Marilyn Maye — she’s 97, she looks fantastic and sounds even better. What’s the story here?
She’s been a cabaret star since the 1950s. She recorded the song “Cabaret” five years before Liza Minnelli, in 1966, when the Broadway musical first opened. And it was a hit!
“Discovered” by talk show host Jack Paar when she was almost 40, Johnny Carson booked her a record 79 times on his “Tonight Show.” She survived Elvis, the Beatles, disco, and, to paraphrase Stephen Sondheim, she’s still here! (One of the many theatrical triumphs was Sondheim’s “Follies.”)
In the Hamptons on Saturday night, Maye had a sold out audience at the Hamptons Summer Songbook Kickoff at LTV Studios in East Hampton. No less than Joy Behar was there to do a Q&A. Retired movie studio exec (and widower of Dina Merrill) Ted Hartley showed up, as did New York’s perennial man about town and broadcaster, Bill Boggs.
Titled “Meet Marvelous Marilyn Maye,” the show ushered in the new season with fireworks of talent and timeless American music where the star paid tribute to Carson, who would have turned 100 years old this year.
After the performance (see below), Maye was presented with a tribute and citation from New York State Assemblywoman Rebecca Seawright.
Produced by Donna Rubin and Josh Gladstone, the series’ Creative Director at LTV, Hamptons Summer Songbook transforms a working television studio into an atmospheric cabaret venue, complete with café-style seating, impeccable acoustics, and a gleaming Baby Grand piano.
The season continues post Maye with some big Broadway and cabaret stars through August 30th with a dazzling lineup of performers including Lee Roy Reams, Liz Callaway, Eric Comstock and Barbara Fasano, KT Sullivan and Mark Nadler, and international sensations Moipei, among others. Full season details are listed online at www.ltveh.org.
