As the curtain rises on Playhouse Square’s 2023-24 Broadway Series season, Joe Garry prepares to take center stage in the Upper Allen Theatre.
Before each production, the Bratenahl resident presents a half-hour lecture to appreciative theater lovers who come early to hear him speak. Each of his “Broadway Buzz” talks is filled with engaging, behind-the-scenes tidbits and historical perspectives built around Garry’s encyclopedic knowledge of what his listeners are about to experience.
“I find such great delight in doing this,” Garry says. “It’s truly a passion of mine. My goal is to tell the story of each production in as engaging a way as I can—not so the audience knows my point of view, but so they’re open to finding their own points of view about it.”
Saving Playhouse Square
Of all the shows Garry has seen and discussed with audiences here and abroad, there’s one he cherishes above the rest: “Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris.”
The musical revue of songs made famous by the Belgian troubadour and directed by Garry made its State Theatre premiere on a makeshift stage on April 18, 1973. Reduced to ruin in the late ’60s, the State, Palace, Ohio and Allen theaters had become eyesores slated for demolition. Garry’s innovative interpretation of that successful show changed fate. It silenced the death knell that seemed inevitable for the venues, and popularized the movement to restore their grandeur.
Earlier this year, a plaque was unveiled in the State Theatre lobby to commemorate the 50th anniversary of that momentous production which gave the quartet of historic structures a second chance.
“It says, ‘This is the show that saved Playhouse Square,’”Garry says, “and that’s what touches me the most because I believe it’s true. The song that opens ‘Brel’ is called ‘Marathon,’ and the metaphor it represented wasn’t lost on anyone. We were on a marathon in doing this amazing show, and (the audience) was part of the marathon that was starting at Playhouse Square to save the theaters.”
Back in 1972, Garry was a Cleveland State University professor who’d created CSU’s first theater studies program. His impressive direction of “Brel” at Berea Summer Theatre and CSU caught the attention of Ray Shepardson, a Cleveland Public Schools employee who was captivated by the vacant Playhouse Square theaters and determined to revitalize them.
After booking one-night concerts at the Allen Theatre, Shepardson was looking for a show with staying power that would attract audiences for an extended period of time. He caught the last performance of “Brel” at CSU and, during intermission, struck up a conversation with Norine Garry, mentioning that he wanted to find a production that would help his cause.
“And my mother—who was never a backstage mother, who never interfered in my life in any way—invited Raymond to breakfast the next morning to talk about moving ‘Brel’ to Playhouse Square,” Garry recalls with a smile.
During the meal, Shepardson insisted the production was perfect for his State Theatre cabaret.
“I thought the idea was madness,” Garry explains, shaking his head. “I told him, ‘I didn’t know you had a cabaret.’ Ray’s answer: ‘I don’t… but I will.’ ”
Although the State Theatre was in ruins, the duo—along with “Brel” cast members Cliff Bemis, David O. Frazier, Providence Hollander and Theresa Piteo—transformed the neglected lobby into an intimate 360-seat cabaret that would spotlight the musical’s brilliance. Ticket prices ranged from $7.75 to $11.75, and included a pre-show buffet and beverages.
Garry, along with Shepardson, cast and crew, were confident the show would attract a full house during its prescribed three-week run. But they couldn’t imagine the faithful legion of more than 100,000 patrons the production would repeatedly draw, eager to support the dream of giving Playhouse Square a new lease on life.
When ‘Brel’ closed on June 25, 1975, after 522 performances, it had broken records as the longest-running Ohio show to that date.
“Every time I walk through Playhouse Square—which is eight times a week for ‘Broadway Buzz’—my eyes fill with tears,” Garry reflects. “I remember walking over debris and ceilings that had collapsed and seeing rats running in the hallways. And the fact that we now have this pristine, magnificent complex is extraordinary.
“I still feel that it’s a fantasy and I’m still dreaming.”
And now…
Capture the magic of live theater this winter at one of Northeast Ohio’s stages. Here’s a rundown of the season:
Aurora Community Theatre
115 E. Pioneer Trail, Aurora 44202, 330-562-1818, auroracommunitytheatre.com
Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None (10/27-11/18/23), Arsenic and Old Lace (1/26-2/17/24), Gypsy (4/26-5/18/24), Hair (6/21-7/13/24)
Beck Center for the Arts
17801 Detroit Ave., Lakewood 44107, 216-521-2540, beckcenter.org Cat’s–Paw (9/22-10/22/23), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (12/1-12/30/23), Ride the Cyclone (2/9-2/25/24), Jitney (4/5-5/5/24), A Doll’s House, Part 2 (5/31-6/30/24), Beautiful, the Carole King Musical (7/12-8/11/24)
Broadway in Akron
Presented by Playhouse Square at Akron University’s E.J. Thomas Hall 198 Hill St., Akron 44325, playhousesquare.org Pretty Woman (10/17-10/18/23) Mean Girls (11/13-11/14/23), The Cher Show (1/30-1/31//24), Clue (4/23-4/25/24)
Chagrin Valley Little Theatre
40 River St., Chagrin Falls 44022, 440-247-8955, cvlt.org
Murder by the Falls 2023 Nailed! (9/8-9/9/23), 1970 (9/22-10/1/23), Elf: The Musical (11/17-12/17/23), The Three Musketeers (1/26-2/10/24), 9 to 5 The Musical (3/15-4/13/24), Don’t Dress For Dinner 5/17-6/9/24) Summer Musical to be announced (7/19-8/10/24)
Clague Playhouse
1371 Clague Road, Westlake 44145 440-331-0403, clagueplayhouse.org The 39 Steps (9/15-10/8/23), Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol (11/3-12/3/23), The Language Archive (1/26-2/11/24), The Marvelous Wonderettes (3/22-4/14/24) Souvenir (5/17-6/9/24)
Cleveland Play House
1407 Euclid Ave., Cleveland 44115, 216-241-6000, clevelandplayhouse.com
Thurgood (9/9-10/1/23), The Tempest (9/20-9/30/23), Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (10/21-11/12/23), Black Nativity (12/1-12/16/23), The Play That Goes Wrong (2/10-3/2/24), Middletown (2/21-3/2/24), Amadeus (4/6-4/28/24), In The Heights (5/11-6/9/24)
Dobama Theatre
2340 Lee Rd., Cleveland Hts. 44118, 216-932-3396, dobama.org
Make Believe (10/6-10/29/23), Little Women (12/1-12/31/23), At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen (1/26-2/28/24), Something Clean (3/8-3/30/24), Significant Other (4/26-5/19/24)
Fine Arts Association
38660 Mentor Ave. Willoughby 44094, 440-951-7500, fineartsassociation.org
The Addams Family A New Musical (9/15-10/1/23), Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka (11/24-12/17/23), Cats (2/16-2/25/24), Footloose (6/7-6/23/24)
Great Lakes Theater
2067 East 14th St., Cleveland 44115, 216-241-6000, greatlakestheater.org
Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 (9/22-10/8/23), Dracula: The Bloody Truth (10/20-11/5/23), A Christmas Carol (11/24-12/23/23), Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express (2/9-3/3/24), The Merry Wives of Windsor (3/22-4/7/24) Always… Patsy Cline (4/26-5/19/24)
Hudson Players
41 S. Oviatt St., Hudson 44236, 330-655-8522, hudsonplayers.com
The Savannah Sipping Society (11/3-11/18/23), Curtains (2/2-2/24/24), Pump Boys and Dinettes (4/26-5/18/24)
Magical Theatre Company
565 W. Tuscarawas Ave, Barberton, 44203, 330-848-3708, magicaltheatre.org
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (10/20-10-29/23), Paddington Saves Christmas (12/1-12/17/23), Twelve Angry Jurors (2/2-2/4/24), Judy Moody & Stink (5/3-5/11/24)
Playhouse Square KeyBank Broadway Series
1501 Euclid Ave., Cleveland 44115, 216-241-6000, playhousesquare.org
The Wiz (10/3-10/22/23), The Girl From the North Country (10/31-11/19/23), Mrs. Doubtfire (1/9-1/28/24), Funny Girl (2/20-3/10/24), Company (4/30-5/19/24), Back to the Future: The Musical (6/11-7/7/24), MJ (7/16-8/11/24)
Tailspinner Children’s Theatre
1305 W 80th St Suite 214, Cleveland, 44102, 216-264-9680, tailspinnercle.org
Stellaluna (10/23), Desvelado (11/23), A Light in the Night (12/23), School of Fish (2/24), Last Stop on Market Street (3/24), The Toothpaste Millionaire (5/24)
Weathervane Playhouse
1301 Weathervane Lane, Akron 44313, 330-836-2626, weathervaneplayhouse.com
Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express (9/28-10/15/23), Elf: The Musical (11/24-12/17/23), 8×10: The Eileen Moushey TheatreFest 1/11-1/21/24), Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida (2/22-3/17/24), Something Rotten (6/13-7/7/24)
Photo courtesy Playhouse Square
