I toured Ontario in the winter of '48, in a touring company of The Drunkard, in which I played the bartender.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I was an amazing bartender and a great waiter. I think, in a way, that was my acting school.
I grew up doing live tours and playing in bars, so it was what I love to do.
I was in one bar band from 1965 to '69, then I was in another one from 1970 to '79 - a 9-year bar band!
I didn't even drink until I was in college. While other people were out partying, I'd be home watching the Tony Awards and Bob Fosse movies... I so badly wanted to be part of the club.
I was bartending in Boston five, six nights a week, living in my grandmother's condo. By the way, I'm a really good bartender - that's the only skill I can confidently say I have.
I wanted to be a bartender for a bit.
I was not a great bartender, but I did OK. I wasn't great at being efficient behind the bar, but I was pretty great at talking to people. I was a pretty good waiter. It was painstaking to get me to care about the clientele of some of these places I was working at.
Now, I was the Summer Concert guy. I played every Summer concert there was.
I went on tour in the play H.M.S. Pinafore.
I was on a founding members of the Canadian theatre movement in the late 60's till the mid 70's and performed theatre from Halifax to Vancouver and all places in between.