Lucie Arnaz – I Got the Job! : Songs from my Musical Past
Celebrating a life on stage, Lucie Arnaz returns to her theatre roots, looking back at some of the roles she has had on stages throughout the world. From her first role at 14 as The Cheshire Cat in “Alice In Wonderland” to a grandmother hanging upside down on a trapeze while singing about the preciousness of life in “Pippin,” Lucie and Musical Director Ron Abel offer audiences this brand new concert sharing stories and songs that Lucie has long been known for. With anecdotes and fond memories about her co-stars, directors and musical collaborators, Lucie offers iconic songs and hidden treasures from some of Broadway’s greatest shows and a look at the backstage magic it takes to create them.
1) Following the success of “Latin Roots,” how did your new show, “I Got the Job!: Songs from my Musical Past” come about?
We were asked to return to some of the same clubs that we played two years ago, but we knew we had to bring in a different show. And I had been thinking about putting this type of show together for 30 years, but I wanted to make sure I had enough material. So, Ron Abel and I sat down and looked at all the shows I’ve been associated with and we created a run-down and then I wrote the stories around them and that’s how this came to be. He picked the title.
2) What do you find special about the Provincetown audiences?
Literally, the most receptive and appreciative group I may have ever played to in my career. At one point I remember saying, “Oh, stop it! It can’t be that good!!” The audience’s there have a tremendously great sense of humor and they seem to get all the inside jokes. I think people are in Provincetown to have fun and they are in the frame of mind to see the type of show that we like to do. Plus, I met much of my audience after the show and just found them to be a group of informed and “awake” folks. Just good people.
3) Where are you touring with this show?
Right now, the dates we have already played this past week (opened at The Kate Playhouse in Old Saybrook, CT, played The Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor, then came here to open the brand new Birdland Jazz Club Theatre in NYC 7/17-7/21. After Ptown, we have a little break and then play The Willow Bay Theatre in Jamestown, NY, during the Lucille Ball Festival of New Comedy and the grand opening of the first ever National Comedy Center celebrating the history of humor and the power of laughter. Something I have been encouraging my mother’s hometown to do for years and they finally have made it happen!
4) Coming from a TV background with your parents & a music background with your father, how was your first experience on Broadway?
I feel that because I always worked in front of a live audience on television with my mother, I was uniquely prepared to go into the theatre and I had gotten several jobs in regional theatres, summer stock and one national tour before I got my Broadway chance, so it seemed like a natural progression. And working with that genius team that I was given – Neil Simon, Marvin Hamlisch, Carole Bayer Sager, Robert Klein and director, Robert Moore, I felt it (They’re Playing Our Song) was the best gift in the world. It was a marvelous experience.
5) After this tour, are you contemplating a return to Broadway?
Ya never know. I am very happy living in the desert with my husband of 38 years, Larry Luckinbill and I as much as I love playing in the theatre sandbox, I don’t relish moving back to NY or leaving him now for months at a time. Unless something outrageous comes along, like the part I just played in the First National Tour of Pippin, I am not lookin’. But, I never say never!
6) What do you do to relax, when it’s down time & there’s just you & Larry?
We relax!! Cook. Entertain friends. Visit our 5 kids all over the country. We stare at the insanely beautiful mountains surrounding us. We try to enjoy every moment.
Lucie Arnaz – I Got the Job! : Songs from my Musical Past
Cabaret @ the Crown @ The Paramount
Monday, July 23 @ 8:30pm (508)487-1430
