Joel Grey’s career, fans reach across generations
I can’t see the twinkle in Broadway legend Joel Grey’s eyes, but I can hear it in his voice.
“Young girls very often follow behind me… looking for my tail,” he says during a phone call from his New York home.
Grey’s best-known roles are full of devilish charm: He was the original Wizard of Oz in Broadway sensation “Wicked” and won an Oscar for presiding over the debauchery of the Kit Kat Klub as the sexually charged Emcee in the 1972 movie adaptation of the musical “Cabaret.”
At this moment, though, Grey is talking about fans of a more recent role: His appearances as Doc, a demon, on the hit TV show “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”
The star of stage and screen will share stories and songs from his 70-year career this Saturday at Encore, a fundraiser for the Garden Theatre in Winter Garden. The $180 ticket includes Grey’s show with a Q-and-A session hosted by National Public Radio’s Bill Shafer, champagne, hors d’oeuvres, a DVD of the evening’s entertainment and a “swag bag.” (Call 407-877-4763 or go to gardentheatre .org.)
“I’m looking forward to meeting everybody,” said Grey, 85. “I have played Florida during my career — but not this part of Florida, not Winter Garden.”
Encore also serves as a celebration of the Garden’s 10th anniversary. The spirit of the leadership team at the theater on Plant Street, in the heart of the historic district, drew his attention.
“Their enthusiasm is very encouraging,” Grey said. “To go to a new venue that’s so excited about the arts… I thought it was a great idea.”
He plans on singing “a couple of songs informally from different shows.”
Count on “Cabaret” to come up. Besides the Oscar, for best supporting actor, Grey also won a 1966 Tony award for the Emcee role in the Kander and Ebb musical about the rising Nazi threat in pre-World War II Germany — and the dangers of being politically disengaged.
“‘Cabaret’ was so important in terms of history,” he said. “I like things that have to do with history.”
But he ranks another play alongside “Cabaret” as his “most profound experiences.” In “The Normal Heart,” which debuted in the mid-1980s, Grey played a gay activist struggling to raise awareness about a mystery illness that would eventually be labeled AIDS.
“To be a part of telling that story and given that responsibility — alerting the population of what was about to come — it was very deep,” he said.
Homosexuality has loomed large in Grey’s life. He was married nearly 25 years and had two children, including actress Jennifer Grey of “Dirty Dancing” fame. But all along, he was struggling
with his own sexuality. He writes about that in his critically praised memoir, “Master of Ceremonies,” which he will sign at the Garden’s event.
The book, of course, gives more details about his lengthy career — which also includes a starring role as the henpecked husband in the stage musical “Chicago,” TV appearances on everything from “The $10,000 Pyramid” to “Grey’s Anatomy,” and several books of photography.
In 2003, alongside Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, he opened the Broadway musical “Wicked” — though he didn’t know he was starring in a blockbuster. “No one did,” he said.
Then the audience arrived.
“The minute we played our first preview, they were screaming from the get-go,” he said. “Then we knew we had something.”
Grey has a theory on why he has found enduring success, no matter what medium he works in.
“Here’s what I think: Good is good,” he said. “If there’s good work on television, you do it. If it’s in the theater, you do it.”
And he’s quick to point out that the credit for his successes doesn’t all belong to him.
“I’ve been lucky enough to be part of shows written by geniuses, I’ve been lucky to get quality work,” he said. “I’m very grateful.”
“Here’s what I think: Good is good. If there’s good work on television, you do it. If it’s in the theater, you do it.” Joel Grey