Broadway's Tony Stevens passes away at 63

The Broadway theater mourns the passing of Tony Stevens, who passed away today at the age of 63.

Tony Stevens performed in nine Broadway shows from Hello Dolly to Seesaw. Movie choreography includes "The Great Gatsby" with Robert Redford and Mia Farrow, "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" with Bert Reynolds, "She's Having a Baby" with Kevin Bacon, "Johnny Dangerously" with Michael Keaton and "Where the Boys Are" with Lisa Hartman.

Creator of the workshop that became A Chorus Line, his Broadway choreographer credits include: Gower Champion's Rockabye Hamlet and Annie Get Your Gun, he was Assistant Choreographer on Chicago (Fosse original production), Perfect Frank, Wind in the Willows with Nathan Lane.

His television choreography credits include specials for Mary Tyler Moore, Cheryl Ladd, Disneyland's 30th Anniversary, and the People's Choice Awards. Tony's regional choreography credits include over 10 original shows and 30 revivals.

Among his favorite director and choreographer credits are for the National tours of Dreamgirls 1997 and 1998, and the 20th Anniversary Tour of Jesus Christ Superstar.

Off-Broadway Tony choreographed Zombie Prom, The Body Shop, and directed and choreographed Sheba. He has also directed and choreographed for famous nightclub acts such as Chita Rivera, Bernadette Peters, Dolly Parton, Liza Minelli, Bette Midler, Debbie Shapiro, and Jane Powell. He is also proud to have choreographed for Gene Kelly.

Tony received a Lucille Lortel nomination for best choreography, The Complete Works of Shakespeare, recreated Bob Fosse's original choreography for Chita; A Dancers Life on Broadway, staged numbers for Martin Short and Nathan Lane on "LATE NIGHT with David Letterman," and was recently developing the new musical La Familglia.

I knew Tony as a member of the Broadway theater community.  He had a gift of being able to talk to everyone.  He knew his stuff and his work showed it.  He was warm, gifted, talented and funny.  He made everyone around him better.

After years of dancing in the light, he is the light.

He will be missed.  Gone too soon.

Creator of "Gilligan's Island" and "Brady Bunch" passes away

Sherwood Schwartz, the television genius who created "The Brady Bunch" and "Gilligan's Island" -- and wrote the theme songs for BOTH shows -- has passed away.

Schwartz won an Emmy for his work as a writer on "The Red Skelton Show."

Schwartz also served as a script supervisor on "My Favorite Martian" and as a writer and producer of "Harper Valley PTA."

Great niece Robin Randall says Sherwood Schwartz died at 4 a.m. Tuesday surrounded by his family. He was 94.

James Arness of Gunsmoke dies

James Arness, the 6-foot-6 actor who towered over the television landscape for two decades as righteous Dodge City lawman Matt Dillon in "Gunsmoke," died Friday. He was 88.

The actor died in his sleep at his home in Brentwood, Calif., according to his business manager, Ginny Fazer.

Arness' official website posted a letter from Arness on Friday that he wrote with the intention that it be posted posthumously: "I had a wonderful life and was blessed with some many loving people and great friends," he said.

"I wanted to take this time to thank all of you for the many years of being a fan of Gunsmoke, The Thing, How the West Was Won and all the other fun projects I was lucky enough to have been allowed to be a part of. I had the privilege of working with so many great actors over the years."

The actor was 32 when friend John Wayne declined the lead role in "Gunsmoke" and recommended Arness instead. Afraid of being typecast, Arness initially rejected it.
"Go ahead and take it, Jim," Wayne urged him. "You're too big for pictures. Guys like Gregory Peck and I don't want a big lug like you towering over us. Make your mark in television."

"Gunsmoke" went on to become the longest-running dramatic series in network history until NBC's "Law & Order" tied in 2010. Arness' 20-year prime-time run as the marshal was tied only in recent times, by Kelsey Grammer's 20 years as Frasier Crane from 1984 to 2004 on "Cheers" and then on "Frasier."

I grew up with Gunsmoke running forever.

For more about his life click here.

Beverley Randolph, Broadway Stage Manager, passes away at 59

I was very sad to learn today that Beverley Randolph, Broadway Stage Manager for over 30 years, passed away today.

Beverley stage managed more than 20 Broadway productions over the course of a 30-plus year career. At the time of her death and since 2009, she was production supervisor for the musical The Addams Family. Her credits include the Kander & Ebb musical Curtains, the musical Little Women, the 2002 revival of Into the Woods, the 1998 revival of The Sound of Music, Stephen Sondheim’s Passion, Kander & Ebb’s The Kiss of the Spider Woman, William Finn’s Falsettos, the Tony Award-winning Best Musical Jerome Robbins’ Broadway, plus Follies in Concert at Avery Fisher Hall, the 1987 revival of Cabaret and Neil Simon’s Chapter Two.

I was lucky to get to know Beverley. She was kind, strong and very good at her job.

As I read testaments to her today, I'm reminded of my own friendship with Beverley.

I was - and this is the truth - supposed to be an original cast member of "Jerome Robbins Broadway". Beverley Randolph was the Production Stage Manager of the show. At the time we all auditioned, it was being called "The Robbins Project." Spring/Summer of 1988. I flew in from "the road" while performing in the national company of CATS several times to audition for Jerry Robbins. Somehow, in the craziness of the business AND a very very bad phone service at the time, I didn't get the call that I was cast. When I finally got the message and called in, the casting director said "we wondered what happened to you" but it was gone. They'd gone with the next guy. I ended up being called in about 13 times for replacements spots. Twice I was hired, but the person I was supposed to replace rescinded their notices.

Anyway, at the same time, I was trying to earn a living in NYC. While many of my friends went from one Broadway show to the next, I did odd job after odd job. One job that I did was to clean apartments. Among those was Beverley Randolph's. She was always gracious and kind, knowing that I had been seen for Jerome Robbins Broadway many, many times.

One day, I got a kind of feverish call from Beverley saying "please call me as soon as possible." Of course, I called as soon as I could. I was an unemployed actor dying to be in her show.

I so very clearly remember dialing her number and listening to the phone ring. Finally, a voice answered and said "this is Beverley". I said "this is Randy Slovacek" and she quickly said "can you clean my apartment this Friday? I have to have it clean for some guests…"

Not quite what I was expecting. :(

But it wasn't her fault. Kind of crushing, but we laughed about this later.

I never went into JRB. Many opportunities came up but it just never happened.

But I always remember how classy and wonderful Beverley was. And all my peers spoke glowingly of her work on every production she did.

I remember seeing her backstage at "Kiss Of The Spiderwoman" and "Into The Woods" - she was always kind, warm and wonderful to me.  Even though we never "really" worked together.

True, great, professionals are rare. Great professionals who are kind and polite to the 'struggling' are of an even rarer class.

Beverley was in that class.

She will be missed.