Gary Gunas and Billy Rosenfield, a couple for over 40 years, had front-row seats not only for some of the biggest hits of the second half of the 20th century—but an insider’s view of what was going on backstage, too.
A general manager and producer (who worked on shows including Woman of the Year, La Cage aux Folles, and The Who’s Tommy) and a playwright and executive producer of cast albums (including Ragtime, Caroline, or Change, and The Last Five Years), Gunas and Rosenfield recently sat down with Andrew Hawkins and Jeff Marx in their London home to share their memories of the end of the Golden Age of Broadway.
In the second episode of Season 2, they turn their attention to a handful of legendary performers: Judy Garland, Carol Channing, Jerry Lewis, Barbra Streisand, and… Madonna. Watch to see what Channing gifted Rosenfield, why Lewis insisted on a clarinet player, and more.
New episodes of Old Show Queens will debut on Playbill every Friday. For more information and merchandise, visit OldShowQueens.com.