A two-man cabaret for seagulls about the joy of singing.

A note from Taylor:

To the outside eye, it seems odd that Mandy and I would make a vaudeville together, but for those who have known me my whole life, it was a natural fit. I trained my voice as a fourteen-year-old aspiring musical performer to Mandy's early albums. I'd go up on the levee of the Delta, in central California, and sing with them (with the help of a Walkman) at full volume, where (hopefully) no one could hear me - except, obviously, the musical theater Gods.

Obviously, because they must have taken my wailing as some kind of spell to bring Mandy to my doorstep over twenty years later. The doorstep being our mutual friend and collaborator, director Rachel Chavkin. Rachel's theater company, The Team, was having a benefit and asked if I'd perform. They'd also asked Mandy, and Mandy, being Mandy, said he'd only do it if the two of us didn't do individual sets but sang together (with Mandy's incredible musical director and arranger, Paul Ford). My answer was a gobsmacked yes. And because of all those early years training my voice with his, learning the phrasing of so much of his repertoire, the blend was remarkable. When the gala was over, we looked at each other and said, let's make a show.

All we had was a question and, unusual for a show I'm part of making, an answer. The question was: if we were the last two people on earth, what would we do? The answer: make a vaudeville for the seagulls.

And then years went by. Our schedules seemed like an impossible obstacle. Also, truth be told, I was a little too reverential to my childhood idol to do what I normally do and just kick it into gear. We needed someone else to wrangle us, someone who understood vaudeville deep in their bones. That's when Mandy called Susan Stroman (I guess when you're Mandy Patinkin, you immediately call the best).

For young people in the biz, some advice: this is how the theater actually works. If I'd tried to be in a show directed by Susan Stroman and starring Mandy Patinkin, I wouldn't even be able to get an audition. But make, make, make, work, work, work, and eventually, they'll find you.

Stro (that's what people call her who are blessed enough to get to work with her) is one of the great humans. I fell madly in love with her, and she really was the missing ingredient. Her joy, discipline, deep artistry, and craft inspired us and gave us the frame we needed to be absolute clowns singing–and dancing!–for seagulls disguised as audience members.

SHOW CREDITS:

Conceived by Paul Ford, Taylor Mac, Mandy Patinkin, and Susan Stroman.

Produced by Staci Levine, first with the Classic Stage Company at Abrons Arts Center, Henry Street Settlement, NYC.

Direction and Choreography by Susan Stroman.

Set Design by Beowulf Boritt.

Costume Design by William Ivey Long.

Lighting Design by Ken Billington.

Sound Design by Daniel J. Gerhard.

Musical Direction by Paul Ford.

Photo Credit: Paul Kolnik.