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RS: Broadway Cares, Equity Fights Aids is one of my favorite causes to support, in any way I can.
So, when ABC Daytime decided to do a second benefit for them, and open it up to all three of their daytime serials...I was delighted
to say "Yes!" immediately to the invitation to participate. But participate how? Stay tuned...I just said "yes"!
Soon after returning from New Orleans, where I went as soon as our One Life, Many Voices CD was shrink-wrapped and shipping, I got the inspiration (and nerve) to ask the Rock and Roll icon, Allen Toussaint, to perform with me. My idea was to work into the act, a tasteful but compelling description of the plight of the Gulf Coast post-Katrina. Mr. Toussaint is among the thousands of New Orleans musicians and performing artists who lost their homes, memorabilia, and even their musical instruments. As the expression goes, Mr. Toussaint was "evacuated" to New York City...but his heart remains in New Orleans, where I was fortunate enough to meet him. He had heard our CD and liked it so much, that when Dan and Lisa Gauthier and my cousin Claudia Strasser (www.parisapartment.com) and myself went to see him at Joe's Pub--he held up the CD and recommended it to the audience.... Dan and I were speechless, we were so honored. Anyway, Mr. Toussaint agreed to perform with me at the Benefit. I was thrilled and went to work writing a piece where I do his personal intro and the New Orleans piece...then he comes on...I tell him I have never sung in public...he says "Robin, isn't it a little late to be telling me this?" and we start to do a medley of songs he wrote, each time he chimes in to cover for my lack of singing ability...then Kassie DePaiva, Renee Goldsberry, and Kathy Brier step in to rescue me...and we end with the "dream ensemble" (yup, I dream BIG) doing a rousing rendition of Mr. Toussaint's mega-hit "Mother-In-Law". Then, I received a call from Mr. Toussaint regretfully canceling his commitment because he had received a call to "go elsewhere". Where? Oh, just to perform at the Grammys in Los Angeles with Elvis Costello, to do material from their soon to be released CD. Well...who could decide otherwise?...but what was I going to do for the Benefit without benefit of the brilliant Allen Toussaint? Cancel that dream concept and move on... Okay, let me wrap this up...I almost cancel out myself...it's only 5 days before the benefit... I'm tortured by ambivalence, fear, and indecision-- and then on day 3 an inspiration hits: Write a monologue...a slightly naughty, but self-mocking Diva, and then just sing my little ditty off... oh and of course make it clear I DO NOT SING AND HAVE NEVER SUNG IN PUBLIC before. But, you watch it and see the end result for yourself...It took me months to get up the courage to watch it...but ya know, I did get ALOT OF HELP FROM MY FRIENDS. |
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