June 17, 2007

Florence Henderson’s Appearance at Joe’s Pub Hosted By Christian Hoff

June 17th, 2007

Florence Henderson and Christian Hoff

Coverage of Florence Henderson’s Appearance at Joe’s Pub hosted by our own Christian Hoff provided by Jersey Boys Blog Special Correspondent, Emily Atkins

Joe’s Pub hosted Florence Henderson on June 11 as she performed her life story for a packed audience. Tony winner and Jersey Boys star, Christian Hoff introduced Henderson and opened the evening’s entertainment with a rendition of South Pacific’s “Honey Bun.”

Henderson’s show, “All the Lives of Me: A Musical Journey,” detailed her Broadway and television careers, as well as her personal life with delicate balance. While most of America and the world know Henderson as the mother from “The Brady Bunch,” she has had a successful Broadway career that included shows like Fanny, The Girl Who Came To Supper, and Oklahoma.

Henderson began her show with stories of her childhood. Growing up in a poor family, her domineering mother often made Henderson sing and “pass the hat” to earn groceries. Henderson credited those humble beginnings as the start of her career, saying, “I’ve been singing for my supper ever since.”

Alternating between narration and song, Henderson told of her various roles, ranging from on-screen motherhood to real-life motherhood, and the Broadway shows in between. The audience sang along to the “Brady Bunch” theme song, and cheered as Henderson belted out “I’m in Love with a Wonderful Guy,” from South Pacific.

The intimate setting of Joe’s Pub allowed Henderson to field questions from the audience. She gracefully and truthfully answered inquiries about her rumored relationship with Barry Williams, who played Greg Brady, why Eve Plumb is so bitter about her “Brady” experience, and her future career plans. Her motto for the evening was, “I am going to tell you the whole truth. I am too old for any more BS,” as she exclaimed with a good-natured grin.
Christian Hoff, Florence Henderson and Michael Feinstein
The show ended with Henderson thanking her supporters, in particular, her agent Rich Aronstein and Tony and Emmy award winning musical director Glen Roven and the audience, who responded with a standing ovation as Christian Hoff led her offstage and through the crowd. Among those in attendance were Michael Feinstein, Tyne Daly, Judge Judy and her husband, and Gerald Saviola, VP of Grey Global Advertising and his wife, Mary.

Hoff and Henderson had worked together nearly 20 years to the day on an “ABC Afterschool Special” called “Just a Regular Kid: An AIDS Story.” Henderson was the mother of Hoff’s young character, who suffered from AIDS contracted through a blood transfusion. The special was noteworthy as the first to deal with this issue.

1 Comment »

  1. Emily, thank you so much for detailing the evening. I was away on business, or I would have been there.

    The years certainly have been kind to Florence, and you describe a wonderful show. I liked best her line “I am going to tell you the whole truth.” With Judge Judy present, she had no other alternative!!

    Comment by Howard Tucker — June 19, 2007 @ 12:58 pm

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