After more than half a century spent in service to musical theatre, it is only apropos that Carol Channing be the first performer to receive the prestigious Oscar Hammerstein award for Lifetime Achievement. On June 7th, in a lavish, star-studded gala event, the York theatre presented the award to the new Dr. Channing after an evening of song and dance that could only begin to represent her contributions to the genre.
The reception hall and auditorium were filled equally with Hirschfeld drawings of the star (she was, we were told, one of his favorite subjects), and with talk of the previous evening's Tony awards and Channing's rap with LL Cool J. But the buzz turned to cheers when the legend herself walked into the room, warmly greeting all the well-wishers and proudly introducing her new husband, her childhood sweetheart Harry Kullijian. Perfectly apropos for the honoree, the mood of the evening was funny, sweet, and celebratory, with stars both established and up-and-coming turning out to cheer on one of the greatest musical theatre performers of her, or any, generation.
Tony Award winner and recent nominee Kristin Chenowith began the evening's homages, performing the classic "Little Girl From Little Rock" from Channing's first Broadway hit, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Dance legend Marge Champion literally waltzed out to talk about her long friendship with Channing, bringing tears to eyes as she praised her co-worker.
Tony nominees John Tartaglia and Stephanie D'Abruzzo performed "Doing The Old Yahoo Step" as their Avenue Q alter egos Rod and Lucy the Slut, each of whom tried to outdo the other with their Channing imitations.
Chicago star Deidre Godwin performed one of Channing's solos from Thoroughly Modern Millie, "Jazz Baby," and with a quartet of dancers from 42nd Street, made the song uniquely her own with some red-hot Fosse-esque choreography.
Rising star Simone, daughter of the late jazz great Nina Simone, performed a strong and powerful "Suppertime," which, she explained, was the signature song of Ethel Waters, a favorite of both her mother's and of Carol Channing's.
KT Sullivan, who played Lorelei Lee in the 1995 revival of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, brightly sang the most famous song from the show, "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend."
Patrick Cassidy, currently starring on Broadway in 42nd Street, sang a beautifully tender "It Only Takes a Moment" from Hello, Dolly! He was followed later by the brassy and sassy Roz Ryan performing a smart and sexy "So Long Dearie" from the same show.
The show reached a wonderful climax when the four young dancers descended into the theatre to bring Ms. Channing up onto the stage, singing the famous title song of Hello, Dolly! as they did so. The audience, naturally, gave Channing a standing ovation when she sang the wonderfully appropriate line, "Wow, wow, wow, fellas! Look at the old girl now, fellas!"
As the evening's performers came onto the stage to witness the presentation of the award, the honoree herself couldn't help but crack a few jokes. "Isn't it funny?" she asked with a grin. "On your one hundredth birthday, suddenly everybody loves you!" Channing praised all of the people onstage, and only half-joked that she "raised these people" behind her. When Oscar Hammerstein's daughter, Alice Hammerstein Mathias, asked if Channing had ever worked with the man for whom the award was named, Channing admitted that she had not, and quickly added, "But I heard of him! I saw some of his work!" Mathias announced that, even though Channing had not won the Oscar for her performance in Thoroughly Modern Millie, tonight she would receive a real Oscar. Channing accepted the Hammerstein Award with a joyous smile, then deadpanned with a twinkle in her eye, "Is it real crystal?"
Such a celebratory moment as receiving a lifetime achievement award can only be truly expressed through song, and fortunately, one of Channing's signature numbers was a perfect finale for the gala. What a treat, especially for all the young people who weren't alive in 1964 and couldn't see the 1994 revival of Hello, Dolly!, to hear "Before The Parade Passes By" performed by its original singer with all of the excitement and joy that song can express. The moment was nothing less than magical.
Showing her great love for her new husband, Channing provided a lovely encore to the evening by dancing with him on the stage. It was the perfect way to end an evening honoring someone who so defines musical theatre: dancing on a stage with the man she loves, with an audience of appreciative fans sharing her joy.
Photos courtesy of Chris Smith
