Saturday, November 21, 2015

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-John McMartin

Artist:John McMartin
Song:The Road You Didn't Take
Album:Follies: Original Broadway Cast





Though he has appeared in films and TV, John McMartin has performed in Broadway musicals since the late 50s and he's still doing that today. Sweet Charity and Follies are his most notable musicals. He was born Aug. 21, 1929 in Warsaw, IN and he grew up in Minnesota. He moved to New York to attend college and made his off Broadway debut in the 1959 show Little Mary Sunshine. He also married Cynthia Baer, one of the show's producers. They had two daughters and divorced in 1971. McMartin appeared in a few more shows in the early 60s. He also appeared in the daytime soap As The World Turns. But he got his big break as Oscar co-starring with Gwen Verdon in the 1966 musical Sweet Charity. McMartin was nominated for a Tony. He also starred in the 1969 film of Sweet Charity with Shirley MacLaine. He could have moved to Hollywood but he preferred living in New York City. McMartin's other significant role was as Benjamin Stone in Stephen Sondheim's 1971 musical Follies co-starring with Alexis Smith. The Road You Didn't Take is McMartin's big number in the show. Since then he has appeared in many Broadway shows. Probably his most significant show was the 1994 Broadway revival of Show Boat. McMartin has also appeared in films like All The President's Men, Brubaker and Blow Out. And he has done guest shots on TV shows like Falcon Crest, Beauty and the Beast, Murder She Wrote and Law and Order. McMartin still appears in Broadway musicals, most recently a 2012 revival of Anything Goes. He has been nominated for four Tony awards and he was inducted into the American Theater Hall Of Fame in 2009. Here's John McMartin performing The Road You Didn't Take on the 2010 TV special Sondheim: The Birthday Concert.

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