It’s the season to honor the very deserving Jamie deRoy, singer/performer/host/actress/producer and general force for good in the cabaret, film/TV and theatrical worlds. DeRoy has been a pioneer and a powerful driver in her varied career, which includes the early days of the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs (MAC). She’s gotten a slew of awards over the years, including eight MAC Awards and four Back Stage Bistro Awards. The latest honor is by the Friars Club, where deRoy will be feted on Wednesday, April 11 to celebrate her 30th anniversary
as one of the Club’s first eight female members. Entitled Jamie deRoy, 30 Years a Friar, the event will be held at The Friars Club, beginning at 6 PM, with cocktails followed by dinner at 7 PM and a show at 8:30 PM .
DeRoy had the opportunity to discuss the Friar’s honor (and her work in cabaret) in an appearance with Roma Torre on New York 1 on April 5th. She’s also recently had a full page profile in Lifestyles magazine. Clicker here to read it.
The Friar’s tribute will be hosted by Judy Gold and will feature special tributes and performances by Craig Bierko, Chuck Cooper, Jim Dale, Penny Fuller, Larry Gatlin, Anita Gillette, Julie Gold, Rupert Holmes, Frances Ruffelle and Benjamin Scheuer. The show portion of the evening is directed by Barry Kleinbort with musical direction by Ron Abel.
The Friars Club began in 1904, formed by a group of Broadway theater representatives and publicists. The group met regularly, instituting its tradition of tribute dinners beginning with Clyde Fitch and then Oscar Hammerstein in 1908, the first year of an official clubhouse. The Friars, open to entertainment professionals and others involved in show business, remained staunchly a male dominion for 84 years, although in 1983 the comedienne Phyllis Diller dressed as a man and snuck into the Sid Caesar Roast.
In 1988, with times changing, deRoy, Liza Minnelli; Joan Rivers; Brooke Shields; Broadcast Music Inc. President and CEO, Frances Preston; Filmworld Television President, Beverly Partridge; independent television commercial producer, Jeanne Harrison and Outer Critics Circle President, Marjorie Gunner, became the first eight women to join The Friars.
“It is especially fitting that we honor Jamie, a Friars Club trailblazer, for her many show business achievements, including her devotion to the Club and its Foundation,” Michael Gyure, New York Friars Club executive director, said in a statement. Those who would heartily agree with him are legion.
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