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Charles Busch Talks NATIVE NEW YORKER at 54 Below
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Nov 1, 2022
Tony nominee and MAC Award winner Charles Busch, one of the leading playwrights and entertainers of our time, has created an exciting night of songs and stories in celebration of his early years as an artist in New York City called NATIVE NEW YORKER. We sat down with Busch for a fun and sparkly chat on the Feinstein's/54 Below stage.
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Hi, it's Eugene Ebner with Broadway World TV
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I am extremely honored to be at the infamous Feinstein's 54 Below
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with the legendary entertainer Charles Bush. How are you? The legend is still with us
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It's still here. We're excited because he is coming back here to Feinstein's 54 below
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February 6th, and also on February 27th, because he has a brand new show entitled Native New York
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native New Yorker. My understanding is this is bringing us back to a place where you tell the story
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of making your mark and your place within the entertainment business. Is that correct
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Yeah. Yeah. No, we had done a show here a year ago that we, I'd say we, Tom Judson
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my musical director and I, and it was all about my youth in the 60s. And actually I thought
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story kind of got sexier and more interesting in the 70s. Right. So, yeah, so it's really me telling stories about just my, my difficult struggles to try to figure out
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how I was going to find a place really in the theater. You know, and it takes me from college to the opening night of my play Vampire Lesbians of Sodom
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which was my big, big break, and allowed me to achieve my..
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dream which was not to you know win an Oscar or something but just to earn a living
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you know in theater and that that was the dream and that was what I thank God
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achieved yeah so along the way you know I sing a collection of songs from from the
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70s and you know from oh God everything from Sanheim to Jim Crochet Rupert
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Holmes the late Michelle LeGrand yeah it's just beautiful songs but it's really a
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Storytelling. Just, I got a lot of stories on him. And, you know, and there, it was, it was a crazy
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road to figure out just how I was going to do this because I figured out quite early, really
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in college that I was not going to make it, just as, you know, regular actor. And I had to
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figure out another, another route and to understand, you know, what was it that I had to, you know, that I had to
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to offer. You know, I think that's kind of a positive way to look at things. When you're young
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it's throughout your life, it's very easy to kind of go to the negative place of just
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you know I can do this I not right You know I can do this I can do that But I think if you try to spit it in your head that you know what is it that I do have to offer what maybe unique about me
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I also read a quote when I was very young, I think maybe in college
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from the great French poet Jean-Cacteau, that whatever it is about you that disturbs people
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cultivate that because that's who you truly are. I like that. I made a big, big impression on me
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Yeah, I can see that. I find it interesting that you're bringing this up because so many, as you know, especially in New York City, are searching for that right now
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Yeah. So I love the fact that you're saying this for people that are watching this, not only because now they know, if they didn't, that you're putting on this show, to be able to come and enjoy your humor
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Because you're very funny at the same time, but you're fake. But you are
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You are? And I love, like you said, all your elements that you bring to it, but you said you had to find your niche, but then once you find your niche
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then you can open up and explore, don't you think? Yes, and I think I was very fortunate because I may have been born that way
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but I was also raised by a very extraordinary woman, my Aunt Lillian, who adopted me
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I'm not a fantasy queen. I'm very pragmatic, and I figured out really early on that this is going to work
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you know, so who am I and how am I going to do this? And so I feel very blessed with that kind of
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some sort of tough minded. Right, right. Well, you're very, you have to be very focused, don't you think? Yes
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And any, I mean, whether you were- Anything that you want to achieve. You have to show up, be focused
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and continuously show up, right? Even once you make your mark, I think
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Yeah, yeah. Well, you, I think, aspired to be a real pro
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You know, I think for one thing, I was so bad in school, I was absolutely not scholastic
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You know, I couldn't focus. It was very difficult. My aunt wrote most of my term papers to get me through high school
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And I believe, though, that once I was in the professional world after college
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I felt that now I can, you know, I will deliver. You know, so anytime I do a show or play or work at a different theater, you know, as
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playwright or whatever, you know, I don't go to bed until, you know, the homework's done
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until I've done the rewrite. I'm the same way. I never, I've, you know, in 40 years, I've never missed a deadline
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That's fantastic. You know I just but I think if there part of me is you know this kid who just could not deliver you know in school from kindergarten through really through college you know but now you know damn it I going to be I going to be the professional
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I'm going to be the one that you can depend on. Right. Yeah. Now, with this show coming up, Native New Yorker
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this is primarily you, as who you are as a man, Charles Bush. Do you, do you incorporate any drag into it
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Well, you know, it certainly depends what you call drag, honey. Any sparkle
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I'm sure they'll be funny of the facts. Well, this is the thing. You know, I started really doing this cabaret thing seriously about six years ago with Tom Judson
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And I was doing it full drag. And I never really understood why other than the fact that, you know
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people have been seeing me playing my roles in drag and plays for so many years
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So that's what he does. But it seemed a little weird in cabaret because I don't have an actual drag persona, you know
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that some of many performers have today. Right. You know, so I'd be introduced as Charles Bush and come out looking like Arlene Dole
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and then proceed to tell true stories about my life and sing Sondheim
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So, you know, there was a disconnect from me. And finally, it really was only about a year and a half ago, maybe, that I took the radical
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move and decided to do one night just, you know, out of dragon
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And I was just wearing a black shirt and black pants. And I was thrilled that I enjoyed
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It didn't feel constrained or, you know, weird. But then I thought, wow, am I in this fluid day and age
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So it's either, you know, this or that. So, you know, I had a lovely use of paisley suit made up with rhinestone buttons
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I always say it's the place where Bruno Mars meets Judy at the palace
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Oh, I love that. Helen Lawson. Yeah. That's fantastic. So, yeah. It's got plenty of flash and a little bit of Drogras, but I would not say that I was in drag
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Right. Well, they're here to see you, and you're presenting in your own pizzazz, like you said
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And I don't think it has to be black and white. Well, not today. It doesn't. Not anymore
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No, not at all. What does some of the, so you brought up some of the, other composers and so 70s and 80s Sonheim well I should I tell you some
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the actual songs I'm doing I'd love that oh but you know I I love taking a sad
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song and making it sad I like going grim you know so I one of my favorite
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songs is touch me in the morning oh I love Diana Ross recording and a friend of mine a wonderful I guess used to a cabaret journalist or James Gavin suggested
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that I listened to a recording that Peggy Lee did of it, and her live from London, and, oh, my God
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it's, you know, go to YouTube. Yeah, I mean, it's dark, and it inspired us to, you know, go to a dark
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Anyways, really, it might be my favorite song we've ever done. And I had to do that Jim Croucher song, I Got a Name, which fits in with my narrative
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It's kind of like, in a way, I guess you could say I'm doing kind of a jukebox musical cabaret act
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because I'm telling this narrative, and I take these songs, and I sort of use them to reflect on what the story I've been telling or vice versa
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I can't wait. Oh, pieces of dreams. by Michelle Grand with the Bergman's
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And there's something of a wonderful song called Wide Screen that Rupert Holmes wrote, it's dry Sam recorded
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Oh, that beautiful song that's not very well known from the Julian Andrews movie, Darling Millie, called
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Whistling in the Dark, Whistling in the Dark, Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer, gorgeous, gorgeous song
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I love all the air, all of them that you're bringing up. It's a funny show
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I may sing grim, but the uptunes are the banter. But I think that's what's so great about you, the balance of both
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because you can bring, like you said, a darkness to it, but then you have the humor
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So it's like we go on this, and it's a journey. Yeah, yeah. Well, I like that in my plays as well
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I love a roller coaster tone where you can be outrageous, you can be bawdy, and then suddenly turn it
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and really try to have some insight. excited to human condition. I agree
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And that's why you're legendary and you're a master. And sparkling. Oh, thank you
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Well, we're really... I'd rather you just have eye candy. Okay, eye candy works too
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What about this? This is nice. Anyway, we're so excited about this. So anyone that's watching, get your tickets now
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February 6 or the 8th, the legendary Charles Bush, and also February 27
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Yes, for a special encore performance. Encore performance. And I can't wait because I liked all
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All of these songs, especially the Touch Me in the Morning, and I can't wait to see your take on it
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Well, it's kind of my favorite show that Tom and I've done
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I feel like we've really kind of grown and taken to the next stop
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I'm really excited about it. Well, thank you so much for spending time with us today
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That's been fun. Yeah, can't wait to see. See you later
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