By Marilyn Lester***Riffing on the 1968 Andy Warhol proclamation that “In the future everybody will be world famous for fifteen minutes,” actress-singer Barbara Minkus in 18 Minutes of Fame: A Musical Journey (at the York Theatre) has had, in truth, many minutes of well-deserved fame. But the title is more allegorical than literal—even ironic, the point being that fame isn’t everything. Life holds many more riches than bold-face notoriety.
Aside from prime entertainment value, 18 Minutes of Fame is also a master class in how to develop write and present a solo 90-minute multi-media musical (with live piano accompaniment). The narrative, written with Susan Morgenstern (who also directed), is literate, well paced and fascinating, which means the show moves; from minute one to minute 90 there’s no downtime—your attention is firmly held as a witness to all the ups and downs of life. Indeed, all lives have peaks and valleys. Whether or not one is a public figure or a “regular” person, it’s in the way the story is told that makes a difference on a stage. Minkus is a storyteller par excellence, the kind of actor who could read the telephone book (remember those?) and bring it to life.
There was a traumatic childhood, full of aspirations and family dysfunction—plus the crushing agony of being a “fat” girl. Singing from age three, the stage called, but Minkus had difficulty in literally finding her voice. She studied opera but it wasn’t for her. A first job turned out to be a gig in a Detoit strip club; that was a surprise to the innocent Minkus. These
initial forays, were as Stephen Sondheim wrote, “good times and bum times.” New York City was the inevitable next step. She caught a break and was signed for Julius Monk’s Bits and Pieces Revue in the 1960s. Minkus worked on weight loss, found her true voice, could tell stories and had a flare for comedy, all leading to appearance on “The Merv Griffith Show.” A not-so-happy experience with a single appearance on “The Danny Kaye Show” was crushing, but not defeating.
Minkus went on to be the first Lucy in the Off-Broadway musical You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown—but on the cast recording only. Fame might have come on Broadway with The Education of H*Y*M*A*N*K*A*P*L*A*N with costars Tom Bosley and Hal Linden, but Fate intervened. All seemed primed for success, but on opening night, at intermission, the audience learned that Martin Luther King Jr had been assassinated; most patrons left the theater in shock. Riots and protests nationwide followed the murder and H*Y*M*A*N*K*A*P*L*A*N closed. On the West Coast Minkus found television a welcoming venture: “Love American Style,” “PAC Man” and more, plus film roles and solo and other stage shows.
The climactic reveal though, was even as Minkus was pursuing her creative career as a performer, she also had found love and marriage. Her telling of meeting ophthalmo
logist Arnie Barron on a blind date (there’s a laugh there), and marrying him, was charming and heartwarming. An epiphany came with her decision to go into therapy and then with the realization she’d like to be a therapist. Minkus returned to school, had a baby and emerged as a mother and professional, licensed marital and relationship therapist. To this day, she works on two independent paths: Barbara Minkus, entertainer, and Barbara Barron, therapist. Choose any 18 minutes of her wonderful life—it’s all beautiful and beautifully told.
18 Minutes of Fame was dotted with a number of songs that moved the narrative forward. Minkus opened with “Get Happy” and offered tunes such as “My Funny Valentine,” “If They Could See Me Now” and others. Her closer, “Here’s to Life” was the perfect summation of all that had been related, as well as a wondrous philosophy of living a rewarding life in the span of years allotted. Ron Barnett, musical director-pianist proved the perfect musical partner for Minkus and this exceptional show.
