(upbeat music) ♪ Yeah, the simple things in life ♪ ("What I Did for Love" on piano) ♪ Look, my eyes are dry ♪ ♪ The gift was ours to borrow ♪ ♪ Wish me luck, the same to you ♪ ♪ Won't forget, can't regret ♪ ♪ What I did for love ♪ ♪ What I did for love ♪ ♪ What I did for love ♪ - My guest is Dell Yount, performer, educator, and Broadway lover.

Thank you for joining us.

- Thank you, Lillian.

It's nice to be here.

- So we've talked before and in the past, and with yourself and your accompanist, Steve, and back when we talked before, it's been a couple of years.

- In the time before the time of COVID, yes.

- Yes, you were just getting ready to go on tour at some of the senior centers, and perform for some of the seniors here in our community.

Since then we've lived through a pandemic, and a lot has happened, and a lot has happened to you, and your story has developed.

So tell me a little bit about the 23andMe, and your story now to share.

- It's the most amazing thing that ever happened in my life.

You got a second?

(Lillian laughing) Two summers ago, I was down at Del Mar at the race track, and at the end of the day, I got in the car and was stuck in that traffic coming back, and the phone rang and I let it go to voicemail, but I pulled off to see who it was.

And it was, I thought it was someone calling for me to maybe, you know, at our age, people start to pass away, so I thought it was, it was a girl saying I had gone to school with her mother and that I knew her dad.

And so I thought I'll call back and they want me to sing at a funeral.

So I called back and she started by saying, "I don't want anything at all from you.

"I just have a couple of questions.

"Would you be willing to answer?"

And I said, "Sure, shoot."

She says, "Do you recognize these names?"

And she listed my great-grandparents, and my grandparents, and my mother by her maiden name.

I said, "Yeah, they're from my family tree."

She said, "Well, I took a 23andMe DNA test "and they're from my family tree too."

- Wow.

- "And I think you may be my biological father."

There was a long pause, and I said, "Well, we should meet."

And so I drove three and a half hours from Del Mar up to the Wrightwood area, and we met at a park.

The entire drive I was so nervous.

I wanted her to be wonderful, I was scared that she might be too much like me, (Lillian laughing) and the instant I laid eyes on her, I felt the kind of love instantly that I've never experienced in my life.

I've kissed a lot of girls, and told a lot of people I loved 'em, but it was nothing like this.

I always wondered growing up, as I got older, should I have had children, because I never had kids.

- [Lillian] Right.

- I thought.

And more than anything I wondered if the voice genetically would move forward.

So I met her and we spoke, and she was educated and well-spoken and beautiful.

And I asked her, "Do you sing?"

She says, "I want you to hear something."

And she got her phone out and pushed play, and the most beautiful sound I ever heard in my whole life came from her.

And it was, I thought that I was the last leaf on the last twig of the last branch of my family tree.

And that left me a little sad and empty.

Well, when I found out I had this beautiful daughter and she sings like an angel, of course she sings, she's my daughter.

Then frosting on top of all of that, she has two beautiful sons, so I'm a grandfather also.

So in one afternoon, I went from an actor who'd spent his life alone and never having kids, to discovering the greatest treasure of all, family.

And so even after I'm gone, my voice is going to continue on because she sings and her sons sing, and their children will sing, and the voice will continue on forever.

- Well, what a beautiful story.

I'm so glad that you shared it with me, and I was anxious to share it with our listeners, because it really is about coming full circle and, you know, learning your life had another route that you didn't know about.

- Another chapter.

- And yeah, exactly.

And more chapters to come for sure, because now there's a daughter and there's grandchildren, and part of your family is now extended.

- Yes.

- And so how wonderful is that?

So, now you came to me with the story and you pitched the idea of doing a Broadway show like medley here in our community.

I've been talking to our listeners for the last 15 months of how much I love Broadway, and was sad that there was no theater, obviously during our pandemic at the California Theater, Riverside Fox, or any of the other playhouses throughout the Inland Empire.

And so when you came to me, I thought, "This is a great idea, I wanna do this," and then you took it from there.

What's the plan?

- Well, I'm just so excited at discovering my daughter, and I wanna share her voice, and I wanna share the music that is just generated from my heart now, all of the songs that I've ever learned, all of the greatest music from Broadway, we're going to pack it all into one evening.

I've called some friends, I'm calling in some old favors, and some real pros, some professional Broadway type types are going to be joining us that evening.

A soprano I worked with for about 20 years, about 20 years ago, Linden Waddell, wonderful talent, also a brand new soprano, Hannah Marie Harmon is her name, and I did a film with an actor who's been on Broadway, and been on TV and been in movies, I did a film with him a couple, couple of 10 years ago maybe, Eddie Mekka, and so I gave him a call, he loves Broadway.

In fact, he was nominated for a Tony Award and I'm gonna set up a time where you guys can talk.

And he's gonna be there answering all the Broadway questions.

He's gonna entertain.

I'm gonna entertain.

Linden will be there.

Monte Montgomery will be on the piano.

Steve Lawless, of course, he and I have, that's music right there, he and I have been making some great music for a long time.

And I'm just really eager, particularly after this pandemic.

I mean we we've lost touch with each other, with other human beings, we're not allowed to reach out and shake hands or even be close to each other.

But now as people get vaccinated and we turn the tide, well we're gonna be able to put some people in the theater and have that communion of audience and performers.

It's simply a celebration of the greatest Broadway music there ever was.

And I have started listing the songs, I've got too much, it's an embarrassment of riches.

- Let me stop you there for a little bit.

Perhaps you can share how people might know Eddie, maybe more rather than just his name.

- Oh!

- Maybe a character that you know him from.

- Okay, did you ever watch Laverne and Shirley?

- Of course.

- Well, there was Laverne and Shirley, and Lenny and Squigy.

- [Lillian] Right.

- And Carmine.

Carmine was the love interest of Shirley and that's Eddie Mekka.

- Okay.

- And he's just funny as can be, tells great stories, still has a terrific voice, and he's agreed to come out because he knows how important it is.

Really, one of the reasons I got him to come out is because during the afternoon before the evening's performance, we're gonna be meeting with students, giving students an opportunity to interact with an actual professional.

I'm gonna give a couple of performers, student performers, an opportunity to perform within the context of our professional show.

Because somebody gave me that opportunity.

When I was 11, I was invited to come in to where the grownups sang, 'cause as a matter of fact, it was in this theater.

- San Bernardino Valley College.

- San Bernardino Valley College auditorium.

It was the first big theater I ever went to.

From junior high we'd get on the bus and go to the choir concerts.

- From Rialto Junior High School and you went to the big college.

- Yeah from Rialto to San Bernardino.

It's like going from Mayberry to Mount Pilot or to Raleigh.

(Lillian laughing) - [Lillian] Very good.

- So, I've always, when I walk into a theater like this, it's like walking into a temple.

I have such reverence for it and respect.

I love the arts and I love what it does for people.

And so I'm hoping folks will come out and share a fantastic evening.

Welcome back to old Broadway, yes.

("Maria" playing on piano) ♪ The most beautiful sound I ever heard: ♪ ♪ Maria, Maria, Maria, Maria... ♪ ♪ All the beautiful sounds of the world in a single word... ♪ ♪ Maria, Maria, Maria, Maria... ♪ ♪ I've just met a girl named Maria, ♪ ♪ And suddenly that name ♪ ♪ Will never be the same ♪ ♪ To me.

♪ ♪ Maria!

♪ ♪ I've just kissed a girl named Maria ♪ ♪ And finally I found ♪ ♪ How wonderful a sound can be ♪ ♪ Maria!

♪ ♪ Say it loud and there's music playing, ♪ ♪ Say it soft and it's almost like praying ♪ ♪ Maria, ♪ ♪ I'll never stop loving Maria ♪ ♪ The most beautiful sound I ever heard ♪ ♪ Maria!

♪ - We are offering this to our listeners as a pledge item.

We have pledged coming up just around the corner, and anyone listening can make a pledge, and be part and be in the audience and meet you.

And I'm going to try and twist one of our talents here, David Fleming, to perform and do something.

- Excellent.

- So, he doesn't know it's coming, but I did tease him with it.

So more to come on that.

Now let's talk about some of the songs that you anticipate will be in the lineup, that won't get cut, those that you feel pretty strongly, that they'll make the show.

- Well, I think there'll be at least a little piece of every song that I've begun to list.

You know, I started when I was 11 and by the time I got to high school, I'd done the leads in five Broadway shows, and so everything from George M!

and No, No, Nanette, and South Pacific and Oklahoma!, all the Rogers and Hammerstein, Stop the World - I Want to Get Off, The Roar of the Greasepaint, The Smell of the Crowd, that's the Anthony Newley musicals.

We'll be doing Fiddler, as a matter of fact, Eddie Mekka spent a lot of time on the road with the national tour playing Tevya.

And so I'll try and get my version of it out, but he probably won't, he'll say, "Get the heck out of here, "sit down and let me show you how it's really done."

- [Lillian] Ah!

- And so we'll have music from The Fantasticks and Phantom, and Chicago, Desert Song.

Wicked, my soprano sings that, what's that silly song?

♪ Popu-ler ♪ ♪ Po, po, po, popu-ler ♪ Something like that, it's a girls song.

- Let's be clear.

- [Dell] Yes.

- That there's nothing silly about that song.

That is a fabulous show, and we're gonna talk about it a bit later.

(Dell laughing) So watch it.

- Sound of Music, Les Mis, Guys and Dolls, My Fair Lady.

Allan Sherman is a lyricist who writes alternative lyrics to traditional Broadway music, and Linden Waddell has been doing her one woman show, she's gonna come out and bring a piece of that into the evening.

We'll do some duets together as well.

Cats!

- Memories.

♪ Memory, all alone in the moonlight ♪ ♪ I can smile at the old days ♪ ♪ I was beautiful then ♪ - I was, I was pretty.

I used to be a lot better looking.

(Lillian laughing) La Cage aux Folles.

♪ I am what I am ♪ ♪ I am my own special creation ♪ West Side Story, it's just all kinds of stuff.

- So what a great... - Oh The Broadway Divas, I've got three wonderful veteran character actresses, they call themselves The Broadway Divas, and they're going to be coming in and performing as well.

- Okay, it's only a three hour show though Dell, remember.

No, I'm just kidding.

(Lillian laughing) .

Well we'll just have to sing everything really fast.

(Lillian laughing) I wanna have all of the music that I love.

I've been doing so many shows for so many people, all of my life, and this time I'm inspired to just, I'm going to put everything that I love into the mix and we're gonna bake a beautiful cake.

- Oh, it sounds, well, you know, I'm in, because I'm excited about it.

- Are we performing?

- Yeah, no.

- You and I should.

- No, we are not performing.

- We'd do a mean Tea For Two.

- The only way we're performing is if somebody dubs my voice and I can just mouth it, that's the only way we're performing.

All right, so during the pandemic, I was putting out messages to our listeners and saying, "If you love Broadway shows, "I'm missing it.

"There's nothing here," and it took me a while to come up with someone to interview and talk about Broadway, because people weren't agreeing to do it, or they said no or whatever.

So, I have some of the emails that we received from some of our listeners, and I'm gonna to ask you about them, I'm going to mention their name and their show.

Maybe we can say what we like about it, what they like about it.

But I'm going to start with Brandy, her choice is A Chorus Line, and of course she chose, she went with, What I Did For Love or One.

Tell me what you think of the show.

- Well, hi, Brandy.

I think that that's a terrific show that you've selected.

It's a dancer's show, so it's not something that I would ever be cast in, because I can sing, but I don't move too very well.

- Okay.

- But the music from that is fantastic.

And as a matter of fact, one of my favorites, and if I can get three actresses to put it together, At The Ballet is one of the most beautiful, beautiful pieces.

Also, What I Did For Love.

♪ Kiss today goodbye ♪ - Yeah, I'm a big fan of Morales, the character, Morales, what does she sing?

Da, da, da-da.

- I felt nothing.

- I felt nothing, yeah, Nothing is actually the name of the song.

So thank you Brandy for sharing that.

I'm gonna go with, let's see, I think it's Baru, no it's Birchee, Birchoo.

Birchoo, sorry.

Birchoo, his choice was Phantom of the Opera, and he couldn't select one song, so he said, "All songs".

- All of them?

- So tell me about, what's your thoughts on Phantom of the Opera?

- Well, there's some great love duets, in that All I Ask of You.

♪ No more talk of darkness, ♪ ♪ Forget these wide-eyed fears; ♪ ♪ I'm here, nothing can harm you, ♪ ♪ My words will warm and calm you ♪ And then there was, of course there's.

♪ Nighttime sharpens, heightens each sensation ♪ ♪ Darkness stirs it wakes imagination ♪ ♪ Silently the senses abandon their defenses ♪ That's a little Phantom.

- [Lillian] Right.

- I do a pretty good Phantom.

- So, I have seen it several times, I love the music.

It's not one of my favorites, it's not a favorite, so no one get no one get angry with me.

It's not a favorite.

- You know, what makes the show great?

- [Lillian] What?

- Is that the main character doesn't have to be beautiful, in fact, since he has a mask over his face, yeah I don't have to be tall and pretty, I can play that role.

(Lillian laughing) - And Curly on the other hand.

(Dell groaning) - Right, in Oklahoma!?

- [Dell] Yeah.

- Your talking about Oklahoma!?

- [Dell] Yes.

- All right, let's look at Lee's choice.

Lee from Grand Terrace, sent in his choice, his choice was the musical Hair and the song he chose was Aquarius.

Any thoughts on the show here?

♪ This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius ♪ ♪ The Age of Aquarius ♪ - I think that one of the distinctions of that show and Old!

Calcutta!

is that they feature nudity in them.

A quick story.

When I was in New York, I had an opportunity to audition for the remake or the return of Old!

Calcutta!, I figured if I'd gone all the way to New York to make it in show business, if they wanted me to take off my clothes and they were going to pay $35 a ticket to see it.

Okay.

(Dell laughing) (Lillian laughing) So, I got three callbacks for that, and then I got a call for the national tour of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and so I chose that.

- [Lillian] Oh.

- Instead of doing the off-Broadway.

Nobody wants to see my butt up on stage.

- Well, we do wanna see your face and hear your voice.

(Dell laughing) All right, here is Steve.

Steve is from, I think he's from Claremont, based on the address, I think that's Claremont.

His show was, 1776, which I have heard of, I don't know that I've seen or it's been a long time.

The songs he chose were Mama Look Sharp and, But Mr. Adams.

Do you know the show?

- I'm not really familiar with the show.

I know that it exists and I've heard some of the music from it, but I think I should take a closer look at it because age-wise and character-wise, I think that I'm... - [Lillian] Probably ready for that one now?

- Right.

- Okay.

- Right.

- You're right for it.

(Dell laughing) - Okay, now here's one I didn't know.

And if you know this, I'll be totally surprised.

I looked on Google and I had the opportunity to look onto Google, but Constance from I'm don't know what city, she sent this in and it's called Dear World and the song she chose is Tea Party.

I don't know the song.

I don't know the show.

I did look it up and the album that came up was with Angela Lansbury singing this Tea Party song.

At first I wondered what Tea Party really was there, but it is a Broadway show.

Are you familiar with it at all?

- I'm not.

I do know Angela Lansbury though.

- [Lillian] Yes.

- And anything she ever did was fantastic.

- That's what I thought too.

- You know, it's possible that Hannah may know, 'cause it's a big soprano piece, I think that Constance.

- [Lillian] Yeah, yeah.

- And she may know that.

So you may be surprised, something from that show may show up on November 4th.

- Okay.

Here's another one, this is from Lutes, he or she, I think it's he, Lutes is from, can't see the city, not there.

The show is Something Rotten!, the song they have is Right Hand Man.

Do you know the show?

- [Dell] No.

- I don't either.

I think I've seen it.

I think I've seen it at the Redlands Theater Festival as one of the shows, but it wasn't something I wanted to go see.

You know when they do their shows, they do like five a summer, and I think Something Rotten!

was in there.

So forgive me Lutes for not knowing your show.

- Sorry, Lutes.

- [Lillian] Sorry, Lutes.

- I'll look into it though.

- All right, let's go to one that I know you do know, this is Lance, he chose Fiddler on the Roof.

- Ah!

- And the song is Tradition.

♪ Tradition ♪ ♪ Tradition ♪ ♪ Ba ral, ba ba ral, ba ♪ ♪ Tradition.

♪ You know what?

Eddie Mekka did that on the road for many years, and he's gonna know all of that music, and this is Lance.

- This is Lance.

- Lance, come out and join us on November 4th, and we'll give you as much Fiddler on the Roof as you can take.

- Now I will say here's a little thing for me.

I like Fiddler on the Roof, for sure, but when my husband and I got married, I chose a song from Sunrise, Sunset.

- [Dell] Beautiful, yes.

- To play at our wedding.

And you weren't around, or I'd have had you sing it.

(Dell laughing) I did ask my cousin to sing it and she failed to show up too.

- You know, one of the most wonderful moments in that show, that I love, is between Tevya and Golde.

After all the children are going away and everything has happened, and there's that moment where Tevya decides to just ask his wife after 25 years.

♪ Do you love me?

♪ She goes.

♪ Do I what?

♪ ♪ Do you love me?

♪ ♪ Do I love you?

♪ ♪ For twenty-five years I've cooked for you, cleaned for you ♪ - [Lillian] And so on, so on.

♪ Twenty-five years, I've given you children, milk the cow ♪ ♪ After twenty-five years, why talk about love right now?

♪ - And by the end of it, we know that they do love each other.

- [Lillian] Absolutely, yeah, good show.

- Oh, I love love in musical comedy.

- [Lillian] Good show.

- It's the best kind of love of all.

- All right, I have two more, just a few more minutes.

Lindsey chose Wicked, which is a newer show.

Not so much new, it's still about 15 years old, maybe, yeah about 15 years old.

And she chose the song, Defying Gravity.

- That's a great one.

And I have just the soprano to do it for you.

- Do you think you might perform, this one might be performed?

- That will be done, yes, yes.

And maybe I'll look into getting some wires and I can fly around.

I could do something from Peter Pan and Wicked.

(Lillian laughing) - Do I look good in green?

- Okay, you're not playing the witch.

(Dell laughing) - Okay, last one that I have is from Brandon from Yucaipa.

He chose Jersey Boys.

This is all the music of Frankie Valli, have you seen the show?

- No, no, no, no.

I have a friend that I think was doing it in Las Vegas.

- So, I saw it in Las Vegas.

- Yes.

- It's a good show.

It's a fun show.

And it's all the music of Frankie Valli and I guess the Four Seasons when they were the Four Seasons.

- [Dell] Right.

- Good show, fun show.

So that's just the little bit of those that.

- So now, to me, that's all rock and roll.

Sorry, I just.

- [Lillian] Really?

- I love the music from the 30s and the 40s and some of the 50s.

- [Lillian] All right.

- You know the traditional Broadway stuff, but there's some great new stuff, this Evan Hansen is got some really nice music in it.

There's some modern musicals.

- That's just coming out, yes.

- [Dell] Yeah.

- Here's one more, I'm sorry, I wanna talk about.

Pam sent in her choice, she's from Riverside, her show was Spamalot, and the song is Always Looked on the Bright Side of Life.

♪ Always look on the bright side of life ♪ (Dell whistling) - Yeah.

- Yeah, so you know the show?

- Yeah, there's something about Flying Circus, Monty Python.

You can't go wrong with Monty Python, always funny.

- [Lillian] Okay.

- That's a good show.

We may do something from that.

One thing that I would like to emphasize because the cast is not set, I'm still adding people.

What I want to have a student or two, there is a great young talent out there who has yet to have an opportunity to perform on a big stage, in a professional setting, and I want to find that student, if it's a junior high school boy or girl who sings and loves Broadway, or high school, or from any of the colleges, also any of the professors from in the college nearby.

This is gonna be a festival of fun and a celebration of the greatest music of all, and I want as many people to come out and share it with us.

You know get your vaccinations, we're going to be wearing masks, we'll socially distance.

We're going to make it work because it's important.

- Yes, we are hoping that maybe some of the students from San Bernardino Valley College, either in the music department or in the theater department, will be able to be a part of it as well.

So it's really a community event and we're asking listeners to be a part of it and come see it, and support public radio at the same time.

- It is a fundraiser.

And, you know, I spoke to a lot of people about what the price range should be, and they were talking about $50, $75 a ticket.

I'd rather have more people there to enjoy it, than just a few elite.

Although you few elite with your deep pockets, we'd sure appreciate ya if you'd help us out.

- [Lillian] Yeah.

- You love Broadway?

Help us out.

(Dell laughing) - Exactly, and you know what?

I'd rather have more people in seats than tickets in my drawer, and just experiencing the music, the sound of Broadway.

Dell, thank you so much for spending time with me here.

- [Dell] Sure.

- And I look forward to seeing you on the stage on November 4th.

I'll be emceeing and turning it over to you, I will not be performing.

Thanks so much.

- Thank you.

(right piano playing) ♪ Come on out and celebrate ♪ ♪ Welcome back old Broadway ♪ ♪ November 4th is gonna be great ♪ ♪ Welcome back old Broadway ♪ ♪ San Bernardino ♪ ♪ Valley College auditorium ♪ ♪ Again ♪ ♪ San Bernardino ♪ ♪ Valley College auditorium ♪ ♪ Make a pledge to NPR ♪ ♪ And PBS ♪ ♪ KVCR 91.9 ♪ - [Lillian] This program was originally produced for 91.9 KVCR Radio.

(upbeat music) ♪ Yeah, the simple things in life ♪