Doin' What Comes Natur'lly
Veteran comedian Larry Storch plays Sitting Bull
in the touring production of 'Annie Get Your Gun."
a Gun" and "They Say It's Wonderful."
"I'm an Indian, Too," which would
itL‘
have been a Storch-involved song,
Larry Storch: "Iin captivated
won't be performed.
every night with what Irving
"It's been taken out for political cor-
Berlin has written."
rectness," explains the actor, whose ear-
lier Detroit appearances have placed
That attitude should come across
him at the Fisher in Arsenic and Old
through the entire play, which has
as
well
as
clubs
Lace and Breaking Legs,
been rewritten from the original script
such as the Roostertail.
by Herbert and Dorothy Fields to
"I think that's an appropriate decision
avoid offending minorities.
given this day and age. Now the show is
"I never try to downgrade anyone,"
just a hoot. There's great dancing with
says Storch, whose sensitivity to diver-
great songs. I listen to them every night,
sity issues reaches into his household
and I'm captivated every night with
on a very personal level.
what Irving Berlin has written.
Storch and his wife, Norma Greve,
"I never had the great honor of
married for 40 years, were concerned
meeting Irving Berlin, but I met his
about her daughter, June Cross, who is
granddaughters. They came backstage
his stepdaughter, a biracial woman
to say hello to the cast. I shook hands
given up by her mother to be raised for
with them, and that was a great honor."
a time by a black family, starting when
Honor was not part of Storch's
Cross was 4 years old.
they were very noble people.
career when he started out.
SUZANNE CHESSLER
Later, when the- youngster was with
"When I was in public school, I
"I'm reading a book now by my
Special to theJewish News
them, the Storches told friends that the
stepson, Lary May, who is a teacher at
knew I wasn't going to be a 9-5 office
child had been abused by her parents
worker," he recalls. "I never finished
the University of Minnesota, and it
don't need a roomful of
and adopted by them. Eventually,
high school. The formal training that I
covers a lot about the Indians. Lary's a
people
p eople to enlarge a conversa-
Cross made her life the subject of a
had was in the balconies of theaters lis-
professor of history and has written
tion with comedian Larry
documentary, My Secret Daughter.
tening to the great actors of my time
several books.
Storch. He is a roomful of
"In today's environment, we would-
"I've made Sitting Bull a rather
while trying to dodge the truant offi-
people.
n't have had to place her with another
funny sort of character. He's looking
ce r.
Storch, a dialect performer who
family," Storch says. "She never left our
forward to opening a
Storch believes that dialects came
never quite leaves the
lives, and she's a darling girl. She's a
easy to him because he could pick up
Joe Hart as Larry Davenport, gambling hall on his
stage, may start out as
producer with the PBS series
on the speech patterns of his father's
Larry Storch as Chief Sitting reservation so he's kind
himself— but soon
Frontline. She's also working on a proj-
family, who came from Poland; his
Bull and George McDaniel as of into the white man's
he's speaking with a
ect called This Far by Faith, a PBS
mother's family, who came from
Buffalo Bill in the Tony ways. There aren't
Russian accent, then a
mini-series, and has asked me to help
Russia; and the diverse families of his
Award-winning production of many funny Indians
British inflection, later
with
various voices."
Irving Berlin's 'Annie Get running loose in New
neighbors in the Depression era.
a Latino sound and on
Storch
and his wife have another
Your Gun," coming to the York, and that helped
While doing impressions on stage
and on.
daughter,
Candie,
a Spanish teacher in
Fisher Theatre Sept. 12-Oct. 1. sway the producers to
got his career off the ground, he really
Currently, Storch is
Los Angeles, one of the tour destinations.
give me the role."
set sail after serving in the Navy with
voicing a Native
"Los Angeles is important because
Tony Curtis, who 'cast him in seven
Annie
Get
Your
Gun, which
American character. He plays Sitting
television
and motion picture produc-
debuted in 1946, has a revised script
films, including Who Was That Lady?,
Bull in the touring production of
ers
will
see
me, " says Storch, who trav-
in which he portrayed a Russian spy.
by.Peter Stone (Titanic). It builds on
Annie Get Your Gun. The 1999_Tony
els with his wife and their two cats.
The highlight of Storch's career was
the fictional story of Annie Oakley,
Award winner for Best Revival of a
"I've been on tour there before and got
playing
Corporal Agarn, a post-Civil
one
of
the
world's
most
famous
Musical comes to the Fisher Theatre
offers for different projects." FA
F-
sharpshooters, and her competitive
War cavalryman, in the TV series
Sept. 12-Oct. 1, with Marilu Henner
relationship with Frank Butler, a
Troop, which ran from 1965-67.
taking over as Annie Oakley
Storch, who had his bar mitzvah but
dashing vaudeville marksman, as they
(Bernadette Peters played the role on
has
not practiced his religion since,
tour
the
country
as
the
stars
of
"Annie Get Your Gun" will be
Broadway) and Rex Smith portraying
"Buffalo
Bill's
Wild
West
Show."
recently
appeared
on
stage
as
an
80-
performed 8 p.m. Tuesdays-
Frank Butler.
pro-
Things
The
Irving
Berlin
score,
which
year-old
Jewish
homosexual
in
Saturdays,
2 p.m. Saturdays and
"I feel wonderful about playing
any
in
New
duced
eight
standards,
more
than
We
Shouldn't
Say
Past
Midnight
Sundays
and
7:30 p.m.
Sitting Bull," says Storch, still energetic
other Broadway musical, includes
York. He also has been doing a night-
Sundays, Sept. 12-Oct. 1, at the
at 77. "I always sympathized with the
"There's No Business Like Show
club act in Florida.
Fisher Theatre. $33.50-$65.
Indians, and I always rooted with them
As Storch becomes Sitting Bull, he
Business," "I Got the Sun in the
(313) 872-1000.
against John Wayne. Sitting Bull is one
Morning," "Doin' What Comes
will treat American Indian dialect as
of my favorite Indians along with
Natur'lly," "You Can't Get a Man With
he treats the others — with respect.
Geronimo and Crazy Horse. I thought
9/8
2000
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