presenting the most insular theatre-related blog post in the history of blog posts.

I don’t know if you know this, but the 1995 revival of Showboat was a life-changing show for me. I was 12, and already a musical theatre dork in training, but after I saw their performance of “Kim’s Charleston” on the Tony awards and was launched into a lifetime of full throttle theatre dork-dom.

 

Tammy Amerson played Kim in the revival. I thought she was a singing, dancing, Jesus.

[The performance, for your enjoyment. And reference. You'll need it. ]

So, to bring this to modern times, Garth Drabinsky who was the head of a company called Livent and basically produced said “Show Boat” revival, was recently convicted of fraud and is facing jail time for getting his investors to sink money into big-budget productions which were actually flops. (It’s all very “The Producers,” only without the funny parts.)

Michael Ridel wrote a big article for the New York Post this week about it – and included the following.

“I know of one actress, talented but meaningless at the box office, who was making more than $10,000 a week as a supporting player in “Show Boat” in 1995.”

Fortunately, all along my lifelong travels through Broadway lore, there’s always been Bob. Who gets all the injokes and references. Sometimes when we’re talking, people have no clue whats going on.

Of course, Riedel’s article set us off.

Jamie: “I know of one actress, talented but meaningless at the box office, who was making more than $10,000 a week as a supporting player in “Show Boat” in 1995.” Please Jesus, let him mean Tammy Amerson.

Robert: !!!!!!!! I hope so

Jamie: Basically it has to be Amerson, Gretha Boston, or the girl who played Ellie.

Robert: 10K a week. wowza. In 95. Tammy Amerson – she was his Ulla.

Jamie: Ha.

Robert: When you got it! Charleston! ha-cha!

(Simultaneously)

Jamie: ha-cha! ha-cha!

Robert: ha cha!

Jamie: GREAT minds.