Watch this terrific tribute to Mel Brooks featuring the cast of "The Producers" at Westchester Broadway Theatre with their rendition of Cameo’s 80′s classic, "Word Up."

Featuring: Eric Anderson as Franz Liebkind, Anthony Valbiro as the cop, Bob Amaral as Max Bialystock, Jel Newsome as Leo Bloom, Craig Fols as Roger Debris, John West as Carmen Gia, and Karyn McNay as Ulla, with Delaine Andrews, Sarah Burns, Jesse Coleman, JR Jacobs, Shari Jordan, John O’Malley, Rob Ouellette, Lindsay Packard, Ronald L Remke Jr., Melissa Sybil, Correy West, Tracy J Wholf, and Jesse Wildman.  

 THE PRODUCERS will play through November 15th.  DON"T MISS the zany fun!  Mel Brooks goes after everyone in this irresistibly irreverent tour de force!  Move over SNL!!

                                                                                                          Joel Newsome, Eric Anderson & Bob Amaral

 I caught up with the hilarious Amy Griffin who plays several character roles in the show.

             I grew up in Melrose, Massachusetts–a suburb of Boston. I went to college at Northwestern University out in the Chicago area.
My brother and I used to put on plays in our basement and force our parents to watch.  I have had some wonderful teachers, especially Dawn Mora at Northwestern. I still use what she taught me basically every day.

Oooh, there are too many favorite shows to count! I will say PETER PAN was always my favorite growing up. I am incredibly blessed to have played the dream role of Peter Pan seven(!) times.

I grew up in a very funny family, so I think I was naturally inclined to be funny from following their example. I do think some of comic timing is innate, like having an ear for music. I am indeed a huge Mel Brooks fan–he’s one of my dad’s favorites, so I grew up watching all his movies. I think I first saw THE PRODUCERS when I was about eight. My brother and I used to run around the house yelling, "Bialystock and Bloom" in a Swedish accent, a la Ulla. .

My son Nicholas saw me as Peter Pan last summer when he was two and a half. That was a big thrill–I think it was even more thrilling for me than it was for him. He kept pointing and saying "Mommy flying!" My husband was desperately shushing him during the performance.

Most of the time I’m offstage, I am chasing my three-year-old son.  I am a working mom, so any down time I get is a huuuuge luxury! After my son is asleep, my husband and I snuggle on the couch and commune with our TiVo.

I spoke to Karyn McNay who is wowing the audiences as the tantilizing Ulla! She said: 

I grew up in Quincy, Illinois. Its a fairly small town on the Mississippi River. My immediate family was simply my parents and one older brother, but nearly all of my extended family lived within a few blocks from our house. No one in my family, to my knowledge,  has ever been involved in the arts whatsoever. I was lucky that the community had such an incredible support for the arts and wonderful outlets for kids to experience.

I sort of became an actor unintentionally, really. I have always wanted to be a singer. Thats really where my talent lay as a child, and it’s what drew me to performing. I knew early on that I loved musicals, loved the fact that songs could tell a story and convey feeling. I went to college for musical theatre at Illinois Wesleyan University, and had some wonderful professors who really inspired me to explore my love of the theatre and acting as well as my love of music.

I have so many musicals that I love, and truthfully, most of my dream roles hold that place because I want so badly to be in the show itself. I’d love to play Eva Peron in Evita. Mother in Ragtime. Then there are the ones I literally will never play, but this about dreams right? Anita in West Side Story, Effie in Dreamgirls, Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha!

Being on the Road itself is always an adventure. My favorite thing about performing The Producers in so many different areas of the country was seeing how every person in every culture reacted to all of the comedy. Everyone would laugh.. a lot. How can you not? Mel Brooks’ humor is incredible. But what they found funny changed drastically from place to place. It was fascinating.  Gosh, I wish I had gotten the opportunity to meet Mel Brooks. I’m not through yet, though…. maybe we’ll cross paths eventually.

There are certainly those who just are naturally hilarious, but I don’t think anything is beyond the realm of learning. It just takes time. I feel very lucky to have gotten to work on this show so much, with so many seasoned comedians. It makes it a lot easier to learn by example.  

I’m obsessed with arts and crafts. I’m always knitting or sewing, I make my own crystal jewelry. I love to paint and redecorate my apartment. There is always something. I also am a puzzle enthusiast. I do crosswords, sodoku, logic or mathematical puzzles most every day. My iPod has all sorts of things on it. Beatles, Feist, John Mayer, Tons of musicals, The Format, Running Still, Lots of 50’s/60’s. Jazz standards…… I have to keep my options open! 

Treat yourself & your guests  to a luxurious Theatre outing!!  Enjoy Dinner & Show from the privacy of your own luxury box.

INCLUDING An enhanced menu and special touches galore! A personal waitstaff to serve your every need! FUN!!

!      Marylin & Ginny who are the Luxury box queens, standing in front of a portrait of Lerner & Lowe.  Call them at (914)592-8730 for info & reservations

See what a treat you’re in for! THE PRODUCERS IS A DELIGHT! 

Joel Newsome & the chorus girls show their talent!

          The company of The Producers

WE caught up with Craig Fols who plays Director, Roger DeBris in The Producers…read on!

Craig as Roger Debris (in gown) and John West as Carmen Ghia                   

I was born in Jamestown, New York, but moved to southern New Jersey when I was five.  My father had left our family, and we (my mother, sister and I) moved into my grandparent’s basement.  That summer I put on my first play, in that basement–which I wrote, directed and starred in–(co-stars: my sister and my cousin)–and basically I’ve been doing the same thing ever since. 

 I started working in professional theatre when I was fifteen–summer stock and dinner theatre.  When I was seventeen,  I moved to Philadelphia and began supporting myself, working in theatres and restaurants.  At nineteen, I moved to New York to study at Circle In the Square. Very shortly after that I did a new play with Colleen Dewhurst, who is/was a major hero/mentor.  (I spent many holidays at her home, "The Farm," in South Salem.)    I did many plays around this time that were written by Lanie Robertson, who was a major influence both personally and professionally.  Another mentor was the Broadway conductor Jack Lee, who showed me how I could be a "serious" actor in musicals.  Later, when I did THE MUSICAL OF MUSICALS, many of my childhood musical theatre heroes came to see the show, and I had a chance to meet them and tell them how much they meant to me:  Harold Prince, Stephen Sondheim, Kander and Ebb, Arthur Laurents, Carol Channing.

I tend to like shows in the classic American musical theatre mold, both comic and serious.  Roles I’d really like to play but haven’t played yet include Sweeny Todd, Henry Higgins, Harold HIll, and the King of Siam.  One of the fun things about doing MUSICAL OF MUSICALS was that by parodying all those different musicals I really feel that I’ve played all those characters, from Billy Bigelow to Molina in KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN.

I do think people are either funny or they aren’t. 

I’ve always taken Mel Brooks for granted as an American comic master, but doing THE PRODUCERS  has given me a new found respect and appreciation for him.  (Also a deepening respect for Thomas Meehan, who co-wrote THE PRODUCERS’ book.)  Now that I’m in this, I’d like to revisit some of his other works, BLAZING SADDLES, etc.

Wearing the gown and especially the shoes was mainly a technical challenge.  (I only wore women’s clothing once before, in THE MYSTERY OF IRMA VEP, and those costumes were build to be worn over men’s clothing.)  At the same time, that dress, and that entrance, sets the tone for my entire performance.  If you come in on a lift, to entrance music, wearing a $40,000 gown, you’d better bring a certain amount of, shall we say, size to the procedings.

These days when I’m not working, I’m spending time with my nephew Adam, who is 4.  My sister adopted him three years ago, and since she’s a single mother, I’ve been helping her out as much as I can.  We spend a lot of time at our family beach house in Cape May, New Jersey.  While I was preparing Roger, I would sometimes do some of my lines for Adam while we were building sandcastles, whatever.  Something about my Roger voice always made Adam laugh, which I took as a good sign.   

What A fantastic Opening Night! Sounds of tremendous laughter spilled from the theatre as the talented cast strutted their stuff!  THE PRODUCERS is a hit!!