Exclusive Q&A with Broadway Icon, Lee Roy Reams part 2

Buddy Beaverhausen: Am I correct that your Broadway debut was in Sweet Charity in 1966?
Lee Roy Reams: Yes, that's correct.
BB: Oh my God, you were so young!
LRR" Yes. Well, you see, at the time there were not that many people who could sing, dance and act! That was the key, really.
  I was cast in a small role as "Young Spanish Man," opposite Chita Rivera, and I had a few lines but it was a lovely experience. I got to meet and work with Juliet Prowse. And then I got to go out to L.A. and work on a tv variety show, but that's not what I wanted to do. So, I headed back to New York, to Broadway, and was cast by Richard Rogers in a musical revival of Oklahoma with Margaret Hamilton ("The Wicked Witch of the West" from The Wizard of Oz), and it was a very exciting time in my life, 1969. So, I've had the great fortune to have worked with these people. And going on to be in Applause with Lauren Bacall and on and on!
  Then, I met Carol Channing shortly after that and worked with her in Lorelei, then Hello, Dolly. And that was the beginning of my relationship with Carol and Jerry Herman, actually.

BB: You've worked with the very best but... without mentioning names... is there anyone you'd refuse to work with again?
LRR: Hmmmm.... No, not really. I've been very lucky that way in the theater J guess. I've directed so many great talents who were always professional and with whom I loved to work, too.  Jo Ann Worley, Leslie Uggams.... All wonderful! So, no, there really is no one I'd refuse to work with in the future that I can think of.

BB: What do you thnk of the state of Broadway theater in 2015?
LRR: There are still so many wonderful shows out there. But the big difference today is that there are no individual producers any more. You know? It used to be everyone could look forward to, say, a David Merrick production every year. Now, everything is put together by conglomerates; whomever can get together and put the money up. So, that is a big change in the manner in which shows are produced.

BB: You won't remember this, but I met you at BB King's a couple of years back, and we were introduced by Sherry Eaker....
LRR: Yes! Yes, I do remember you. Small world! It was at the Melissa Manchester show.
BB: Right. By the way, she's coming to 54 Below in March.
LRR: Wonderful! I'll have to go. Are you going?
BB: I hope to.
LRR: Great,  I hope to see you, again, there!

BB: Last question. What do you like to do when you're not working? To relax?
LRR: I love living in New York City. I love going out! Broadway, off-Broadway, cabaret, shows! I love nothing more than to go out and partake in what's going on out there. I can't imagine living anywhere else or any other way!

Exclusive Q&A with Broadway Icon, Lee Roy Reams part 1

On Wednesday, February 25th at 8 pm, Richard Skipper will host an interview with Broadway's Lee Roy Reams, one of the great icons of musical theater. It will be a benefit for Spiral Theatre Studio. 
I had the opportunity to speak with Mr Reams, which I considered a privilege indeed, over the phone. He was in Boca Raton, FL, where he'd just been at a Super Bowl party the night before. And then I switched on the digital recorder, and so began our Q&A....

Buddy Beaverhausen: My Lord! You've been in so many terrific, even classic, Broadway musicals! Sweet Charity, Oklahoma, Hello Dolly, 42nd St., La Cage aux Folles,Beauty & the Beast, The Producers! What's the secret to your success in choosing a role?
Lee Roy Reams: I have no secret other than that I've been fortunate enough to work with wonderful people. Especially people like Carol Channing, Gower Champion, Comden and Green, Jule Styne, Lauren Bacall, Bob Fosse. So, the "secret" is working with good people! If they're all good at what they do, the chances are you'll have a good product. I've been lucky to have worked with the best people in the business. It's just luck of the draw, and I've been fortunate that way!

BB: Have you ever been in a flop?
LRR: Yes, only two and they were both off-Broadway.

BB: Any roles on Broadway that you coveted but eluded you?
LRR: Not really. I had originally wanted to be in On Your Toes but lost out on that part. However, around that time, I was cast in 42nd St, which had a longer run so I was lucky. Also, La Cage aux Folles! When it first came out, I was too young to be cast but, later, when it came around again, I was able to do it and had a very successful run off Broadway at Papermill Playhouse. And I'm in it again, right now, on the road at The Wick Theater in Boca Raton through February 15.

BB: I have to tell you that I work with a friend from Covington, Kentucky [Lee Roy's birthplace] and he says hi, even though he doesn't know you.
LRR: Uh-huh. [laughs] Well, tell him hello back from me and good to hear from a neighbor in a sense.

BB: Seriously, though, I'd like to ask if you have a favorite Broadway role of the lot.
LRR: Not really. I do love doing La Cage because it's a leading role and, once I make my entrance, I'm on all night. Also, Jerry Herman is my favorite composer/lyricist. I had great success with La Cage as I had great success in Carol Channing in the first revival of Hello, Dolly. I also directed her in a later revival of the show, which was a joy.

BB: What is it about your career, perhaps, that people don't know and you wish they did?
LRR: [chuckles after mulling this over for a moment] That I'm not only an actor but a singer and dancer. I came along at a time when a lot of people didn't do all three but I did. Also, that I've directed. I directed a revival of Dolly and people thought I'd given up being onstage, which I had not. So, I sort of shied away from directing. I wanted to continue to do both, but for some strange reason it confused people.

[Part 2 to come.]
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Please join Richard Skipper in NYC February 25th! He will be interviewing Lee Roy Reams LIVE ON STAGE to benefit The Spiral Theatre Studio at 300 West 43rd Street, 6th Floor New York, NY 10036 at 8PM! The evening with Lee Roy Reams will begin with a Wine and Cheese mixer at 7:30 PM, and interview of Lee Roy Reams at 8 PM promptly. Call Richard Skipper if interested. 845-365-0720 $30.00 RESERVATIONS A MUST!  Please reserve today!! SEATING IS LIMITED! www.RichardSkipper.com