PNL: Back in the day, there was a time at The Duplex in NYC, when there were 8pm, 10pm, Midnight and 2am shows. You were always in the rotation, usually the late late show. Tell us about that early cadre of cabaret talent fostered at the club by Rob Hoskins and Erv Raible.
McN: The original DUPLEX was located at 55 Grove Street. Split level, downstairs, the piano bar, upstairs the cabaret owned by two former school teachers from Cincinnati. First of all, and MOST IMPORTANT, there was a bathroom in the dressing room! Totally unheard of then and still now in many places. Of course, I had to fix the toilet once and a while. Did that as well at Mama’s. I should have been a plumber. There was Nancy LaMott, Karen Mason, Rick Crom, Collette Black, Rochelle and Karen. Hard question to answer going on forty years. I usually did the late shows ’cause I wasn’t too high brow. I did some crazy things. No holds barred. We partied back in the day.
PNL: Provincetown holds a special place in your heart. Tell us about your first time performing here.
McN: 1980 at The Pilgrim House, where we are the Friday and Saturday AFTER Thanksgiving. “Jim Bob” Followell was with me then; he is again for those two dates. We did a retrospective of that first night last summer in 2017. It was a Cape Cod reunion of the fans who survived the unseen crisis we would face. Oddly, I never forgot the words and Jim Bob never forgot the chords to those songs. Good times. I just remembered that people smoked cigarettes, sitting on the couches and floor. There was no cover charge in the beginning. they added one later to keep the riff-raff out. LMAO
PNL: Give us a one word description for each of the divas you will be bringing with you to the show. Include yourself last.
McN: I can’t do it in one; I need two. Registered nurse, high school dropout, speech therapist, U.N. Ambassador of Love, sex symbol, flower child, Broadway icon, Hollywood icon, old pro, Gumm sister and soul sister. I tell stories and little known facts about each of the ladies and watch the puzzled faces of the audience trying to guess who the hell I’m talking about. As to my song I am infamous for, well, I retain water due to the high sodium content of the lyrics.
PNL: When you heard that you had received a Tony Award nomination as “Best Leading Actress in a Musical” for creating the role of Diva in Starmites in 1989, where were you and what first went through your mind?
McN: Oddly enough, I don’t remember probably because I was in a daze. Originally, we were going to Off-Broadway but no theatre was available and there happened to be a new 500-seater right in the heart of Times Square called The Criterion. I do remember the pay phone call backstage to tell me about the upcoming Hirschfeld drawing of me in the New York Times. We all saw him in the audience because his white beard reflected the stage lights and wondered who would get the honor of his artistry.
PNL: If you could step into a time machine and go back to three minutes in the ’70’s at Studio 54, what song would you want to hear playing and why?
McN: Scott, you know I shoot from the hip despite the consequences. Confession – I hated discos – music too loud, owners cranked up the heat so you would drink more, too many drugs. The irony was, I had an up and coming hit in Europe in the early ’80’s, a female remake of “Kiss You All Over,” which I retitled “I Wanna Kiss Your Dog Rover.” There’s a story there over cocktails, but you’re buying if you want to hear it. If I had to hear a song, it would probably be something by Donna Summer. Gee, she would be good in this show. Thanks for the idea.
PNL: What’s the most fun you’ve ever had with a microphone?
McN: I wouldn’t call it fun; I’d call it memorable. It was in Provincetown when I first started doing Sophie Tucker. I put a small lavalier mike in my bra, fed the wire down through my underwear and taped it to my leg. Right before I went on, I would lift my dress and plug it into a mike cable that ran to the sound board. I entered, dragging my leg like Quasimodo, pulling the cord along with me. I don’t think anyone noticed because there were only four lights. Ah, the glamour of show business!
Fri, 11/23 & Sat, 11/24 at 7:30 pm @ Pilgrim House, Provincetown, 336 Commercial St.
Sharon McNight salutes legendary ladies of song in Gone, But Not Forgotten, a tribute to the late ladies of stage & screen – Merman, Martha Raye, Madeline Kahn, Patsy Cline, & Judy Garland. Along with each signature song McKnight has chosen, she’ll include relevant interesting historical tidbits as well. The audience is encouraged to play along before each song. James “Jim Bob” Followell tickles the ivories.
