A true NYC cabaret star for decades, the award winning Richard Skipper is bringing a show to the City that celebrates one of history’s most beloved musical theater stars–as well as the show she helped make famous.
Thotyssey: Happy September, Richard! You recently returned from doing a show in London. Was that your first time performing there, how did you like being there, and are London audiences quite different from New York audiences?
Richard Skipper: I had a blast. The audience got every joke and reference; they were very generous with their enthusiasm for the show and me, and for that I’m very grateful. Would love to go back! I felt they were completely connected with me. No cell phones went off. The standing ovations felt genuine. The success of my show was because of an outpouring of support from my social media friends and fellow artists posting about the show. It truly takes a village.
Your show celebrates the history and music of Hello, Dolly! We’ll get to that in a bit, but I know that Imelda Staunton (Dolores Umbridge of the Harry Potter films) just played the lead in a West End production of Dolly! Did you cross paths with her at all?
Yes. I saw her take Dame Staunton’s Dolly when I was in London. One of my guest stars in my show was Lorna Dallas; Lorna joined me for Dolly. Lorna is dear friends with Jenna Russell (Irene Molloy). We were invited backstage to see Jenna. While we were waiting, Dame Staunton came out of her dressing room and engaged in a short “chat.”
When you’re out of New York for long stretches, what do you miss from here the most?
It has been a long time since I’ve been away from New York for a long stretch of time; I have lived in Rockland County for almost 34 years (25 minutes north of the George Washington Bridge). What I miss about living in NYC (Manhattan) is the constant excitement…but even that has dissipated a bit. When I lived in Manhattan, I loved walking out of my apartment and always feeling like I was in the middle of everything. I loved being in “the city that never sleeps.” I loved going out for late night suppers after a show, or just being out with friends after a show. Now, restaurants are closing as early as 9pm! I think the restaurant industry is one industry that hasn’t fully recovered since Covid.
I understand that you are originally from the Myrtle Beach area. What initially inspired you to want to become an entertainer?
I am a product of 1960s and 70s television. That was an era of television variety shows, specials, and spectaculars. That was the show business I aspired to.
When I was 13, I made up my mind that, five years from that day, August 5th, I’d go to New York. When I told my parents, they thought I was speaking a foreign language. But at 18 on that hot, summer day, August 5, 1979, with $500 in my pocket that I had saved up, I arrived in NYC. A grade-school teacher had mentioned someone we both knew who was now living in New York. I contacted him; he told me I could stay with him and that I could also work in his office. I was off and running.
Once I got to New York and got my first job as a messenger, I began looking for acting work. I would get a copy of Backstage each week, went to auditions I thought I was right for… and within three weeks, got my first acting job: a hillbilly from the sticks. Talk about type-casting!
In those first years, I answered a lot of audition calls, got parts in show after show, and got to read parts where writers were auditioning their scripts. When I was 19, I discovered The Piano Bar at 67th Street and Broadway, where Houston Alred played piano. In addition to the opportunity to perform each week, they also provided a free buffet, and I went there often to sing—and eat.
What was NYC like when you ultimately got here… and what are some really significant ways the City has changed since your arrival?
That first day that I arrived here (August 5th, 1979) runs like a movie in my head. It was a very different city than what it is now. Go and watch Taxi Driver and / or Midnight Cowboy, and you will get a truly realistic depiction of what New York was like at that time. It was gritty, dirty… and exciting! It was great, as life and New York began to become alive for me. Especially the nightlife!
I think there are several things that have taken away the excitement of what life was like at that time. I think the biggest change is social media and 24/7 cable, and easy access to everything needed through apps. People don’t go out the way we did… or communicate. People are on their iPhones in restaurants, theaters, etc. That human connection is missing in a way I truly miss. You talked to each other at auditions (that experience has changed tremendously as well). You struck conversations in line for shows, movies, etc. I still do that and when I go out, I don’t have my mobile phone. This constant checking is detrimental to being truly present and living! The city is more gentrified than diversified, and I miss that aspect as well.
It was never easy to live and work as a cabaret and musical theater performer in the City, and in our post-Covid reality it’s probably even more challenging now. What the secret to longevity and success in the biz, if there is one?
I don’t know if there is really a “secret,” but the best piece of advice that I could offer is to enjoy the process and not be completely focused on the “end result.” Get rid of the thought of “competition.” I keep my blinders on, and try to stay in my lane. I do the best work I can, and hope that it resonates with those who are going to make the ultimate decision about my fate–that includes those who book me, and those who decide to invest their time, money, and energy in attending my shows. I read recently that life begins after “yes,” And I truly believe that.
You’re a well-known cabaret performer, and one thing that’s gotten you much praise is the Carol Channing full drag and vocal impression you’ve cultivated! How did that develop?
I talk about that in my current show! Here is a brief timeline.
I first became aware of her back home when Lucille Ball did an impression of her on television. I didn’t know then that Channing was a real person. Once I discovered she was, I became a real fan and devoured everything I could find about her from television appearances. I also began to mimic her voice, and did lunchtime concerts on the front steps of my high school!
Several years later after moving to New York, I sang at The Piano Bar as myself and then, at the urging of high school friends who were visiting me, as “Channing,” with the waiters joining in as the waiters did in the Hello, Dolly! title number. A woman in the audience, Leola Harlow–who was an actress, former showgirl, and costumer–rushed up to me and offered to dress me as Carol. I told her it would never happen!
However, for many months, I’d come back to The Piano Bar and “do Channing,” always sans costume. People loved it! But every Halloween, I would dress as Carol and perform as her at every piano bar in town. I started getting a great response to my impression of Carol. When it was announced in 1995 that Carol was returning to New York for what would be her last revival of Hello, Dolly, a dear friend suggested that I put a show together as Carol. The rest is history! I opened my first show as Carol Channing, which was called Carol Channing’s Broadway! I think that was 1998. That led to three long running shows in Atlantic City, stints in Las Vegas, Canada, and beyond.
You also had a personal relationship with Carol, right?
Again, this is touched upon in my current show. As I look back on that first time I appeared before her, it was as if something magical was happening. I went in with the attitude that if she didn’t like what I was doing, I would stop. She said that what I was doing went beyond mimicry; she referred to it as her own personal valentine. She said it was the first time she felt she had been treated with respect and dignity. In her own words, she told me to take the gauntlet and run with it. Taking that chance and going in to perform for her ended up being the beginning of a twenty year friendship.
Just curious if you’d ever seen Pandora Boxx or Bob the Drag Queen’s Carol impressions on RuPaul’s Drag Race over the years, and if so, how would you rate them? Or, are you a fan of any other Carol impersonators?
They are both talented. I celebrate anyone keeping Carol’s memory alive as long as it is done with dignity and gives her the respect she deserves.
What have been some of your great performing memories, or on stage moments you hold the most dear?
Appearing at Carnegie Hall; headlining in Atlantic City and Vegas; appearing on stage with Carol Channing; the numerous times she was in the audience; interviewing Lesley Ann Warren, Carol Channing, Tommy Tune, Jackie Joseph, and many other celebrities on stage; being on stage in San Francisco when I found out I won my first MAC Award; the many people I have shared stages with. Those are the ones that come up immediately as I type these words. There are so many. I’ve been blessed!
And what’s been a bizarre moment or embarrassing onstage blunder that you’d care to share, lol?
It was my opening night at Helen’s Supper Club years ago. It was July 5th, and the room was packed with celebrities and press. As I was getting ready to go on, I felt this strange sensation coming over me. I said to my assistant that I felt like I was going to pass out. She attributed it to nerves, but I knew that it was much more than that.
I made my entrance through the house. As I was singing my opening number, I felt as if I was having an out of body experience. This strange tingling sensation was creeping up my legs! I kept forging ahead. As I’m singing my second song, I felt this strange sensation of vertigo! As I’m singing my third song which was “The Beauty That Drives a Man Mad” from Sugar, I truly felt the entire room spinning. I hit the final note and hit the floor! I passed out!
The audience was cheering, thinking it was part of the show. Someone came up on stage to check my pulse. They asked my name and I responded “Carol Channing,” which got a huge laugh. The paramedics were called. I was escorted out of the room. I was dehydrated from having not eaten that day and the heat. I asked two of the paramedics to escort me back to the stage, to great applause. I did the entire show and then was so sick after I thought I would die! I make sure I’m very hydrated before a show from that day forward!
Gasp! Are there any numbers you do that you truly resonate with emotionally?
“Before The Parade Passes By,” “World Take Me Back,” “My Personal Property,” “Moon River,” and “It’s Not Where You Start.”
“Richard Skipper Celebrates” was a fun YouTube show you hosted during lockdown, where we could watch you interview stage entertainers and other creatives both famous and upcoming. It was an entertaining and very heartwarming watch, but it must’ve been a lot of work! What was the experience like of hosting “Celebrates,” and what might the show’s future be?
What started out as a diversion to get me through Covid took over my life! I was doing seven shows a week some weeks. Every day was spent preparing for that night’s show. I spent a fortune on many books (in some cases, the author had no books of their own to spare. Publishers would sometimes not send books). I read every book of every author that appeared on my show.
It was also a financial drainer. I had a designer creating for every show, and someone to translate the video files to audio files for podcasting platforms. Also with many of the celebrities, I had great video career compilations put together. I also had a YouTube manager to keep my video content in the forefront. After being asked to appear last year at Capital Cabaret in DC, I realized how much I had missed being in front of a live audience. I decided to give up on the podcast to focus on my live stage work. I want to be the one being interviewed! Thanks for this opportunity!
What’s been your history with the Laurie Beechman Theater within the West Bank Cafe in Manhattan? Do you have any standout memories from that space?
When I started my [stage] series, Richard Skipper Celebrates, I was doing it in another venue. There was a very popular show at the venue I was performing in at the time, and they were constantly adding additional shows… which is understandable. The third time I was asked if I could change my date / time (after promoting my show) to accommodate the other show, I knew it was time to move on. That led me to The Laurie Beechman Theatre and for the most part, it has been my home base ever since. I love everything about this venue!
The Beechman is in much publicized danger of closing (as are many small theaters in the City), but the kindness of patrons and benefactors are increasing its lifespan as we speak! You are also donating your time and talent to the cause with a benefit show you’ll be hosting there on September 13: Lucky 13! Appropriately, thirteen performers will be joining you onstage. What more can you tell us about this show?
We are celebrating the history of a beloved cabaret venue and a staple of Hell’s Kitchen, the West Bank Theatre. I’ve asked 13 friends who also happen to be well known cabaret artists to join me. We will celebrate through song and our favorite memories of the Laurie Beechman Theatre.
Talk to me like I’m a complete idiot for a minute, lol: What makes Hello, Dolly, the Jerry Herman and Michael Stewart musical which debuted in 1964–and within its many incarnations over the decades utilized the immense talents of Channing, Pearl Bailey, Barbra Streisand and Bette Midler among many others–so special and uniquely beloved?
It opened against a backdrop of turbulent times in the 60s, a decade in which I think more social change was happening than at any other time in our nation’s history.
It is a total escapism musical that celebrates love, second chances, and saying yes to possibilities!
The stage show you brought to London, Still Going Strong, celebrates all things Dolly on it’s 60th anniversary and is coming to New York’s Green Room 42 on September 29!
This anniversary salute to Hello, Dolly! is an interactive, feel-good, performance. It was at the behest of Carol Channing—the first and most-beloved Dolly—that I put together this act, with a huge helping hand from director James Beaman and musical director Dan Pardo. On Sunday, September 29, 2024 at the Green Room 42 in NYC, I will sing and celebrate the songs, the history, the in-the-know tidbits of this glorious musical along with a tribute to the many, legendary actresses who have played Dolly from Carol Channing and Madeline Kahn to Imelda Staunton and beyond.
I will be joined by musical director Dan Pardo with Matt Scharfglass on bass, David Silliman on percussion and special guest star Eden Casteel.
What else is coming up for you?
As of this writing, I have a very busy September; please check out my website! My Still Going Strong show has several bookings in the tri-state area. I’m returning to Palm Springs and LA in January / February. I love what I do, and would love to come to a city near you! So to your readers, Call your favorite venue and request me!
Do it, kids! Lastly: our beloved Dolly Parton announced she’s working on an autobiographical show that she’s calling Hello, I’m Dolly! Are we okay with that, lol?
I think it is an homage to Hello, Dolly! By the way, this is not a new title. Hello, I’m Dolly was her debut studio album in September 18, 1967, by Monument Records.
I learned a lot today! Thanks, Richard!
Check Thotyssey’s calendar for Richard Skipper’s upcoming appearances, and follow him on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and his website.
Thotyssey 
I am truly honored by this ! Thank you! Richard Skipper
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