He’s showered with affection
AS fotogs and TVniks filled the ballroom, Drama League Honoree Steve Martin holed up alone in a Plaza Hotel suite. “Press lines frighten me,” he said. Kevin Kline hosted.
Guests included Justin Guarini, Judith Light, Diane Paulus, Alex Brightman, Carol Kane, even Kermit the Frog. Ask why he’s getting this award, and it’s: “I finally reached the age where I can be gracious.”
Stand-up comedian Steve, famous since the ’60s, now stands tall as a show creator. A while back was “Bright Star.” This month his “Meteor Shower” opens at the Booth with Amy Schumer in her Broadway debut.
“We had two out-of-town tryouts,” he said. “The Old Globe in San Diego and New Haven’s Long Wharf. Then we got comedy director Jerry Zaks, who did ‘Hello, Dolly!’ We talked about the play. See, I’ve been working on this a long time. Long before ‘Bright Star.’ I’ve cultivated it over the years. I saw this as a comedy. So did he.”
(Columnist’s note: We’re talking “adult” comedy. Like marriage, the novas burn and burst out at one another.)
“Once, coincidentally, I was at Amy’s home and suddenly thought she’d be right for the role. She signed up immediately. No learning curve. She’d done one of my plays in college. As a result, I’m living proof that you must get out, go places, have different experiences, and accidentally new things line up for you. “As it went along, we made changes. It wasn’t easy. Previously we were in the round, and you’d see both sets. A proscenium stage is one scene. One set. So it became different. “But the great thing is it’s only an hour and a half. Ninety minutes. No intermission. Quick. Get in, get out, get home.” Then: “The Drama League and its Leo Shull Foundation does great work. To be involved in the theater community is a joy.”