July 27, 2010: Bon Appetit! star Judy Kaye

ßßß AMERICA'S LOVE AFFAIR
WITH JULIA CHILD HAS REACH
OPERATIC HEIGHTS.
THEY PRESENT "TROUBLE IN
CHOCOLATE."
FEATURING "TROUBLE IN
TAHITI" AND BON APPETIT.
JUDY KAYE STARS AS THE
FRENCH CHEF, AND HERE IS A
PREVIEW.
ß TODAY WE'RE GOING TO
MAKE CHOCOLATE CAKE ß
ßP IT'S A VERY SPECIAL,
VERY CHOCOLATY SWEET ß
>> FOR THREE PERFORMANCES
ONLY, ACTRESS JUDY KAYE
THEATRICLY TICKLES THE
TASTEBUDS IN "BON
APPETIT."
ß AND SUDDENLY ß
ß AND KNOCK OUT THE FLOUR
ON THE FLOOR ß
>> THE REENACT MANY OF THE
COOKING SHOW "THE FRENCH
CHEF" WAS BEATING AND
WHIPPING AND SINGING HER
WAY FOR THE RECIPE OF CHOC
COC CAKE.
CHOCOLATE CAKE.
ß THAT'S IT ß
ß I TURN IT UP SIDE DOWN ß
>> BON APPETIT PLAYS AT
BOSTON UNIVERSITY
PERFORMANCE CENTER THROUGH
AUGUST 1st.
AND TONY AWARD-WINNING
ACTRESS JUDY KAYE JOINS
ME, ALONG WITH BON
APPETIT'S DIRECTOR, DAVID
GREEN.
WELCOME.
>> THANK YOU.
>> THIS IS ASTOUNDING, NOT
ONLY ARE YOU SINGING, AND
SINGING OPERA, BUT YOU
MUST REALLY BAKE A CAKE.
THOSE LOOK LIKE ALL OF THE
INGREDIENTS.
>> THE WONDERFUL PROPS
DEPARTMENT HAS ACTUALLY
ASSEMBLED THE EXACT
INGREDIENTS.
THE OVEN IS NOT A
PRACTICAL OVEN.
IT DOES NOT COOK ANYTHING.
OF COURSE, ON THE
TELEVISION SHOWS, SHE
REALLY WASN'T COOKING,
EITHER.
THERE IS THE FABULOUS
STAFF THAT DOES ALL OF THE
COOKING AND HEAVY LIFTING.
WHEN YOU'RE OUT THERE,
YOU'RE JUGGLING FROM PROP
TO REAL STUFF.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE DO.
BUT I AM ASSEMBLING.
I HAVE A RACE BETWEEN THE
MIXER AND THE BEATING OF
THE EGG WHITES.
THEY TAKE ABOUT THE SAME
AMOUNT OF TIME.
THAT HAPPENS.
THAT'S REAL.
>> YOU ICE IT?
>> I ICE THE CAKE -- WELL,
YES, I BAKE, YES.
(SPEAKING FRENCH).
>> THAT'S A PERFECT JULIA
CHILD.
I'VE MET HER, AND YOU HAVE
IT DOWN.
HOW DO YOU KEEP ALL OF
THAT CONCENTRATION TO BE
DOING ALL OF THIS?
>> THAT WAS REALLY
INTERESTING.
YES.
IT'S A 20-MINUTE OPERA,
BASED ON TRANSCRIPTS FROM
THE TELEVISION SHOW.
AND THEN IT HAS A LOT OF
PROPS.
IT DOESN'T JUST SORT OF
HAPPEN.
YOU HAVE TO HAVE A
DIRECTOR WHO IS GOING TO
HELP YOU FIGURE OUT HOW TO
ASSEMBLE ALL OF THAT TO
THE MUSIC AND WITH THE
MUSIC.
THERE IS A LOT OF DETAIL
TO WORK ON.
AND THEN YOU HAVE TO SING
THE RIGHT NOTES AND THE
WORDS.
[LAUGHTER]
>> DAVID, HOW DID YOU -- I
SHOULD MENTION YOU'RE NOT
ONLY THE DIRECTOR, BUT
YOUR HUSBAND AS WELL.
>> YES.
23 YEARS.
>> HOW DID YOU FUNDAMENTAL
APPROACH THIS TO DIRECT
THIS AND YOUR WIFE?
>> THE FIRST THING THAT
EVERYBODY HAS TO REALIZE
IS THAT THIS IS NOT A
DOCUMENTARY.
IT'S A TAKE.
LEE HOYVI HAS WRITTEN THIS
LOVELY SCORE AND TAKEN THE
TRANSCRIPT AND MUSICALIZED
IT, BUT WE WANTED IT TO
HAVE THE SAME SORT OF FEEL
THAT THE TELEVISION SHOW
DID.
THE PLAYFUL ATTITUDE THAT
SHE HAD WHEN SHE WORKED.
SERIOUS, BUT ALWAYS
WITH -- IF SOMETHING FELL
ON THE FLOOR.
WELL, WE'RE THE ONLY ONES
IN THE KITCHEN.
NOBODY HAS TO KNOW.
THAT SORT OF THING.
I WANTED JUDY TO BE ABLE
TO, WITHIN THE STRUCTURE
OF THE SCORE AND THE
LYRIC, PLAY.
SO THERE ARE LITTLE
THINGS.
THERE ARE THINGS LEE BUILT
INTO THE SCORE THAT ARE IN
THE TRANSCRIPT ITSELF, BUT
THERE ARE ALSO THINGS THAT
WE'VE KIND OF FREED UP,
SHALL WE SAY, AND LOOSENED
A LITTLE BIT.
>> FOR ME AN EVOCATION.
I FEEL LIKE I'M
REPLICATING JULIA CHILD
AND THE TRUE JOY OF
COOKING AND JOY OF LIFE.
>> SUSAN WINER IS THE
CONDUCTOR AND MUSICAL
DIRECTOR OF THIS PIECE.
AND SHE IS JUST BRILLIANT.
SHE HAS WORKED REALLY WELL
WITH ME AND WITH JUDY TO
INTEGRATE ALL OF THIS
STUFF SO THAT IT WORKS FOR
AN AUDIENCE.
>> THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO
ASK YOU.
IT IS SO UNCONVENTIONAL TO
THINK THAT AN OPERA CAN BE
MADE OUT OF A TELEVISION
SHOW, LET ALONE A COOKING
SHOW, REGARDLESS OF WHO
THE FIGURE IS.
>> IT'S MARVELOUS.
IT WAS WRITTEN IN 1987.
HE FINISHED IT
SEPTEMBER 1987.
IT WAS PUBLISHED IN '94,
AND IT WAS WRITTEN WITH
AND FOR JEAN STAPLETON.
>> EDITH BUNKER.
>> EDITH BUNKER, AND SHE
PERFORMED IT AT THE
KENNEDY CENTER.
>> WHEN I WAS ASKED TO DO
IT, I WAS THINKING, THIS
IS GOING TO BE A LOT OF
FUN.
AND IT IS.
IT IS A LOT OF WORK, BUT
IT IS A LOT OF FUN.
>> THE GREAT THING ABOUT
BOSTON MID-SUMMER OPERA --
I EMBARRASSED TO SAY I
WASN'T TOO FAMILIAR WITH
THEM, BUT THEY'RE DOING
OPERA THAT IS ACCESS
IBLEAND AFFORDABLE.
>> AND THE FIRST HALF OF
THE EVENING IS BERNSTEIN'S
"TROUBLE IN TAHITI."
AND THAT'S ABOUT A
SUBURBAN MARRIAGE IN THE
'50s.
AND SANDRA PEEK AND STEVEN
ARE STING -- SINGING IT.
>> THE PIECE THAT DAVID
AND I DID --
>> WE DID IT ON A BOAT ON
THE WAY TO TAHITI.
>> WE MET IN 1986 AND
MARRIED SIX MONTHS LATER.
BY THAT TIME IT WAS 1987.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
YEAH.
SO IT IS A FULL EVENING.
I MEAN, THE FIRST EVENING
IS VERY SERIOUS, BUT
REALLY, REALLY,
WONDERFULLY DONE.
I BELIEVE PEOPLE ARE JUST
GOING TO BE POLAXED BY IT.
IT IS FULLY STAGED AND
CHOREOGRAPHED.
I DON'T KNOW EVERYBODY'S
NAME, BUT I WATCHED THE
WHOLE THING YESTERDAY, AND
IT REALLY KNOCKED ME OUT.
AND OUR PIECE IS KIND OF
DESSERT.
LITERALLY.
>> WHAT HAPPENS TO THE
CAKE.
EVEN OUR STAFF WAS ASKING,
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE CAKE
AT THE END.
>> I DON'T KNOW.
IT IS TOTALLY EDIBLE.
>> THE CREW GETS THE CAKE.
>> THE PROP MAN IS BAKING
THOSE CAKES EVERY MORNING.
SO THEY'RE FRESH.
I MEAN, I PUT IT TOGETHER,
WHAT EVENTUALLY COMES OUT
OF THE OVEN.
AND IT'S DELICIOUS.
>> IT LOOKS DELICIOUS.
YOU LOOK DELICIOUS IN THE
SHOW.
STARTING WEDNESDAY?
>> WEDNESDAY NIGHT AT
7:30, FRIDAY NIGHT AT
7:30, AND SUNDAY MATINEE
AT 3:00.
I THINK THERE ARE SEATS
AVAILABLE.
>> IT IS A TREAT TO HAVE
YOU HERE IN BOSTON.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
HAVING US.
>> THAT'S IT FOR "GREATER
BOSTON." TOMORROW NIGHT,
OUT FOR BLOOD.
WHY THE CULTURE CAN'T FEED
ENOUGH ON THE VAMPIRE
CRAZE.
THAT AND MORE TOMORROW
NIGHT.
I JARED