 When
Tony Danza tells says that he’s looking forward to spending
the next six months in Las Vegas, he’s not just giving
you a song and dance.
He’s also giving you the scoop
on his latest gig at Paris Las Vegas in the Mel Brooks’
Broadway musical “The Producers.” And, make no
mistake about, he intends on playing it to the Max.
From August 13 through the end of December at the hotel, Danza
will be reprising his role of down-on-his-luck New York producer
Max Bialystock, which he played in “The Producers”
on Broadway for three months last year. While noting that
the role is very physically challenging, with a lot of singing
and dancing involved, he also says that it is one of the biggest
parts ever written for a male in a Broadway show and he feels
that it’s an incredible show to be a part of.
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 “Anytime
you do a show for six months or better, it’s demanding
but I’m really looking forward to the whole experience,”
Danza says. “And I’ve never lived in Vegas before
so it’s going to be interesting. It’s nice to
have a job. But I’ll admit that I’m going to be
a little like Eloise at the Plaza.”
While it was not his first time on
Broadway, “The Producers” was Danza’s first
time in a musical. Known to audiences primarily for his TV
sitcom work and his TV talk show that ended last year as well
as for his nightclub act of late, he notes that he enjoys
being able to go from one genre to another and that it is
all about what a performer does – he performs.
Where his singing is concerned, Danza,
who started out as a prize fighter, actually became serious
about it after a serious accident at the end of 1993 in which
he broke his back and nearly died. While rehabilitating himself,
he thought about what he hadn’t done in his life and
what he wanted to do. That’s when he decided that he
wanted to do a live song and dance act and began taking that
part of his career seriously.
“I like the fact that I’m
sort of a jack of all trades and a master of none,”
Danza reveals. “I saw ‘The Producers’ with
Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick the first week that it opened
in New York The only thing I can really remember, besides
the fact that I really loved it, was that I was jealous of
everybody in it because they were having such a good time.
I remember thinking to myself that I could play the role of
Max.”
 “The
part reaches out to me,” he continues. “Max is
a New York guy who’s down on his luck and who used to
be the best and now can’t get arrested. Everybody can
identify with that. Then he gets presented with this scheme
that seems irresistible to him and he goes about trying to
make it happen and keeping all the balls in the air. It’s
a great part to play.”
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As for how much freedom he has in the role, Danza says that
it’s necessary to remember that it is Mel Brooks’
show and that there’s a certain way things have to be
done and things that need to be adhered to. On the other hand,
he says that an actor has to bring himself to the role.
“This is an acting job and acting
is reacting,” Danza notes. “So you have to be
able to do what you do. Everyone’s been very good with
me about that”
.”Of course, it’s a little
different in Italian, but it’s fine,” he quips,
referring to his ethnic background.
Danza has learned his lessons well.
At 57, he is going through some major life changes of his
own (including a split from his wife), which he declines to
talk about, He will only say that life is still a work in
progress. He does admit, however, that he was brokenhearted
when he got fired from his TV talk show stint and that he
really misses the show.
“I learned something,”
he acknowledges. “As actors or performers, a lot of
times what we do is chase. It’s this job will get me
to the next job; someone’s going to see me here and
that will get me another job. I’m through with that.
I just want to see what comes my way and do the best job I
can when I get there.”
Likewise, when it comes to age, Danza states that show business
is very youth-oriented but that if he worried about that,
he would drive himself crazy. He says that getting older in
the business means that one has to have the courage to sit
there and hope that something comes along or that one has
to try and make things happen. To that avail, Danza and his
son have written a cookbook that is being published by Simon
and Schuster and will debut next Father’s Day.
“You have to be willing to understand
where you are in life, that’s all,” he philosophizes.
“With ‘The Producers,’ for example, I’m
not looking to gain anything other than service to the play
and to do the best job I can for Mel and everyone else and
for the hotel. Of course, I will gain experience on the stage.
Taking a role like this is like walking into a church and
taking over the priest’s job. It’s a huge role
and a huge risk for anyone but those are the kinds of things
I’m willing to do.”
“I think that after 30 years
of being in the business that you have to say, ‘I’ve
had a great career and let me just do the job and enjoy it
for what it is and be in the moment as opposed to thinking
about what I gain or don’t gain,’” he adds.
“I’m at a point in my life where I’m very
content because I’ve gotten over the chasing thing.
I was always a dreamer and knew that I would accomplish what
I wanted to accomplish. Now if I could have anything in life
that I wanted, it would be peace in the world.”
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ADDITIONAL
ARTICLES
BY
BOBBIE KATZ
HERE |
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Song
and Danza
