Broadway’s legendary Palace Theatre is the subject of a new documentary premiering on All Arts May 13.
The film Playing the Palace dives deep into the storied legacy of Broadway’s Palace Theatre, tracing its vaudeville roots to star-studded milestones, and in recent years, the unprecedented engineering that lifted the entire venue 30 feet above the busiest intersection in the world in Times Square.
Hosted by Emmy Award–winning journalist Frank DiLella (“On Stage” on Spectrum News NY1), the documentary features theatrical luminaries, including Joel Grey, Bernadette Peters, Ben Platt, Heather Headley, and Len Cariou, who share personal stories of performing at the famed New York City theatre.
Playing the Palace host Frank DiLella sat down with the film’s director, Cody Williams, and performer Lorna Luft, who “played the Palace” alongside her mother, Judy Garland, in 1967.
Cody, what was your initial reaction when you walked into the Palace Theatre for the first time after it was lifted 30 feet?
CODY WILLIAMS: When we first walked into the Palace after it had been raised, I was truly awestruck. Even though it was a construction site, it was stunning. The only thing that I could equate it to was our trip to London after Andrew Lloyd Webber had renovated the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. I remember walking into that theatre and being so stunned with how gorgeous it was and thinking, “Wow, why don’t they do this on Broadway?” And then years later walking into the Palace, realizing they did do it on Broadway! I was taken aback by the beauty of the Palace. And then the idea that we were magically 30 feet above where we had been was so crazy.
What made you want to make this film with me?
CW: I love doing stories about theater and entertainment with you. Knowing the historical significance of the raise and the storied history of the Palace Theatre specifically — it just seemed like a win-win.
Lorna Luft, what’s your first memory of the Palace Theatre?
LORNA LUFT: My first memory of the Palace was hearing about it from my mom and her stories of talking about what it felt like when you got picked to “play the Palace.” As we all grew up, we understood the importance of that theatre because it meant so much to the performers who were lucky enough to “play the Palace.”
To “play the Palace” during the days of vaudeville meant you made it. Even today, stars want to “play the Palace.” What makes it such a special theatre?
LL: Because of where it is in the neighborhood of Broadway. People had toured with their shows through vaudeville, but once you got on the bill at the Palace, that was really special. And if you were a headliner, that was the crown on top of your head. It was the ultimate theatre and ultimate audience because the audience also knew how special it was to go to that theatre and be in that theatre. Unlike the other theatres — Ziegfeld had massive productions — the Palace was about the performer. The singers and the comics and the vaudeville acts.
Cody, this is not our first time collaborating. What was your favorite experience making the film?
CW: The day we filmed in the Palace with the owners — Jimmy Nederlander, Nick Scandalios, and Stewart Lane — was epic. Just to be in the space. Also, I had the opportunity to visit Joel Grey in Santa Monica, California, to grab an interview with him, and that was a cool experience. While we were with Joel, he serenaded us with moments from George M!, which he did at the Palace — specifically, “Give My Regards to Broadway.” It was incredible looking through a monitor with Joel Grey sitting seven feet from us and performing his iconic moment from that musical to camera.
The documentary features a handful of entertainment luminaries, like Joel, sharing stories about their time at the Palace. What was the most memorable story for you?
CW: There were so many incredible stories that came from our time interviewing people who worked at the Palace in the past. Jerry Mitchell, who is a Tony Award–winning choreographer and director, he got his start as a performer as a swing at the Palace. And he came up for the idea of “Broadway Bares” backstage while he was doing The Will Rogers Follies in the early ’90s. You think about the people whose lives have been saved by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Jerry has raised millions of dollars for Broadway Cares with “Broadway Bares,” and it all started with Jerry sitting backstage in his dressing room at the Palace.
Lorna, in 1967 you performed on the Palace stage with your mom and brother. Take me back to that time.
LL: We had toured that summer in the Melody Tents on the East Coast. We got all-new costumes for the Palace. It was exciting. Being in those rehearsal halls and sitting with Harold Arlen [composer of The Wizard of Oz] and watching my mom rehearse with Harold — I was 13. I knew how much it meant to my mom. My mother, brother, and myself, we sang “Together Wherever We Go” from Gypsy. My mom was so excited; she remembered back to when she did 19 weeks at the Palace [in 1956–1957] because no one had done 19 weeks. She broke all kinds of records back then. So when we did our show, it was like mom was coming home. Our opening night was everything you wanted your opening night to be. Just to hear the roar of the audience when her overture started to play — she was so excited.
Cody, you have a Broadway background. You started out as a Broadway performer doing shows like Memphis, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, and On the Town before transitioning into making films. How has your experience in theater influenced your film work over the years?
CW: Because I started as a performer, I came to understand that often, the stories behind the story are just as interesting, if not more so, than what’s happening onstage. The first Emmy I was lucky enough to win — with you, Frank — was for best documentary, and the subject was the experience of performing in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade from the eyes of a Broadway performer. My firsthand knowledge of performing in the parade heavily influenced that project. It inspired me to show people at home how thrilling and emotional it was to be on 34th Street on Thanksgiving morning.
Playing the Palace will be available at allarts.org beginning May 13.