Saturday, May 22, 2004
Their pairing in '42nd Street' is a first for a Broadway musical, producers say.
By MARK KENNEDY
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK -- This summer, the frothy musical "42nd Street" has taken a decidedly Freudian turn.
Shirley Jones and her son, Patrick Cassidy, have joined the Broadway production, adding a pinch of psychodrama to the story of an aging, cantankerous stage diva who battles her younger tyrannical director.
Needless to say, both characters are at each other's throats for most of the night. "I called my therapist immediately and said, 'Listen, cancel all my sessions for the next four months. I can just get it out on stage,'" Cassidy says with a chuckle.
Jones nods grimly: "Patrick is getting even for all of his baby years."
All joking aside, the pair seem to have playfully embraced what producers of the show say is the first time in history that a mother and son are starring together in a Broadway musical.
"It's natural," Mom says.
"It feels very, very easy," her son agrees.
Suitable roles
Jones, 70, the former matriarch of TV's "The Partridge Family" who won an Academy Award in 1960 for "Elmer Gantry," plays Dorothy Brock to Cassidy's Julian Marsh in the revival.
"The nice thing is that the roles are very suited for us as individuals," Cassidy says. "I mean, I could play this part without her being there, and she could play the part without me being there."
You might expect Jones, who has appeared in such classic musical films as "The Music Man," "Oklahoma!" and "Carousel," to be offering tips to her son. But it's Cassidy, 42, who has made his career on the stage.
Jones was last on Broadway in 1968 in "Maggie Flynn" opposite her husband, Jack Cassidy. Their son has racked up Broadway credits in "Aida," "Annie Get Your Gun," "Pirates of Penzance" and "Leader of the Pack," as well as the original off-Broadway production of "Assassins."
That puts Cassidy in the driver's seat -- for now.
"I feel it's a little role-reversal for me," he says. "I've done this for much of my career, and this is the first time for her in a long time. I feel very maternal, that sense of wanting to take care of her. It's a lot different than it was in 1968."
Adjusting to changes
Jones credits her son with teaching her to conserve energy on stage and to manage new technologies, such as the show's wireless microphone that snakes through her costume and hides on her forehead.
"He has been a marvelous help," she says. "I'm not accustomed to taking orders from my son. But he'll say, 'Mother, you have to do it this way, or this is going to happen' -- and he's right. He knows this better than I do."
The two have made a temporary home in a Manhattan brownstone -- she in the top apartment and he in the bottom. They rehearse together, travel to the theater together and wander the city together.
"The whole experience of being in New York and on Broadway is really wonderful because I get to go through it with her," Cassidy says. "That, in itself, has been very unique and wonderful for a mother and a son."
So, absolutely no friction with living with Mom?
"Talk to us in another month or two," Cassidy responds sarcastically. "I can promise you this: We're not the Waltons."
Jones and Cassidy have appeared together onstage only once before: In 1977, Mom and her 15-year-old son hit the road to do a summer stock production of "The Sound of Music." Cassidy says he was just trying to earn enough cash to buy a car.
By high school, Cassidy had no intention of following a career in show biz. He was a standout quarterback until breaking his collarbone in the third game of his senior year. During his six weeks in rehab, he wandered over to the drama department.
"I got hooked," he says.
"I wanted a doctor or a lawyer!" Jones wails in mock frustration.
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