Los Angeles native Barbara Minkus, who’s set to appear at the York Theater in two performances of her 18 Minutes of Fame, began her show business career across the country in Julius Monk’s NYC revue, Bits and Pieces. She went on to touring as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl throughout the United States and played Lucy in the original NY recording cast of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. On 
Broadway, Minkus starred in The Education of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N, directed by the great George Abbott.
On television, she was a regular for six seasons on “Love, American Style,” played Gittel the Witch in ABC’s “Curiosity Shop” and was the voice of Ms. Pacman in the ABC cartoon series, “Pacman.” She had numerous television appearances over the years on “The Danny Kaye Show,” “The Tonight Show,” and made a record 20 appearances on “The Merv Griffin Show.”After taking time out to raise her family, Minkus returned to the stage in Funny, You Don’t Look Like A Grandmother, as well as creating her oen one-woman shows including Picon Pie.
The two-performance run of 18 Minutes of Fame plays on August 28 at 7:30 PM and August 29 at 1 PM at The York Theatre Company at The Theater at St. Jean’s, 150 East 76th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue in Manhattan.
NiteLife Exchange (NLE) asks Barbara Minkus (BM) Six Questions:
NLE: What was is it like to perform with Danny Kaye?
BM: Growing up, I idolized Danny Kaye, so years later, when I was hired to sing on “The Danny Kaye Show” and do comedy sketches with him, it felt like my dreams had come true. I’ve never heard anyone introduce me with such magic as when I heard Danny Kaye say my name. That memory will be with me forever. He was a brilliant actor, and I feel lucky to have worked with him, but to hear more of the story about that, people should come to the show!
NLE: Was it challenging playing Fanny Brice in your tour of Funny Girl, in a role created for Barbra Streisand and composed for particular her vocal style?
BM: When I was little and sang for my relatives they would always say, “She’s a regular Fanny Brice!” When I got a little older, I started to watch 
old Fanny Brice films and was intrigued with how beautifully she sang and yet she had such a funny expressive face… and I related to that. So years later, when I was asked to do Funny Girl, I only thought about capturing the essence of Fanny Brice that I admired so much. I wasn’t concerned about who else had played the role. I loved doing Funny Girl every night I did the show.
NLE: Is it possible to have a satisfying career in show business without achieving “stardom” or household name recognition?
BM: You know, I have always felt that being able to sing or act in a show or film is such an honor, that I never really thought about the results leading to stardom. Instead, I always thought about the journey. It’s such a thrill to perform, and to bring “myself” to a role.
NLE: What was the genesis behind the creation of 18 Minutes of Fame?
BM: Several years ago the producer of “Love American Style, Arnold Margolin,” came with my friend, Susan Morgenstern, who had directed me in Saturday Night at Grossinger’s to see a show I did in Glendale. We met about a week later and he said that even though he enjoyed my singing, it was my stories that really interested him. He also said that some of the stories from my life were poignant and some were funny, and they would touch peoples’ hearts. He suggested I work with Susan to put together a show based on the songs from my life and the stories about them. Susan and I met many times, recording my stories, and later the show evolved from those meetings.We went on this journey together, and the results are still evolving.
NLE: What would you most like to tell audiences about 18 Minutes of Fame?
BM: I would tell them to come and share with me my journey. I get a lot from the audience. I love feeling them, understanding them, laughing with them or crying with them as I bring to them the stories of my life. My show is about the struggles we all face in life. It is a mirror of what we all go through—the good and not so good—finding love with others and with ourselves and being authentic.
NLE: What are your future projects?
BM: My future projects are to enjoy my family: my husband, my children and especially my newest role as a grandmother, while balancing my love for performing. I don’t know what the future holds, but I do know I really like to stay in the “now.” and for now, I’d love to continue doing 18 Minutes of Fame. I love how audiences are responding, which brings me so much joy.
