Stephen Stahl, Director Extraordinaire and then Some....

Note:  This originally appeared in August, 2012 and bringing back as Stephen Stahl is part of the Documentary soon to go into Production.  Stephen Stahl's Lady Day is in Rehearsals in New York for its Broadway, debut. 

It has been a while between entries, but these summer months have been devoted to going through, and reorganizing all of Sam Bushman's archives, and with over 70 years worth of treasures, it has been a laborious project, but certainly one of love.  As with most, delving into the past be it writings, photographs or other memorabilia, all kinds of thoughts both real and imagined are part of the process.  The imagined part is of course from the 1930's when I was not around or privy to Sam's comings and goings; the main reason, I was not born until after the nightclub and big band era, but would certainly have enjoyed kicking up my heels as I did later in our years together.  In the not too distant future, I will be digitizing some more of these treasures for all to enjoy and reminisce.  In the meantime, today's entry is dedicated to Stephen Stahl, Director, long time friend and client of Sam's, but more important, cemented the union between Sam and me. So without further ado, on with the show!

Lady Day stephenstahl.com

Most biographies start from the beginning, however, this will start with Stephen Stahl's labor of love, Lady Day, one of the most celebrated productions of the Billie Holiday Story. It has been one of the most sought after roles having been played by a bevy of talented women, including Tony Award winner Dee Dee Bridgewater who after a successful tour of France with the musical Sophisticated Ladies, moved to Paris in 1986 and that same year played Bille Holiday in Lady Day and subsequently, was nominated for the prestigious, Laurence Olivier (Olivier) Award.  Dee Dee Bridgwater has been hailed as a songstress, brilliantly interpreting Billie Holiday's music and bringing it to the live stage.  Other award winning actresses included Tonya Pinkins, Hattie Winston and Ann Duquesnay.

Lady Day has played to sold out audiences in Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago, as well as London and Paris receiving international accolades.  Currently, Stephen Stahl is in negotiations to bring Lady Day to Broadway and as soon as the particulars can be made public, will be revealed.  The Production with all its successes certainly deserves its place on Broadway.

Stephen Stahl 2012 

Stephen Stahl met Sam Bushman early on in his career and remained a close confidant on all matters, both personal and professional.  As those who knew Sam Bushman and those who knew Stephen Stahl, they were a great combination. Sam  had the steady conservative approach to publicity, while Stephen wanted things now, or never!  This  made them a good match and neither failed to disappoint one another.  Sam always had the Press at Stephen's opening nights and the Press got a treat by witnessing first hand, the inimitable talent of Stephen Stahl, who also never disappointed, in his productions.

Critics have said the following of his work:

"The power of this show comes from the impact of direction and the highly skillful staging by director Stephen Stahl."
Hari - Variety   

"Stahl's direction is first rate! This work is filled with sincerity and passion...making this marvelous theatre. He succeeded where others failed!"
 G.M.G. - Daily Telegraph (London)

"An exceptionally fine and textured rendering of this deceptively complex work. Stephen Stahl brings out all the nuances and changes."
L.C. Cole - New York Native

"This version surpasses them all because of the incredible direction by Stephen Stahl... This is a brilliant theatrical experience."
J. Arkatou - Los Angeles Times

"A first rate director with a first rate actress... vibrant!...Heartstopping!"
Jean Luc Wachtausen - Le Figaro ( Paris)

"Mr. Stahl has directed some of the best works ever seen on the Philadelphia stages."
Doug Keating - Philadelphia Inquirer

Stephen Stahl at the Opening Night of Norma Does Men

Stephen received his early training at The Hedgerow Theatre under Jasper Deeter and Rose Schulman, then moved to New York and studied with Lee Strasberg at the Actor's Studio. Stephen has over 150 theatrical credits.  His early works included  Povich for ABC-TV; ACoupla White Chicks Sitting Around Talking which starred Debroahlee Scott; Hosanna which starred Lynne Carter; Psycho Beach Party which ran for a summer at TropWorld in Atlantic City; Porno Stars at Home; Women Behind Bars; Tallulah; Thirty Thousand Pigs Roamed the City; Jerker; and After the Fall. His writings include Philly's Beat; American Vaudeville; Yo Philly!; written for the New Yorker starring Melba Moore; Lady Day; Ella; Hope Falls; For the Show; Queen of Heats and dozens of industrials. The West End production of Lady Day in London was nominated for an Olivier Award and he became an honoree of Des Auteurs et Composituers Dramatiques in Paris for the same show. Lady Day also won a Bay Critic's Award and the National Drama Award. He has directed, written for, produced and worked with such well-known talents as Bill Cosby, Patti LaBelle, Sandy Duncan, Jason Bateman, Phyllis Hyman, Evander Holyfield, Billy Joel, Kitty Kallen, Hall & Oates, Grant Shaud, Julie Gold, Joyce Heyser, Hattie Winston, Clint Holmes, Bobbie Rydel, Peggy King, Divine, James Ingram, and Teddy Pendergrass. Recently, Mr. Stahl directed Stories of the City, Lenny, Airborne from Deerborn, Full Bloom, and a concert version of Judy at the Stonewall Inn starring Tommy Femia and David Drake which later moved into full production. Stahl has also produced and directed award shows for P.M.A Music Foundation and the A.R.T.Y. Awards, both starring dozens of Grammy-Award winning Artists.

His recent collaboration on Tony And The Playwrite placed at the San Francisco Short Film Festival. Recently he appeared in Chain Link Fence, and directed the acclaimed Sex, Cellulite and Large Farm Equipment. He wrote and directed the world attention grabbing Queen of Hearts, the musical play on the life of Princess Diana which previewed in New York City at the Grove Street Theatre and was then remounted at the off-broadway Harold Clurman Theatre. Mr. Stahl has also worked on the recent revival of Tennessee Williams play Summer and Smoke and the New York premiere of That Holman Woman.

In 2006, Stahl directed an independent feature Consequences. This film won the Los Angeles International Independent Film and Video Festivals for Best Feature in the genre category of a thriller. On the east coast, the New York premiere of Consequences won him the coveted top honor Best Director of a Feature Film. Consequences was selected out of 2500 submissions and was the win.

I personally had the pleasure of working on the production end in three of his shows: "A Couple of White Chicks Sitting Around Talking",  Philly's Beat and Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All starring Mink Stole on the National Tour.

Philly's Beat, an original show written and directed by Stahl has become one of the hallmarks of the early Philadelphia Music scene. Billy Jolly , Musical Director for the show composed memorable songs.  The show appeared with Bill Cosby at the esteemed Academy of Music as part of a special presentation.

There is no doubt those who knew Sam and continue to know Stephen will agree, the meeting of the minds was never more evident than between these two opposites!

Copyright Notice:  All images and some text are the property of Stephen Stahl www.stephenstahl.com  No reproduction of any images or material may be used without strict permission from Stephen Stahl.

For information about Stephen Stahl please contact his agents:

Stephen Maximillian Stahl
Director - Writer- Producer-Educator
Agent: Fifi Oscard / Carmen LaVia - (212) 764-1100 
Unions: SSD&C, DRAMATISTS GUILD, AEA ENGLAND, DES AUTERS ET COMPOSITUERS, FRANCE

Almost A Century and Then Some..........

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  Charleston, SC, Philadelphia PA, Los Angeles, CA   RedHead Productions announces a new project; The Press Agent, the life and times of Sam Bushman, a well known Press Agent from Philadelphia, PA for over 70 years until his death in 2005. A plethora of talent has not only consented to be a part of this project, but to lend their memories to a man; a well deserved, self effacing legend as he always referred to himself.  An auspicious project at best, but one for all time.  

The Press release recently sent out over social media outlets, has already peaked interest among people who knew Sam personally, professionally, or both; or not at all, but want to be a part of the project.  What is more exciting as Keeper of the "Sam Bushman Archives", present day technology will allow us to recreate entertainment history from the 1930's, and each decade thereafter,until 2005 and beyond.  

I thought I would take another walk down memory lane with a few of Sam's tidbits or his "tools of the trade" .  Buried in an earlier section of his blog there is a post about these tools of the trade.  Oh, and incidentally, in typical Sam Bushman style, tools never meant hammers, nails, drills or any facsimile thereof; and was very proud to state he could change a light bulb. 

No Facebook for Sam';)

If you made it into the Sam Bushman Hallmark datebook, it meant as long as Sam was on the planet, you received a birthday, anniversary or some other card marking an occasion.  He was meticulous about these things and once again, reliable as his Royal Standard, pictured below.

If you were crossed off in the Hallmark, it was never an oversight, but most likely the news of someone's passing.  And if you became estranged or otherwise engaged with, or in a new relationship, everyone remained in the Hallmark.  No doubt, Sam Bushman was his own special brand of social networking; only those terms were not generic in the 1930's!  

A day, or actually most minutes in the day, I only have to look up to see The Royal in plain view.  It is always in my sight line and brings back lots of memories; except the ones when I had to change the typewriter ribbons.  Remember, Sam could change a light bulb, typewriter ribbons were not his forte. Changing typewriter ribbons do not go hand in hand with red nail polish; the real test of true love.

Sam was ecstatic at the invention of, as it became known, "Xeroxing".  No more carbons for Sam.  Probably uninteresting and boring to the technology hounds out there today, but after all, it goes with the technological territory, so to speak.

Another famous Sam Bushman trademark, his "Little Black Book", of vinyl siding and loose leaf filler pages with reliable refills.  The phone book was different than the Hallmark in that, (if you were crossed out, most likely you had a new address, phone number or perhaps a new last name;). Incidentally Sam had everyone's phone number, private or otherwise and again, in typical Sam Bushman fashion, his integrity always precluded anyone, and I mean anyone, getting information. It was not his style.


The final, but not the last of Sam's trademarks were his canvas bags, where he carried his office.  Sam was well into recycling before most people, and practical to a fault.  This was a bag designed for one of the branches of the Library System in Philadelphia by well known artist, Sam Maitin.  The reason I mention the artist, proceeds from sales of the bag were donated to the Library.  He loved his portable office, sans iPhone, iPad or any other device.  For Sam, the Hallmark, Black Address Book and some file folders and of course, his reporter notebooks, were his tools of the trade, a mishmash of supplies, but reliable ones.

So when he called a client to say "we are in the columns today", you can be sure it was a collaboration of these tools!

I hope you will follow this journey as we prepare for the documentary about his life.  It is going to be fun and feel positive there are millions of you out there who can contribute to the project.  I hope you will come along for the ride;)

Where Should We Start.........

Note:  The following post originally appeared September 23, 2011  a little over a year ago these two were political opposites, remained true to each other in their "typical fashion"....

The two pictured above were the best of friends even though one was a "D" and the other an "R". Now those of you familiar with these two gentlemen would surely know the only time that guy on the left would become completely exasperated with that guy on the right was when the "R" enjoyed rubbing in a fact or two about the administration. So who are these guys? Of course there may be people who are younger, reading this for the first time, or perhaps don't care at all about who they were and what they did, let alone their political affiliations. Sam Bushman on the left, and Arnold Stark on the right in this photograph. Past election comments from Sam to Arnold might go like this: "It's about time the people came to their senses" to which Arnold might reply, "This is just the temoporary insanity of the American Public". And so it would go on and on, but never interfered with their lifelong friendship. Arnold and Sam were part of a breed of Press Agents not existing today. Unique personalities, leading the entertainment and restaurant scene in a different time and place, there is no doubt both were equally loved by friends, family and clients. Many of you might not be aware, Arnold used to bring cheesecakes from Bookbinders Restaurant (Arnold Stark's primary client), to Presidents (at least the Republican ones). It was nothing for him to drive to the Whitehouse for a delivery. You never knew where Arnold might end up as you looked at the postmark from some clipping he sent you. With Arnold, it could be anyplace in the United States. Sam on the other hand, was more your "stay close to home type", rarely traveled and liked to stay close to his home base and clients. Time to post your stories about Sam and Arnold or about either one individually and help us take another walk down memory lane.

A Few Samisms!

This from the Sam Bushman School of Samisms (SBSS) as I like to call them.  Some familiar phrases:

"My meter isn't running"  heard often when people (and no matter who; from the most famous person on the planet to anyone seeking his advise).  I never witnessed anyone, anytime, any place Sam did not help.  It just was not his style!

Never Over Estimate the Intelligence of the American Public

You Can Always Get Money

The Greats, The Near Greats and The Ingrates

The Hunk as Sam Nicknamed Him!

A  Couple of Stephen's Sitting Around Talking

Sam's biggest pet peeve was calling him a "PR", person and no deference to PR people after all, he made a living with words and pointed it out only for informational purposes. From Wikipedia below.

Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing the flow of information between an individual or an organization and the public.^[1] Public relations provides an organization or individual exposureto their audiences using topics of public interest and news items that do not require direct payment.^[2] The aim of public relations by a company often is to persuade the public, investors, partners, employees, and other stakeholders to maintain a certain point of view about it, its leadership, products, or of political decisions. Common activities include speaking at conferences, winning industry awards, working with the press, and employee communication.^[3] 

A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a public figure, especially a celebrity, a business, or for a work such as a book, film or album. Most top-level publicists work in private practice, handling multiple clients. In the world of celebrities, unlike agents or managers, publicists typically take a monthly fee for serving a client (whereas agents and managers tend to take a percentage of their client's gross income). Publicists can be at local, regional or national level. They can also have special expertise in areas such as entertainment or literary publicity.

One of the publicist's main functions is to generate press coverage on behalf of clients and to serve as the bridge between clients, their public and media outlets. A publicist writes press releases, manages campaigns and performs other public relations functions. It usually takes many years to develop the media contacts, experience and relationships necessary to be an effective publicist.  Some publicists specialize in representing 'ordinary' members of the public to procure the maximum possible fee for stories they wish to sell to newspapers, television stations and magazines. A number have now sprung up on the internet and work as media agents gaining members of the public multiple 'deals' with publications. An older meaning of the term is closer to pamphleteer: someone who circulates ideas by publishing them, perhaps in ephemeral forms.

All Aboard for the Sam Bushman Documentary!

Looks like this project has "legs" and gaining steam; not surprising at all, considering how beloved Sam was, and is, to anyone who knew him.  Without further fanfare, the following are on the project:

Robert Rothbard 

Robert Rothbard, esteemed award winning Director; and family to me, his father Bernie Rothbard, one of the best agents anywhere, was one of Sam' best friends; The Odd Couple for sure, but nonetheless, devoted to each other.  You can read more about Robert Rothbard at IMDB and also at his Blog.  An unknown Sam Bushman factoid about Robert; he always referred to him as "The Hunk". 

Stephen Stahl

Stephen Stahl, I would like to state from the onset, if it were not for Stephen Stahl, I would not have been with Sam, at all.  On November 5, 1984, Stephen called me to come down to the Theatre (Ripleys on South Street at the time) and help with a project.  He was directing "A Couple of White Chicks Sitting Around Talking", by John Ford Noonan starring Deborah Lee Scott and localite, Susan Moses.  I became Deborah Lee Scott's personal assistant and as they say, the rest us history.  Sam handled all of Stephen's publicity, as well as being a mentor.  Visit Stephen here:  

Bill Jolly, Three time Emmy Award winning composer, gifted musician and one of the best I have had the privilige of working with, will act as musical advisor for the project.  His commitment to youth is legendary; read more about Bill here:  Bill will be the first recipient of Sam's archives from the publicity Sam did (or in Sam Bushman words "handled" for Clara Ward).  Her archives have a new home.

Stephen Stahl and Robert Rothbard will also be recipients of Sam's archives.

The premise for the documentary will be set against a backdrop of stories and memorabilia from the 1930's to 2005, recreating the nightclubs, theatre and restaurant scene.  Charleston, SC where I reside now, is not only rich in history, but many of the Clubs and Restaurants are housed in locations, and a throwback to those nightclub days.

Lady Day Take 2

Dee Dee Bridgewater Take 2

Stephen Stahl Productions

I have known for quite sometime; and will leave it at "quite sometime", about Stephen's Stahl's incredible work as a Director, Author, Producer and more, but now with Social Media outlets the sharing has never been easier.  Advance technologies have made it possible to live stream and have fun with people at the same time.  Plans are underway to bring to New York, but of course, the Global Community should be able to see this remarkable performance. Enjoy!