Joel Grey returns to the "Grey Lady"
Singer to perform with Pops
BY MARGARET CARROLL-BERGMAN INDEPENDENT EDITOR
Joel Grey promises to sing songs from the Broadway musical "Cabaret," when he performs with the Boston Pops at Jetties Beach this Saturday, August 9 at 7 p.m. to benefit the Nantucket Cottage Hospital.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JOEL GREY Joel Grey

The role of Master of Ceremonies was written for Grey, 76-years-old, who won a Tony Award in 1966 and an Academy Award in 1972 in the stage and film versions of "Cabaret," set in 1929 Berlin and based on the novel, "The Berlin Stories" by Christopher Isherwood.

Grey said he never tires of singing songs from the Broadway hit, which first opened in 1966.

"If you are stuck with singing a bad pop tune, it's a burden," said Grey. "When you are lucky enough to have the songs created for you in the first place, it's a pleasure."

Grey first came to Nantucket in the 1960s with his former wife, Jo Wilder, and children, Jennifer Grey, who starred in the movie, "Dirty Dancing," and James, who works as a chef. Grey's daughter and son live in Venice, California.

"We vacationed on Nantucket every summer for ten years," said Grey, who has fond memories of eating breakfast at the Downeyflake. "We had a whole family of good friends."

Grey counted David and Jean Halberstam, Andy Oates, Bill Euler, Wynn Handman, John Guare, Anne Roy Fee and Adele Chatfield-Taylor among his island gang.

"I visited the island about 15 years ago, and while it had changed, it was still magnificent and a lot of the places were the still the same," said Grey. "When you have small children, vacations are powerful. They mean so much to them and as a result to you. It is a place filled with happy memories."

Grey is looking forward to singing with the Boston Pops at the Jetties. The island audience got high marks from Bernadette Peters, who performed here two years ago and told Grey she was thrilled with the crowd.

"I used to take the kids swimming at the Jetties," he said.

This is the second time Grey will sing with the Boston Pops. The first time was in 1979 in Boston.

These days, the Broadway musical star is in great demand to sing along with a symphony as his accompaniment.

"The best thing about it, you come to somebody's hometown. The audience loves their symphony and they are so proud and wildly enthusiastic and welcoming that you are coming to their home," he said.

While returning to Broadway is not out of the question for Grey, he said he'd like to work six months on a special run.

"I think I had six big starring roles on Broadway, some for one year, some for two. That's eight performances a week over 365 days. Four of the plays were big hits, "George M.!," "Chicago," "Wicked" and "Cabaret," which kept me very busy," said Grey. "I would not do a long run in a musical again. I lost almost a year of my grandchild's second year by being in a show."

Grey said he had hoped to play Richard III in the play by the same name or Tevia in "Fiddler on the Roof," but he was always busy with other projects.

When asked what he thought about his being an icon, Grey laughed and said, "I don't think about it. I wake up in the morning and think, 'What am I going to have on my toast?'"

Contact the Nantucket Cottage Hospital at 825- 8100 for ticket information. General seating is $30 for adults and $10 for children. I