DELIGHTFUL, DELICIOUS, DE-LOVELY, deROY

Words like "industrious," "inexhaustible," and the more commonly used "a real go-getter" could have been coined exclusively for women like Jamie deRoy. It's no secret among cabaretfolk that she's been a dominating force in the arena for over two decades, whether as former Vice President and now President Emeritus of the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs (MAC), as host of both the onstage and cable television versions of "Jamie deRoy and Friends" (which at this point has featured more stars than there are in the heavens), or as the producer of no less than eight "Jamie deRoy and Friends" music CDs, showcasing performances by not only some of the finest Broadway and cabaret stars of our generation but also it's most stellar composers and lyricists, including Maury Yeston, Maltby & Shire, and Cryer & Ford in addition to Larry Gatlin. Add to this her work on the Board of the Friars Foundation and the Honorary Boards of CAP21 and the Humane Society of New York, and one has to wonder where she finds the time to have it all. As if that weren't enough, she has her hands full as a television producer, following up 2003's "Broadway: The Golden Age, By The Legends Who Were There" (in association with Rick McKay) with the soon-to-premiere "Broadway: Beyond The Golden Age," featuring such stars as Robert Redford, Shirley MacLaine, Glenn Close, John Lithgow, Debbie Reynolds and literally scores of others. But most important of all is that this may be the year deRoy gets her due at Tony Awards time; one of her productions (David Mamet's hilarious "November" at the Ethel Barrymore) has garnered a Best Supporting Actress in a Play nod for Laurie Metcalf, and another, the incomparable "Thurgood" by George Stevens Jr. at the Booth, may well bring Tony gold to Laurence Fishburne for his earth-shattering performance as the Supreme Court justice. "Not bad, huh?" she smiles from the couch of her sumptuous apartment at the Alwyn Court. How on earth does she make room for all this in her schedule?  "Any project worth doing means you have to make the time for it. The truth is, I like to work. It gives me a lot of satisfaction and personal reward."

The most recent CD in her series is perhaps the most remarkable, however. Available on the PS Classics label and entitled "If I Sing...The Songwriters Album," herein deRoy has miraculously and singlehandedly assembled the finest compositional talents of modern theater and contemporary music, and taken her production prowess a step further by allowing the songwriters to sing and/or play their own creations. Notably, Andrew Lippa (known for nearly two decades for his outstanding vocal delivery of such original compositions as "The Don" in his show at Eighty Eight's, as well as modern interpretations of such Yiddish ditties as "Romania" and "My Mother's Shabbes Candles" at the annual Cabaret Conventions accompanied by Jason Robert Brown) proves fantastic on his "Live Out Loud," co-penned with Brian Crawley for their 2004 production of "A Little Princess." Another incredible track is "All The Gold In California," written and performed by country music legend Larry Gatlin, and backed by the Gatlinaires Chorus, a grouping that includes such legends of Broadway and cabaret as Mary Bond Davis, Karen Mason, Lennie Watts, Barry Kleinbort, Melanie Vaughan, Scott Coulter, and deRoy herself. There's something incredibly poignant about hearing Grammy-winner Julie Gold sing her remarkable "From A Distance" and accompanying herself on piano, which is compounded by a double-punch of the simply sumptuous Gretchen Cryer and Nancy Ford duetting on "Old Friend" from their legendary "I'm Getting My Act Together And Taking It On The Road." And it's a rare privilege to hear Maury Yeston sing and play "Nowhere To Go But Up" from his unproduced musical "Ramayana." Conversely, one has to wonder why fame as a vocalist par excellence has eluded the brilliant Shelly Markham when hearing his superb rendering of "The Sweetest Of Nights and the Finest Of Days," written with Judith Viorst in 1998 for "Alexander & The Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day." Lucy Simon sounds as fantastic today when singing her "How Could I Ever Know?" (written with Marsha Norman for the 1991 smash "The Secret Garden") as she did over forty years ago when she was one half of the folk duo The Simon Sisters, appearing with kid sister Carly. And it's beyond sublime to hear Richard Maltby, Jr and David Shire perform their terrific "If I Sing" from "Closer Than Ever." But deRoy herself may well prove the biggest surprise of all with her peformance of "Daddy's Girl," written with Lanny Meyers and Jane R. Snyder as well as the lady herself. It may well be one of the finest displays of pop songwriting showcased anywhere today, and it would be easy to see it become a new crossover hit for a singer like Jane Olivor or one of similar magnitude.

On the more immediate horizon is the latest installment on the "Jamie deRoy and Friends" live show at the Metropolitan Room on June 11th. "This one is definitely a cavalcade of Broadway," she says. "We're planning to have Len Cariou, Debbie Gravitte, Charles Strouse, Loni Ackerman, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, and KT Sullivan." Jazz pianist Jon Weber will also appear as well as cabaret performers Tanya Holt, John Scheer and Amy Wolk. And of course on June 15th, deRoy has the Tony Awards to look forward to, at which one or both of her nominated shows could easily bring home the gold. Other plans for the future include her release of a long-awaited solo album. "It's time," she tells me. "I love all the albums we've done so far, but it's definitely time for me to add a solo project into the mix. I'm still not sure what I want to do with it, but I plan to enjoy myself."

As one can be sure we'll continue to enjoy her. Jamie deRoy is and always will be a supercharged battery with no reasonable expiration date. And it's safe to say on behalf of the arts in New York that that's a very, very good thing.

Click here to return to Interviews page

Click here to return to Main Menu