A mainstay of musical theater stages, cabarets and piano bars across the city and beyond, vocalist and emcee Anthony Fett is bringing his annual celebration of Hollywood’s biggest night back to the West Village this weekend.
Thotyssey: Anthony, hello! How has 2024 been treating you?
Anthony Fett: Hi! It’s been a great year so far. I rang in the New Year at The Manhattan Monster Bar, where I host open mic piano bar every Friday and Saturday night. And over at The Stonewall Inn we opened the year with “Stonewall All-Stars Sing Rent,” an absolutely incredible night that was part performances and part sing-along. The place was packed! Lots of love in the room.
You’re quite the popular crooner and host in the city.
A Crooner! Thank you, how kind! Yes, the gay Sinatra…who sings Streisand and Liza and Cher!
Perfection! And you also collaborate with many other talented people onstage. It’s a pretty close-knit community with shared skills and life experiences that you’re a part of, right?
I love being around creative people. I love positive energy. I savor the opportunities to collaborate with my artistic community. It’s a celebration! Anyone who’s fortunate enough to live in NYC for a while will likely encounter some amazingly talented folks. I’ve gotten to know some of these people over the years, and now I get to call them friends. Sometimes you see each other on the subway, and a chance meeting turns into the next collaboration. That’s the magic. The exciting thing is there’s always new talent coming here, and new friendships to be made.
Where are you from originally, and were you always a performer of sorts from day one?
I’m from Chicago; my Chi-Town roots are strong. I’m a city kid, so I enjoy the pace and the energy of the city. Like lots of kids, I showed an early interest in music and performing. I was “a ham.” I actually got my professional start at the The Lyric Opera of Chicago when I was six years old. Then joined The Chicago Children’s Choir. I sang in the choir for 12 years, got to travel the world and meet all types of people. Extraordinary experience.
When did you become involved in musical theater?
I fell in love with musicals from the time I saw The Wizard of Oz as a kid. I performed professionally, in community theater, at school… anywhere I could. I attended The Hartt School of Theater, and pursued an acting career. I did many shows, including the national tour of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, and Tony N’ Tina’s Wedding’s 25th anniversary production in Times Square.
Since I was 18, I consistently created cabaret shows. Benefits for local charities, open mic nights, or just me and a piano… that’s how I began to hone my hosting skills.
Then my career took a turn when I started hosting for Energy National Dance Competitions, and wound up on TV’s Dance Moms. Crazy, right? I’d never even seen a dance competition before I was on TV hosting one!
You made several appearances on Dance Moms! What’s it like to be behind the scenes of a production like that amidst all that reality TV insanity?
It was fun! I led sing-alongs with the crowd to keep the atmosphere happy and loose. We joked around a lot to make the day go faster. One time, Abby (Lee Miller) came back from a break and I was just sitting in her chair…we locked eyes and made faces at each other ’til we both cracked up. It was all very silly.
I always felt that the competition was mostly about giving young dancers a platform for artistic growth. Seeing someone like Maddie grow from a promising young talent to a star in the Sia music video was so cool. The show makes it all about the drama, which is the reality of reality TV. But the real reason these dance moms are there is to support their kids. Dads too–I can’t forget the dance dads! We all had a great time.
Throughout your career as a musical theater performer, what has been your favorite role / show / run? And is there a dream role you haven’t tackled yet?
I’ve enjoyed playing many roles in the theater, but today I’m focused on being myself. I’m using the tools of my craft to bring joy to audiences in my own authentic way.
My annual holiday show “Gayer Than Christmas” has become the event I look forward to most every year. It’s campy and lighthearted, but there’s also an emotional core of truth. We celebrate the traditions and the nostalgia, and we always end with a sing-along that arouses the spirit of the season, even in the most cynical Scrooge. For “Gayer”, I’m writing original songs with my genius collaborator, Lynn Portas. And although I can’t announce anything yet, something’s coming…
I’m also directing and producing a lot more. I love encouraging talent and investigating material with each new process. I find it endlessly fascinating and fulfilling.
What’s fun about the piano bar scene, overall? Is it good vibes, befriending the regulars, discovering new talents, etc.? And what’s the most annoying thing about it, lol?
After two decades of piano-bar-hopping, I can say that it’s never boring! Certainly for all the reasons you mentioned–making friends, discovering talents, sharing good vibes– all fabulous. But it’s the element of surprise that keeps it fresh. You never know what may happen. There’s a slight element of danger in that… of risk. Will this inebriated stranger be a phenomenal singer, or will they not be able to sing on pitch? Lol, we are all about to find out!
A couple weeks ago I had a bunch of opera singers wander into The Monster and we did an impromptu “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah… at midnight, in the middle of February! The bar was totally stunned. I live for that stuff. Shout out to [pianist] Nick Perez for pulling that rabbit out of his hat!
Oh! The incredible piano players… we don’t realize that in NYC there’s an embarrassment of riches in terms of talented musicians. It never ceases to humble and amaze me. Yaz, Darius Frowner, Bill Goffi, Martin St. Lawrence, Brandon James Gwinn, Steven Wenslawski, Chris Blacker, Dan Daly… I could go on…
As you said, you can be found “doing the thing” at Monster’s “Open Mic Piano Party” every Friday and Saturday! What’s your favorite song to sing in that setting?
That’s the most annoying thing–trying to answer that question! Lol! I try not to plan what I’m going to sing on a given night at the piano bar. Sure, I have some go-tos, but I like to be in the moment and serve whatever the room feels like it needs. “Oh What a Beautiful Morning,” for instance, was not a song I used to perform. Something about my own association to it being hyper-masculine? I dunno. But I have a regular, Petra, who always asks me to sing it. And now, after doing it week after week, I look forward to singing it, because I’ve found my own relationship to the song, and I feel the joy it’s brings. Hits like “Seasons of Love” and “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” never get old. And it isn’t a night at “Piano Bar” without “Suddenly Seymour.”
Then there are some gigs at Stonewall in March that you’re doing.
[On Sunday, March 10th] The Stonewall Inn has its annual Oscars screening party, co-hosted by me and the legendary Lavinia Draper. During commercial breaks we have a roster of talents who will perform songs from Academy Award nominated movies! There’s also a ballot contest and red carpet… it’s going to be a lot of fun!
Any hot takes on Oscar predictions? Are you hoping for someone or something specific to win, or is there any nominee that makes you go “huh?”
Good question! Well, I really enjoyed Nyad and The Holdovers, and totally got into the “Barbenheimer” of it all! In fact, I borrowed the idea for our next Stonewall All Stars event: “Webbenheimer”, our Andrew Lloyd Webber and Stephen Sondheim birthday song fest!. March 25th at The Stonewall Inn, 8pm, no cover. Plug!
Is there anything else coming up for you?
To quote Evita: “Have I said too much? There’s nothing more I can think of to say to you. But all you have to do is look at me to know that every word is true.”
We have no doubts! Thanks, Anthony!
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