Star of Stage, Screen and Richmond

Posted by Bruce Miller
Today we’re pleased to wish Betty Ann Grove a very happy 81st birthday. Betty Ann is Richmond’s own Broadway Baby—and she’s such a good friend and familiar face that it’s way too easy to forget what an amazing national career she had before moving to Richmond with her late husband Roger twenty or so years ago.

How big a deal is our friend Betty Ann? Consider these brief anecdotes from the wealth of articles that pop up when you type her name into Google.

When she was only 21 years old, Betty Ann began her seven year stint as co-star of Stop the Music, a mega-hit musical quiz show that began on radio in 1949 and soon transferred to the up-and-coming medium of television. When Cole Porter saw adorable Betty Ann on TV for the first time, his people immediately called her people and offered her the chance to replace Lisa Kirk as Lois Lane / Bianca in the original Broadway production of Kiss Me Kate—Betty Ann’s Broadway debut.

And it wasn’t just Cole Porter who loved her. Betty Ann was so popular and appeared in so many TV shows in the early 50s that her beautiful face wound up on the cover of Look Magazine over a caption that read “America’s Most Televised Women.” And what are the TV credits that earn her recognition as one of the great women pioneers of the new medium? Stop the Music, The Bert Parks Show, The Big Payoff, All in Fun, Ozark Jubilee, The Red Buttons Show, Summer Holiday, The Merv Griffin / Betty Ann Grove Show, The Arthur Murray Party, and many others.

At the peak of her success as a television singer/actress and recording artist, Betty Ann was dating her manager, Peter Dean. Peter Dean took Betty Ann with him on frequent visits to see his niece, a little girl named Carly Simon. Betty Ann had such a strong influence on young Carly that to this day Ms Simon credits Betty Ann as the singer she wanted to be when she grew up.

When Betty Ann returned to Broadway in George M! in 1968 (the second of her four Broadway shows), she was so well known in the entertainment industry that she received second billing after Joel Grey. All the advertising materials for the original production list Betty Ann’s name on its own line, just below the title, in type about twice the size of the names that immediately follow beneath her name, names like Broadway stars Jill O’Hara and Bernadette Peters.

If you decide today that you'd like to buy on an Internet auction site the autographed photo of Betty Ann you see at the top of this post, you can! And if you Buy It Now, you can pick it up for only … oh ... $399!

“Betty Ann Grove is an American actress,” Wikipedia states. “A petite redhead with a powerful voice, she recorded in the 1950s and debuted on Broadway in Kiss Me Kate.”

Even though the Wiki article goes on, it tells such a small part of her story.

Richmonders love Betty Ann for her star turns in The Music Man and Da at Theatre IV, and Driving Miss Daisy and Smoke on the Mountain at Swift Creek Mill Theatre, among others. But as we celebrate with her the joy of turning 81 years young, let’s not forget that Betty Ann Grove is not just our sweetheart, but America's sweetheart as well.

We love you, Betty Ann. Happy Birthday!!!

--Bruce Miller

Meet the Cast of Driving Miss Daisy: Jim Bynum – “Hoke”

By Joseph Pabst (Director of Driving Miss Daisy)

(Note: Driving Miss Daisy runs through November 2, 2008 at the Barksdale at Hanover Tavern. Over the last several weeks, we have highlighted the other two members of the cast – Garet Chester and Joy Williams.)

If you attend a performance of Driving Miss Daisy, you may find yourself wondering, “Why does the guy playing Hoke seem so familiar to me?” Depending on your familiarity with & experience in the Richmond area, the answer may be, “From TV.” Jim Bynum was one of the regular spokespersons (spokespeople?) for “The” Grocery Store, when it was still in business. Along with K Strong, another Richmond theatre favorite, Jim came into everyone’s living room on a regular basis (via television, that is) to let Richmonders know about the specials on “The” Grocery Store’s shelves. For a time, Jim & K were firmly seated in Richmond’s pop culture, although Jim concedes, “K is prettier, of course, and was the real star of the ads!”

But Jim is no stranger to live theatre by any means. He has enjoyed a rewarding on-stage career playing many diverse and challenging roles. He’s played senior citizens (Do Lord Remember Me, Driving Miss Daisy), the mentally challenged (The Boys Next Door), the physically challenged (Shadow Box), the psychologically challenged (Fences), and even the musically challenged (Mayor Shinn in The Music Man).

The most exciting roles of his career have come about as the result of “blind casting”, casting without regard to race or physical type. These highlights include Mayor Shinn in The Music Man, King Duncan in Macbeth, and Troy in Fences. “Troy is listed because the role called for a much larger man,” says Jim. “As a rotund citizen, I need to restate that. Fences called for a much TALLER actor. The director felt that my loud mouth would make up for loss in size.”

This production marks Jim’s second opportunity to play Hoke. He first chauffeured Miss Daisy around in a production staged by the Swift Creek Mill Theatre (or Playhouse, as it was known then) in 1991, playing opposite Betty Ann Grove as Daisy, and Joe Inscoe as Boolie. So what brought him back to the role this time? “I was drawn to Driving Miss Daisy because I love everything about the show. Actually, I would have missed the audition had Alice Shreiner not called to inform me. Thanks, Alice!”

Jim has a lot of admiration for the character he plays on stage. “Hoke is a survivor, and so am I. He is a proud man who quietly circumvents cultural and educational barriers to establish unlikely, life-long friendships.” Jim is also taken with Hoke’s loyalty and perseverance. “I would love to have those characteristics!”

Life off stage is very busy for Jim. Or “as Hoke would say, ‘… a mess.’” He has a strong background in education, even having served as the spokesperson for Richmond City Schools. “That was an exciting job, except the times when unpopular decisions caused some to want to shoot the messenger – and not with a camera!” Now, on any given day, he can be found teaching in a university classroom, conducting a workshop for educators in another city, editing dissertations, or delivering food to those who can’t get around. The work and service he provides through the Rotary Club of Richmond is enjoyable and very rewarding. His greatest joy is interacting with his grandchildren, Justin and Jayla. He’s also kept busy “loudly saying ‘yes’ to whatever my wife tells me to do around the house, around the car, around the neighborhood. (That’s what Hoke and I really have in common!)”

While Jim’s character spends most of his life driving as a career, Jim has spent most of his adult life traveling for the fun of it. He’s been to every state in the Union, and even visited five continents. “That’s right! Plans are in the works for Antarctica!”

It’s a good bet he won’t be driving to get there…

--Joe Pabst

Casting and Comments

Posted by Bruce Miller
As I’ve mentioned before, I read and appreciate Dave Timberline’s informative blog, http://www.richmondvatheater.blogspot.com/. A lot of important theatrical issues and perceptions are raised and discussed on his electronic bulletin board.

Recently Dave hosted some interesting and well intentioned chat about casting in Richmond theatres. It all began when an anonymous commenter reported on remarks made by an unnamed director at the start of an unnamed audition. In his remarks, the director asserted that his unnamed theatre was open to newcomers. The anonymous commenter suggested that these remarks were somewhat disingenuous, noting that when the auditions were over, a well-known Richmond star was cast in one of the leading roles and a talented newcomer was overlooked.

This initial comment was followed by a lot of dialogue about whether or not the anonymous commenter should have stated these opinions anonymously since they could be perceived as being critical of the director, the theatre, and/or the actor cast.

It’s all good.

Now I’m going to pull a Warren Beatty. At least I’ve always heard it’s a Warren Beatty. When in 1973 Carly Simon wrote and sang, “You’re so vain, you probably think this song is about you,” Warren Beatty, one of Ms Simon’s former romantic interests, called to thank her for the song.

After reading all the chat about the unnamed director, I’m pretty sure it’s me and that the unnamed auditions being alluded to were the recent auditions for Shirley Valentine and Driving Miss Daisy. If I’m wrong, I’m sorry. If I’m right, then I guess I am that vain. Now, if I only looked like or had the talent of Warren Beatty.

Before the auditions for Shirley V and Driving Miss D, several actors called to ask if roles had been pre-cast. When I told them “no,” they expressed disbelief. Several had heard from the “best of sources” that Irene Ziegler was playing Shirley and Betty Ann Grove was playing Daisy. It’s no surprise to anyone that I love Irene Ziegler and Betty Ann Grove, and both women have ably owned these roles in the past. But I assured all comers that the roles had not been pre-cast for the 2008 productions.

That can’t be true, some actors intimated. No theatre would pick shows like these without having someone in mind for the demanding roles of Shirley and Daisy. There are some actors we’re interested in seeing, I intimated right back, but no roles have been pre-cast. Everyone has an equal shot. Please come.

That was the truth.

Before the auditions began, I was pleased to see a large turnout and several new faces in the crowd. I’m humbled by large turnouts and new faces.

I made a few welcoming remarks and thanked people for coming to the auditions, particularly the new people. I reiterated that all roles were open. I stated what I believe to be the truth, that Barksdale theatre and every other theatre in town welcome newcomers, and frequently cast newcomers. I acknowledged that we also cast Richmond’s best actors on a continuing basis, because of their talent.

When the auditions were over, four actors were cast. Two of the four (Jill Bari Steinberg and Jim Bynum) will be acting at Hanover Tavern for the first time. The third actor (Garet Chester) will be appearing at Hanover Tavern for the first time since 1976. The fourth (Joy Williams) will be reappearing at the Tavern after a starring gig there two and a half years ago.

All four were cast because I thought they were the ones best suited to the roles. I feel really blessed to have these four wonderful actors in the two shows.

The anonymous commenter on Dave’s blog notes that there was a very talented actor from out-of-town who auditioned for one of these four roles, and that there was considerable buzz about this actor’s talent. That is completely true. That actor’s talent did not go unnoticed. And let me extend that thought, if I may. There were several very talented actors there, all of whom were top contenders for the parts. None of their talents went unnoticed.

As several folks mentioned on Dave’s blog, there is a lot more involved in a casting decision than what may be perceived listening to three audition speeches.

Scripts call for specific physical types, which some actors meet and others don’t, no matter how well they may read.

Budgets allow for certain expenditures that enable the employment of some actors and discourage the employment of others, based on their financial requirements.

Ticket sale goals encourage the casting of actors who have earned positive name recognition in the Greater Richmond marketplace—and I stress the word “earned.”

Barksdale accepts its responsibility to professional actors who have earned (there's that word again) their place in Greater Richmond’s top tier, and who may not stay in Richmond if they can't find professional employment opportunities.

To me, all of this supports my contention that:
1 newcomers are welcome and frequently cast
2 Richmond’s best actors are cast over and over again because they are Richmond’s best actors

If newcomers fail to come to auditions because they think they have no chance, Richmond theatre will suffer. If our most talented veterans leave Richmond because they can’t find enough employment, Richmond theatre will suffer. In an attempt to address these conflicting realities, producers juggle to the best of their abilities.

As a final note, Guys and Dolls is currently employing 26 actors. Thirteen of them are acting with Barksdale for the first time.

--Bruce Miller

Three Notes and Two Beautiful Women

Posted by Bruce Miller

What was the best thing about last night’s Home for the Holidays benefit cabaret? Betty Ann Grove (pictured in her heyday to the right) was there—all smiles, looking like a million bucks and back in Richmond once again. We almost lost her to New Jersey, but turns out this Broadway Baby is a true Richmonder after all. When it came time to return home for the holidays, Richmond was the home that called to her the most.

You may remember that not too long ago we said “God Speed, not Goodbye” to Betty Ann (Oct 7, 2007), as she moved to the Actors Home in New Jersey. It was one of those moves that was supposed to be forever. Years ago, when Betty Ann was starring on Broadway, her dear mother had moved into the Actors Home and lived quite happily within commuting distance of NYC. And so Betty Ann thought that she too would be happy there.

But that was then. “When I got there, I couldn’t find anyone who would smile,” Betty Ann said last night. (That's B A again in the pic to the right, beaming down at her TV co-star Bert Parks.) More importantly, her “family”—that’s all of us, my friends—and her heart were here in River City. After making this discovery, she quickly called her old landlords in Richmond and re-leased the same apartment that she had released not more than a few weeks ago. “If I’d called two days later it would have been gone,” she said. She trundled her downsized possessions back to town, bought a replacement sofa at The Dump, and re-established the old homestead.

We couldn’t be more thrilled. I’ve already made her promise to sing a number at next year’s benefit cabaret.

What was the weirdest thing that happened last night? Well, it all began just as we were about to open the house. A nice older gentleman who arrived early to see the show walked up to one of our veteran actresses, who shall remain nameless. (It was not Audra Honaker or Janine Serresseque, pictured to the left). The actress looked gorgeous by the way in her sparkling cabaret get-up. “Has anyone ever told you you’re aging?” he asked. Both the actress and I, who happened to be standing nearby, thought we had misunderstood. “Excuse me,” she said.

“I’ve been watching you on stage and on television for years and years,” he continued. Then he proceeded to recall performances and commercials from the 70s, 80s and on. Our beloved actress smiled and nodded along, and as I remembered those same performances that he was recalling, I couldn’t help but look at her and think how unbelievably young and beautiful she was. “So, I just can’t believe you’re aging,” he said.

“Ageless,” she blurted out, diplomatically determining to keep that beautiful smile on her face. “I’m going to take it that what you’re meaning to say is ‘you’re ageless.’ And thank you for that.”

“I can’t believe you’re aging,” he repeated, with a huge admiring grin.

I’m convinced he was trying to be complimentary. Obviously he hasn’t spent a lot of time around actresses. Or a dictionary.

On a third note, our hearts go out to Durron Tyree, whose grandfather passed away yesterday morning. Durron has had to bow out of these final two performances to be with his family. We miss him. He was one of the four new voices in this year’s cabaret, and added immeasurably to the performance. I hope he’ll join us again next year.

Tonight’s Home for the Holidays benefit concert is SOLD OUT! Thanks to one and all for making this year’s fundraiser a HUGE success.

--Bruce Miller

Hail and Farewell to Betty Ann Grove

Posted by Bruce Miller
On Friday at noon, a small group of us met for lunch to toast our lovely, charming and funny friend, Betty Ann Grove, who moves this week to the Actors Home in Englewood, New Jersey. Going left to right, that's me, Robyn O'Neill, Lauren Leinhaas-Cook, Janine Serresseque, Eric Williams, Larry Cook and Betty Ann. Phil's the one taking the picture.

On the Richmond theatre scene, Betty Ann has been the cream in our coffee for just over 16 years now. We celebrate with her during this transition, and we look forward to hearing all the news about her new New Jersey adventure. We especially look forward to bringing Betty Ann back home to Richmond for an upcoming production or special appearance.

Betty Ann was a cultural treasure in our very midst, and thankfully we had the good sense to appreciate her. She appeared at Swift Creek Mill in Driving Miss Daisy, Something’s Afoot and Smoke on the Mountain. She joined us at Theatre IV in Da and The Music Man. Most recently, Betty Ann dazzled our Bifocals’ audience with her one-woman presentation, My Life on the Great White Way.

So what was Betty Ann’s showbiz life like before she and her late, beloved husband Roger Hunting brought their good will to Richmond? Well, I wouldn’t be telling a lie to say that for about five years in mid-century, Betty Ann Grove was America’s sweetheart. The photos of Betty Ann scattered throughout this post are merely what I could find in one evening on eBay.

She graduated with stars in her eyes from Cambridge Public Schools in Massachusetts just at the end of WWII. To tell the truth, there must be something in the water up there. Other Cambridge graduates include Walter Brynnan of The Real McCoys, the great American poet e e cummings, Peggy Cass of all those game shows we used to watch in the 60s, Donald Regan (Chief of Staff for President Ronald Reagan), Olympic Gold Medalist and NY Knicks superstar Patrick Ewing, Orson Bean (I seem to remember him with Peggy Cass on those game shows and also in Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman), and a couple of mugs named Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.

Within three years after graduation, Betty Ann found herself starring on the hit TV variety show, Stop the Music. Cole Porter saw her, loved her, and selected her to replace Lisa Kirk in the major role of Bianca in Broadway's original Kiss Me, Kate (see photo to the left), a gig that she continued until 51.

For a while, she was starring on TV (Stop the Music, The Bert Parks Show [see photo to the right]) at the same time she was starring on Broadway, dashing from TV studio to Broadway playhouse and often just making it in time for curtain. One day when her TV broadcast ran late, she had to start changing into her Broadway costume as she was running down the New York streets.

After Kiss Me, Kate closed, it was back to the small screen for Betty Ann. She starred in The Big Payoff (51), The Red Buttons Show (52 – 54), Summer Holiday (with co-star Merv Griffin in 54), and the Jane Froman Show (she shared guest host honors with John Raitt while Jane was on vacation). For a while, she and Merv Griffin co-starred again in the Merv Griffin / Betty Ann Grove Show (see photo above to the left).

In 1953 she made the cover of TV Digest. Shortly thereafter, she was on the cover of Look Magazine as one of “America’s Most Televised Women.” Her recording of Waltzing Down the Aisle was a chart-topping hit.

In the late 50s, she co-starred on radio with Jim Backus in The Jim Backus Show. In the early 60s she moved on to regional theatres and the straw hat circuit, starring in stock productions of The Sound of Music, Hit the Deck and many others.

In the late 60s, it was back to Broadway, where she created the role of George M. Cohan’s mother in the hit Broadway musical George M!, starring with Joel Grey and Bernadette Peters. Shortly after George M! closed, Betty Ann married the love of her life, Roger Hunting, a successful trial lawyer and, eventually, New York City Civil Court Judge.

Betty Ann returned to Broadway in 1979 with I Remember Mama, opposite Liv Ullman, and again in a revival of Rodgers and Hart's On Your Toes in 83 and 84, appearing with Natalia Makarova and Dina Merrill.

In the early 90s, Betty Ann and Roger moved to Richmond, and we fell in love with the both of them.

Betty Ann, please know how much we’ll miss you, and how much more we’ll be thrilled to see you again when you return to us down here and/or we visit you up there. You’ve earned your way into our hearts, and no matter how famous you are on the national stage, all of us in the Richmond theatre community will always claim you as one of our own.

--Bruce Miller

Highlights of Last Week

Posted by Bruce Miller
So much goes on every week at Barksdale and Theatre IV that it’s easy to let important programs sail by with little or no fanfare. Last week, for example, three modest but nonetheless gratifying theatrical events graced our stages.

On Monday, March 19, the incomparable Frances Wessells sent my spirits soaring. The two dances she staged as part of the Bifocals Vintage Variety program knocked my socks off. Frances has to be at least 80 years young—she was my dance professor when I was a student at the University of Richmond 35 years ago. Monday marked the debut of her newest work, and the reprise of a recent pas de deux. The first piece was one she choreographed for five beautiful senior actor/dancers: Lyde Longaker, Pat Lorimer, Ales Rowe, John Bailey and Vaughan Gary. She co-choreographed the eloquent and physically demanding second piece with Robbie Kintor, and she and Robbie performed it as well.

Her artistic spirit, creativity and agility were clearly in evidence in both pieces. Truth be told, I’m in awe of Frances Wessells. Both of her wonderful dances will be performed on tour along with Una Harrison’s mini-cabaret performance at senior centers throughout Greater Richmond until the end of the month, bringing uplifting artistic programming to countless performance lovers who can no longer make it out to see shows at Richmond’s theatres. Barksdale makes its Bifocals programming available to senior centers on a sliding fee scale. Everyone is served, regardless of ability to pay.

On Friday, March 23, the equally incomparable (and utterly charming) Betty Ann Grove shared memories of her four-decade career on Broadway with a rapt crowd of approximately 75 theatre lovers of all generations. For about 50 minutes Betty Ann shared stories, by turns hilarious and invigorating, and brought back to life the Broadway of a bygone era. At the end of her program, she sang an a cappella rendition of "Give My Regards to Broadway," one of the George M. Cohan classics that she and fellow cast mates immortalized in the original Broadway production of George M! You could have heard a pin drop and there wasn’t a dry eye, or an untouched heart, in the house.

On Saturday, March 24, film and TV star Barry Corbin (Urban Cowboy, Northern Exposure, One Tree Hill - pictured in upper right corner) joined Jennifer Massey, Erin Thomas, Justin Dray and The Dogtown Trio in the fourth annual Virginia Arts & Letters Live, co-produced by Barksdale Theatre and James River Writers in association with the READ Center. The brainchild of actress/author (and Barksdale favorite) Irene Ziegler, VALL features short stories by Virginia authors read aloud by Virginia’s top professional actors and accompanied by Virginia’s most magical musicians. If you missed VALL live at the Empire Theatre last weekend, you can catch it on Thanksgiving Day when the recording will be broadcast over WCVE-FM, your Community Ideas Station.

So why do we do it? With hit productions of Brooklyn Boy, Lyle Lyle Crocodile and Smoke on the Mountain all going strong last week, why pull focus by engaging in all this extra programming? It’s certainly not to make money—we lose money with each of these initiatives. It’s certainly not because we have too little to do—our 40 person staff works significant amounts of overtime as is.

The reason we engage in these outstanding programs is because both Barksdale Theatre and Theatre IV have always been committed to community leadership. We have never been arts for art’s sake organizations; we have always been arts for the community’s sake organizations. Right or wrong, it is our commitment to community that sets Barksdale and Theatre IV apart from other regional theatres around the nation and from other major performing arts groups in metro Richmond. We’re proud of how we have always served in non-traditional ways.

Each year—shoot, each week—we internally debate whether or not our nonprofit organizations are well-served by our community commitment. Please join the debate by letting us know your thoughts.

--Bruce Miller

Betty Ann Grove to Recount Her Broadway Memories for Barksdale's Bifocalers

Posted by Bruce Miller
Acclaimed Broadway and Hollywood star, Betty Ann Grove, will be our honored guest in the Barksdale Bifocals Lunchtime Speaker Series, this Friday, March 23, at 1 pm. The Bifocals program is specially designed for senior theatre enthusiasts, age 55 and up, but everyone is invited to come and enjoy hearing Betty Ann’s golden memories.

I'm privileged to say that Betty Ann Grove is now a good friend to me and countless others in the Richmond theatre community. She's also one of the few Broadway luminaries to have enjoyed a career that spanned four decades.

Hollywood discovered Betty Ann first, and she became a national sweetheart in the 1949 hit TV series “Stop the Music.” Shortly thereafter, Broadway came calling. In 1950, Betty Ann replaced Lisa Kirk in the major role of Lois Lane / Bianca in the original Broadway production of Cole Porter’s Kiss Me Kate, singing “Why Can’t You Behave” and “Always True to You, Darling, in My Fashion.”

For the rest of the 50s, Betty Ann returned to television to star in “The Bert Parks Show,” “The Big Payoff,” “The Red Buttons Show” and “Summer Holiday.” The 60s marked Betty Ann’s return to the Great White Way, where she starred in the original Broadway production of George M! opposite Joel Grey and Bernadette Peters. (Side Note: Betty Ann wore a beautiful couture gown to the George M! opening night party--a dazzling, sparkling, celery green dress with lots of pearls, a dress designed especially for her. I guess you can tell I'm not a fashion writer, can't you. Anyway, after George M! became a smash hit, Betty Ann neatly folded her beautiful dress in tissue paper and packed it away for good luck. Being the generous heart that she is, last year Betty Ann passed on her George M! gown to my 16-year-old daughter Hannah, who was on cloud nine. Hannah wore the red carpet fashion to the Fairy Tale Ball, and Betty Ann's gorgeous dress once again knocked 'em dead.)

In the 70s, Betty Ann appeared with Liv Ullman and a little boy named Ian Ziering (he would later achieve hot young stud fame on “Beverly Hills 90210") in the Broadway musical version of I Remember Mama. And in 1989, Betty Ann danced her way into the hearts of America in the Broadway revival of Rodgers and Hart’s On Your Toes, playing opposite the legendary ballerina Natalia Makarova and fellow Hollywood superstar Dina Merrill.

To Richmond’s great good fortune, Betty Ann and her late, beloved husband Roger came to live here in the 1990s. With Theatre IV, Betty Ann starred in the Irish comedy Da and the American classic The Music Man (pictured above). At Swift Creek Mill Playhouse, Betty Ann played the title role in Driving Miss Daisy and the singing matriarch in Smoke on the Mountain. We’ve asked her on several occasions to join a cast here at Barksdale, and we think we’re getting closer to the point where she’ll say “yes!”

Betty Ann’s entertaining stroll down memory lane will take place in the lobby of Barksdale Theatre Willow Lawn beginning at 1:15 p.m. The presentation is free-of-charge. We will have turkey, ham, cheese, rolls and all the lunch fixin’s one could desire for those who would like to join us for a make-your-own-sandwich buffet. Lunch and beverage service will begin at 12:45, for a breakeven cost of only $3.

So please join us at quarter of one, and then enjoy food and fellowship as we all listen to Betty Ann’s many wonderful stories about her star-studded adventures on the Great White Way.

--Bruce Miller