my friend dan safer - of awesome theater company witness relocation - sent me a link to the above video in an exchange of dorky youtube fun, and i got hooked.
apparently, “stairway to stardom” was a public access show in new york city from the 70s to the early 90s and featured some of basic-cable-via-the-internet’s brightest (ironic) stars. above, precious taft delivers a dramatic monologue from… something. after the jump, enjoy the song stylings of dante (a strange goulet-esque swinger), melissa ann ledwon’s mesmerizing contempo jazz tap, gloria huddle’s dramatic reading of a manhattan transfer song (showcasing her various “accent” skills), mark conner’s original songs (a number that shows off the amazing minimal STS decor) , al villa’s comic insight (a true test in patience), the high waisted belting of louise mascia, michele sutlovitch wanting to “live forever,” cheryl klein’s jewish hyper humor, and of course, the inimitable lola perazzo starting on her “rough climb to stardom.”
these people give john daker a run for his money.
check out user sharpeworld’s playlist for 71 STS vids.
Tags: jazz, modern dance, performance, public access, sing, stairway to stardom, star, talent show, tap, youtube