Living on Love, a new LoL comedy coming to Broadway’s Longacre Theatre in April, stars Grammy-winning opera icon Renée Fleming (playing…get ready for it, an opera diva) and Tony nominee Douglas Sills as her fiery husband (a maestro). Now each person in the couple is getting ready to write his/her memoirs and to help he recruits a beautiful young ghostwriter (enter Veep’s Anna Chlumsky #MyGirl4Ever); then to get even for his hot ghostwriter, Flemming’s character gets her own studly ghostwriter (Jerry O’Connell, who apparently gets naked?). It’s all set in the late '50s in the couple’s fabulous apartment and Tony winners Joe DiPietro and Kathleen Marshall write and direct—basically, the whole things sounds like a recipe for a fantastic night at the theatre.
BroadwayBox recently caught up with the cast and creative team at the swanky Empire Hotel to chat about the new comedy and to ask each of them, what would the name of your showbiz memoir be and what celebrity author would you recruit to ghostwrite it for you?
Douglas Sills (Maestro Vito DeAngelis)
The name of my celebrity autobiography is Leave the Last Rugelach for Me, and I want a few different writers to write each chapter; so it’s a compilation of James Michener, Larry David, Abe Lincoln and Aaron Sorkin.
Jerry O'Connell (Robert Samson)
The name of my autobiography would be Stop Douglas Sills, That Hurts: The Jerry O’Connell Story, and it’s about my Broadway partner Douglas (working together, our personal lives and everything about stopping Douglas from going too far). And I am going to get Joe DiPietro to write it for me.
Renée Fleming (Raquel DeAngelis)
Well my book is called The Inner Voice, but if I were writing about this experience making my Broadway debut in Living on Love, it would be called The Outer Voice because she is out there 100% and completely narcissistic. I love this character because despite all of that she’s adorable and loveable. And to help me with The Outer Voice, I would definitely call Dame Edna (Barry Humphries) because he could channel her really well. In fact, there are some things I’ve taken from [Dame Edna].
Anna Chlumsky (Iris Peabody)
It changes day-to-day but today is I Have to Get Up When?, and it would be neat if Malcolm Gladwell put his spin on it—broken down in studies.
Blake Hammond (Bruce)
I Should Have Been a Ballerina, and I want it to be a mystery, so James Patterson.
Scott Robertson (Eric)
I’m Still Here, the male version—like Broadway Backwards. I’ve been doing this for 40 years; I was on Broadway in Grease when I was 19. And the author would absolutely be Terrence McNally.
Joe DiPietro (Book)
The name of my showbiz autobiography is I Hope You’re Not the Author, and I say that because someone once said that to me. My show I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change was making it’s West Coast debut many years ago, and during the second act I’m standing outside and this guy kept coming in and out of the theatre several times. So I’m thinking, ‘Alright, he’s not having a good time.’ And the last time he sees me there and says, ‘Excuse me, do you know when this show’s over?’ I say, ‘Another couple of minutes.’ And he says ‘Good!’ and starts walking in, then he turns to me with great comic timing and says, ‘I hope you’re not the author’ and laughs. True story… And I would like Neil Simon in his heyday to write my autobiography. I like his comedy and I think he would capture me.
Kathleen Marshall (Director)
Mine would be How In the Hell Did I End Up Here?, because I don't even know how I’m so privileged to work with the people I work with. And I would have Joe DiPietro ghostwrite it because he is so funny and would make me wittier than I am.
Get ready for all the farcical fun of ‘Living on Love’ and the Broadway return of Trixie the dog
