For most people, a birthday is occasioned by a few cards and greetings, perhaps a dinner or two. Copenhagen star Philip Bosco, however, was serenaded by the entire audience of the Royale Theatre when he turned 70 on Sept. 26. Theatregoers were tipped off early on, finding an insert in their Playbills that alerted them not to a change in the cast, but Bosco's birthday. At the end of the show, co-star Blair Brown cut short a standing ovation to lead the crowd in a chorus of "Happy Birthday." Immediately after, Bosco's wife Nancy and four of his children walked on stage with a large cake made up to look like a Playbill program, with the actor on the cover.
The ceremony was capped by Shubert Organization chairman Gerald Schoenfeld presenting Bosco with a plaque signifying the three performances he has delivered at the Royale Theatre in the past dozen years: Copenhagen, An Inspector Calls and Lend Me A Tenor.