This is a weekly feature on BroadwayLiving.com.
It’s just like the game “Six Degrees of
Kevin Bacon”. You know how it goes…someone
throws out an actor’s name and you have to try
to connect them to Kevin Bacon in six steps or less.
I thought it might be fun to do the same thing with
the theater’s luminaries. I will be trying to
connect them to the longest running show in Broadway
history, The Phantom of the Opera and its very first “Phantom”,
Michael Crawford.
Carol Burnett brought the story of her early life to
the Broadway stage as the writer of the play, Hollywood
Arms. The play was based on her memoirs, One More Time,
and tells the story of how she was raised by her grandmother
in a boarding house in Hollywood, CA.
After several small parts in theatre and television,
Carol landed the role that would propel her into the
limelight. In 1959 she made her Broadway debut as Princess
Winnifred in the musical, Once Upon a Mattress. Her
portrayal of the unconventional princess garnered Carol
her first Tony Award nomination. It also landed her
a spot on The Gary Moore Show where she won her first
Emmy Award in 1962. In that same year Ms. Burnett rose
to the level of headliner when she appeared with Julie
Andrews in Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall.
She returned to Broadway in 1964 as Hope Springfield
in the short-lived Fade Out-Fade In. Shortly thereafter
Burnett’s childhood idol, and also the woman
who had become a mentor and friend, Lucille Ball, approached
her about doing a sitcom produced by Ball’s company,
Desilu. Carol declined and instead opted to pursue
an idea she had for a variety show. That idea became
The Carol Burnett Show which debuted in 1967.
The Carol Burnett Show became a huge success in a genre
dominated by men. The myriad characters she portrayed,
her signature “Tarzan” yell, her ear-tugging
sign off and the memorable closing theme won the hearts
of the viewing public and the show earned 22 Emmy Awards
during its 11 year run.
In the mid-1990’s, Carol returned to Broadway
in Moon Over Buffalo and Putting It Together. Now in
2007, it’s time for her to meet the Phantom.
1) Carol Burnett starred in Putting It Together with
George Hearn
2) George Hearn was in Meet Me in St. Louis with Juliet
Lambert
3) Juliet Lambert appeared in Passion with Cris Groenendaal
5) Cris Groenendaal was the original Monsieur André in
Phantom of the Opera with Michael Crawford
“…
as the curtain descends there is nothing but loving
and laughter.
When the fairy tale ends the heroine’s always
a bride.”
Princess Winnifred in Once Upon a Mattress
So that’s the game. Join me each week as I try to come up with new ways
of connecting Michael Crawford to the entire theater community.
