February 8–15, 2001
theater
Abbott on Abbott
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Abbott redux: You’ve Gotta Have Heart, featuring Joy Abbott, remembers the work of her late husband George. |
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Joy Valderrama was the belle of the Temple University campus in the early 1950s, an exotic beauty from Hawaii who excelled in tennis and swimming. Shortly after graduation she met the 72-year-old George Abbott. He was the dean of Broadway showmen, who wrote and directed hits such as The Boys From Syracuse (1938), Pal Joey (1940), Call Me Madam (1950), The Pajama Game (1954) and Damn Yankees (1955), and won a Pulitzer Prize in 1960 for writing Fiorello. They dated for 24 years, then married in 1983. In 1995, he died at the age of 107. She’ll perform, along with Broadway musical star Davis Gaines, in a Feb. 13 staged tribute to Abbott and his protégé, producer/ director Harold Prince, called You’ve Gotta Have Heart.
How did you meet Abbott?
He came to Philadelphia to try-out his musical, Fiorello, in 1959. My sister’s friend was an usher at the theater and George and I met at the opening night party.
But Abbott had the reputation of being formal, and no one ever called him by his first name. It always was "Mister Abbott."
They called him that out of veneration, but away from his work he didn’t want or expect it. In fact, he and Hal Prince used to go out socially and he’d tell Hal: "Don’t call me Mister Abbott in front of the girls." If you really knew him, he was warm. I think he was attracted to me because he had a thing for Oriental women.
And what attracted you to him?
He had beautiful, intense gray-blue eyes. And he was in great shape, very athletic.
What about the 45-year age difference?
We never felt it was important. He enjoyed being around younger people.
How did you finally get married?
One day he said to me: "Joy, my lawyer just told me that I have enough money for two people to live on, so I think it would make sense for us to get married. Think about it for a day or two and let me know." He was being funny, of course. We were married one afternoon and that night I became a great-grandmother, when one of his granddaughters had a baby. [Abbott had been married twice before and had grown children and grandchildren.] We divided our time between his homes in New York and Miami and my home in Philadelphia.
What do you think was the reason for his success?
Actors always knew that he’d make them better. They’d listen to his line readings, which were precise and succinct. The Abbott touch consisted of four things: clarity, brevity, pacing and honesty.
How did you meet Hal Prince?
He worked as a gofer for George after he graduated Penn, and by 1959 he was producing shows himself. George and I would go on double dates with Hal and his girlfriend, Judy Chaplin, the daughter of songwriter Saul Chaplin, and now they’ve been married for almost 40 years. George’s favorite date was going out to dinner and dancing. He was an expert at it, especially the rumba.
What else was happening in your life?
I owned boutiques, in Philadelphia and Cherry Hill, called Moana’s. Then I started a business running fashion shows.
You always sang and danced, and you’ll be singing in this concert. During all your years with George Abbott, were you ever tempted to try for a role on Broadway?
In those days Oriental women didn’t have opportunities. They didn’t do cross-casting. They couldn’t imagine me in Oklahoma! or Carousel.
How were Abbott’s later years?
Very active. Even at age 107 he was dictating script changes for a revival of Pajama Game, just before he died.
You’ve Gotta Have Heart, Feb. 13 at 8 p.m., $250-150, Prince Music Theater, 1412 Chestnut St., 215-204-5673. George Abbott’s Broadway, Feb. 7-17, $9-$12, Tomlinson Theater, 13th & Norris Sts., 215- 204-1122.
