Magic is born when the curtains rise

Definitely a highlight of my life in theater. I got to dance and sing and completely ‘let go’ in this part. Mayo Methot, as film buffs may well remember, was a spitfire and could drink Bogie under the table. During their marriage, her third as well as his, the Bogarts kept a carpenter on salary full time — they destroyed so much of their home during drunken rampages.

Robert Sacchi was a true gentleman, a through back from another era. At times we'd finish the night with him royally sore at me for spilling my “vodka” (actually just water) on his beautiful Armani suit during our showstopper of a drunken fight scene — but by the next night he would bounce back, a great sport, especially because audiences so loved the dynamic of our performances together. His wife & Executive Producer, Angela, kept the production running smooth like a fine-tuned Swiss clock, as well as a fierce watchful eye on our luminous onstage chemistry. She was as passionate about Robert as Bogie was about Mayo. She never had anything to fear from me regarding Robert, but his passionate relationship with Angela sure added some thunder and lightning to the production, and particularly to his scenes with Mayo's character (meaning me).

We played to full houses and standing ovations every night, which earned us a national tour. We were thrilled to hear we'd booked at The Kennedy Center and had a deal to make a film from the show. Unfortunately, some treacherous characters among our backers ran off with all of the money -- it was a blast while it lasted!