BETTY BUCKLEY
It's always a treat to speak with Betty Buckley, the woman New York Magazine recently dubbed "the voice of Broadway," and I'm happy to report that there's much happening on the BB front. In fact, the award-winning actress will release two solo albums in the next few months: The first is an all-new recording titled "Heart to Heart," a concert act she debuted this past June at a PAWS/LA benefit at U.C.L.A.'s Freud Playhouse Theatre. (PAWS is a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the quality of life of those living with HIV/AIDS by empowering them to care for their beloved pets.) The studio recording will feature all songs previously unrecorded by Buckley, and it looks likely that the two tunes Ms. B sings in Camino Real will also be featured on the CD, which will be the first disk released on Buckley's new label, KO Records. You may not know that Buckley (with music director Lynn Shankel and composer John Gromada) composed the music for the second tune she sings in Camino Real, which is entitled "The Violets in the Mountain"; the first tune is titled "Bide A While," and both feature lyrics by Tennessee Williams. Boasting lyrics by Williams, "Heart to Heart" should be quite an arty and beautiful album . . . The second KO Records release is one that will excite Buckley fans who have been desperately trying to obtain a copy of her first solo recording, which was simply titled "Betty Buckley" and released on the now-defunct Rizzoli Records label. This recording -- featuring several tunes penned by Buckley herself -- may also feature bonus tracks, songs from BB's live concert at St. Bartholomew's Church in 1984 previously unreleased. So, those who already own the recording (featuring thrilling vocal work) may want to purchase it again. Stay tuned for more information on that front . . . And, there's still another recording in the works. Buckley will fly to Los Angeles to record a duet with the Grammy-winning Johnny Mathis for his forthcoming Broadway CD. Produced by Jay Landers (whose latest credit is Barbra Streisand's new release) and Broadway's Richard Jay Alexander, the recording will boast a Buckley/Mathis duet of Ragtime's "Our Children." It's another dream come true for Buckley, who while growing up adored the suave crooner's work . . . If all that weren't enough, Buckley has several concert dates lined up this month: She'll perform at the South Street Theater in Morristown, New Jersey, this weekend. Then, on October 9, Buckley will be backed by a full symphony orchestra when she tells stories through song at the Tilles Center in Greenvale, New York. That evening will feature the former Cats star dressed to the nines in an ESCADA dress for this special evening. Buckley will also be headed to Hawaii for a concert on October 12 and then a bit of a well-deserved rest. Champaign/Urbana, Illinois is the next stop on the concert tour on October 22 and 23: for a master class at the Foellinger Great Hall and a concert at the Krannert Center. The Sangamon Auditorium at the University of Illinois in Springfield, Illinois, follows on October 24, and then on the 27th Buckley will perform at an Alzheimer's Benefit at the Waldorf Astoria . . . And, of course, the multi-talented actress continues to star in the Hartford Stage Company's production of Camino Real through October 10 (a November highlight: the BRAVO documentary profiling Buckley's stellar career will air on November 1) . . . That's one busy diva!
