her appearance in A. R. Gurney's Love Letters with Jason Robards.
Ms. Stritch made her film debut in the 1957 remake of A Farewell to Arms. She co-starred in the 1977 Alain Renais film Providence and the award-winning BBC television series "Two's Company." Other film credits include Cocoon: The Return, Woody Allen's September, Out to Sea with Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon, Krippendorf's Tribe with Richard Dreyfuss, An Unexpected Life with Stockard Channing and Stephen Collins, Woody Allen's Small Time Crooks and Autumn in New York with Richard Gere and Winona Ryder.
Ms. Stritch's television credits include "The Cosby Show," "3rd Rock from the Sun" and "Soul Man." She was nominated for an Emmy Award for her performance in the miniseries "An Inconvenient Woman" written by Dominick Dunne and won an Emmy Award for her recurring role on "Law & Order."
LILLIAS WHITE
(sings "A Child's Dream Will Light the Way" on The Odd Potato CD and played "Millie Harris" in the February '03 Reading)
Lillias White is the quadruple-crown winner of the 1997 Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Award, and the People's Choice Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance as "Sonja" in The Life. Ms. White received unqualified acclaim for her triumphant portrayal of "Jonesy" in the 1995 revival of How to Succeed In Business... Her previous Broadway appearances include Cats ("Grizzabella"), Once On This Island ("Asaka"), Dreamgirls ("Effie"), Rock 'n' Roll The First 5000 Years ("Aretha Franklin") and Barnum ("Joice Heth").
Off-Broadway she starred in Dinah Was ("Dinah Washington"), Waiting For Godot, The Princess & The Black-eyed Pea, Antigone Africanus and Romance In Hard Times for which she won an Obie Award. Her national and international tours include Ain't Misbehavin', The Wiz, Tintypes and Dreamgirls (Drama Logue Award).
She won an Emmy Award for her work on "Sesame Street" after which she made several guest appearances on "Law & Order" and "NYPD Blue." She has appeared in concert at The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center as well as a guest soloist on the PBS Special "In Performance at The White House." She is featured in the Disney animated film Hercules in which she plays "Calliope." Lillias White was also featured in the Jim Carey, Ron Howard, and Brian Grazier movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Ms. White has also released her first record From Brooklyn to Broadway.
Visit Lillias White on the web at: www.lilliaswhite.com
SCOTT WISE
(sings "The Dreidel Song" on The Odd Potato CD)
Scott Wise has appeared in and been involved in the making of over 13 Broadway shows. He was awarded the 1989 Tony Award for his performance in Jerome Robbins' Broadway and was nominated for Tony Awards in 1996 and 1999 for his performances in State Fair and Fosse.
His other Broadway show credits include: A Chorus Line, Cats, Song and Dance, Carrie, Guys and Dolls, Damn Yankees (Astaire Award recipient), and Victor/Victoria. Scott is very proud to have been part of Movin' Out on Broadway as an assistant director and choreographer, but without a doubt Mr. Wise's favorite production is his daughter Savannah and son James.
