Bebe Neuwirth [and Chip Zien] Walks Down Memory Lane

March 6, 2024 6:50 AM

Playbill gets Bebe Neuwirth to sit down and talk about her history in theater. Two-time Tony winner Bebe Neuwirth discusses Chicago, A Chorus Line, and her Broadway return in Cabaret. [... and so much more, 40m] She is so full of joy and thrill about her career, it exudes through the screen and runs all over the place. Watch with care.

Bonus Playbill Video: Chip Zien [51m]. If you've seen the original Broadway cast Into The Woods, he played The Baker. He's done a whole lot more.

This is possibly the more astonishing of the two interviews.

posted by hippybear (12 comments total)

She's a mensch.
posted by GallonOfAlan at 7:25 AM on March 6 [3 favorites]

I was recently watching Season 2 of the Julia Child bioseries on Max, and one episode featured both Bebe Neuwirth's character the morning after a very good date, dancing around to the Exciters' "Tell Him" in a man's shirt and her legs on full display, AND David Hyde Pierce doing a piano duet to Judy Garland's "Life is Just A Bowl of Cherries" and it felt like this delightful stealth coup of all of the Broadway lovers on the production team having their way with one episode.

Like, we have both Bebe Neuwirth and David Hyde Pierce on your cast and we're not going to have them sing and dance? What are we trying to accomplish here?
posted by bl1nk at 7:26 AM on March 6 [7 favorites]

GallonOfAlan has it right. And she's an uber superhottie to boot. I worship the ground upon which Bebe Neuwirth walks.
posted by y2karl at 7:31 AM on March 6 [4 favorites]

These are both just fantastic. Thank you for reminding me who Chip Zien is - I don't always remember his name, even though I love him in Into the Woods.

I loved Bebe's story about Peter Gennaro and Bob Fosse. (And I loved her switching back and forth between "Peter" and "Mr. Gennaro" and "Bob" and "Mr. Fosse.")

This is a wonderful, wonderful post. I am so happy to get to spend some time with each of these two people.

Thank you so much for posting these, hippybear!
posted by kristi at 8:10 AM on March 6 [1 favorite]

Can I just say how stoked I am for this revival of Cabaret on Broadway? I expect to pay through the nose to see it, but I will see it. Hopefully with Bebe, who really is a treasure.
posted by uncleozzy at 8:16 AM on March 6 [3 favorites]

I was gobsmacked when I found out she was famous before Frasier and how different she looked when her hair was pulled back quite so tightly.
posted by tommasz at 8:43 AM on March 6 [1 favorite]

Odd to think that for most of America she's completely identified s the exceedingly uptight Lilith because outside of that character - she's amazingly fun. (Not that Lilith isn't fun, but the character has such strictures.
posted by drewbage1847 at 9:03 AM on March 6 [1 favorite]

I was gobsmacked when I found out she was famous before Frasier and how different she looked when her hair was pulled back quite so tightly.

I am always gobsmacked whenever I see her without her hair pulled back tightly, and she is not at the Cheers bar saying woodenly to Frasier "You're misremembering as usual."
posted by Melismata at 9:10 AM on March 6 [1 favorite]

Love her, love this!
I still feel like I'm reclaiming my childhood love of musical theater and all of the traditions that weave in and out of it. Several years of very serious theater school just did a number on very young me . . . ~sigh~
tommasz, I had the same realization back during Frasier; she was one of the guiding lights that got me back to musicals!
posted by pt68 at 9:14 AM on March 6 [1 favorite]

Such a treat! Love this and her.
posted by agatha_magatha at 9:23 AM on March 6

Thanks, this is so great.

I saw her in Chicago on Broadway. Like most people, I had only known her as Lilith, so imagine my surprise. It was an amazing night.
posted by freakazoid at 3:38 PM on March 6 [1 favorite]

I am SOOOOO excited to see Cabaret on opening night in April! (This will be a couple of days after we see Lesley Ann Warren Host a screening of Clue, one of my all time favorite films.)
posted by Fritzle at 10:55 AM on March 7