How Producing Broadway Shows Drove Me To A Painting Career

A few weeks ago The Men’s Group of Stonington invited me to perform How Producing Broadway Shows Drove Me To A Painting Career (the story of my life which I keep updating). Act One involves growing up with a father who did not believe in God and a mother who laughed whenever I tried to accomplish anything. Act Two deals with well known stars and directors who helped me lose money and my mind while producing eighteen Broadway shows; and Act Three tells the story of a painting I threw in the garbage that was later sold to the vice president of Lloyds of London.

I needed to find a new ending and I thought of a painting of mine called The Backer’s Audition which combined painting and producing. The painting shows how I raised money for a Broadway show. Singers are performing excerpts from the show for would be angels. I remembered that The New York Times had reviewed the painting and had written “the bilious crowd in The Backer’s Audition...” Curious about the word “bilious,” I checked the dictionary and it said: “experiencing gastric distress, especially in color,” a perfect description of my days as a Broadway producer.”