Arts & Entertainment

Finding ‘Follies’

Gay actress says role feels conceived for her

Published

15 years ago

May 12, 2011

Terri White feels she finally grew into her ‘Follies’ role and is thrilled to be in the current Kennedy Center production. (Photo courtesy of the Kennedy Center)

‘Follies’
Through June 19
The Kennedy Center
$45-$150
202-467-4600
www.kennedy-center.org

Throughout her long career in show business, Terri White has certainly sung her share of Stephen Sondheim tunes in nightclubs and piano bars, but it’s not until now that she is actually tackling a full-fledged role in one of his musicals. As has-been dancer Stella Deems in Sondheim’s nostalgic backstage story “Follies” (currently enjoying a much anticipated run at the Kennedy Center), White, who is also gay, feels she’s found the part of a lifetime.

“I first saw ‘Follies’ when it opened on Broadway in 1971,” says White, 62. “And over the years I’ve sort of grown into the part.” Not only do White and her character both share roots in theater of a different era, they also know what it means to step away from show business and find respite in sunny Florida. “It’s uncanny,” White says. “It’s as if Stella was written especially for me. I’ve just had to wait 40 years to be old enough to give it a try.”

Considered among the best of Sondheim and James Goldman’s collaborations, “Follies” is a hauntingly beautiful tribute to lavish revues and increasingly complicated lives. Gathered for a final goodbye in a once grand New York theater on the eve of its destruction, a group of former showgirls reminisce about the glamorous, good old days and share where their post-chorine lives have taken them. On top of Goldman’s rich libretto, the show boasts a memorable hit laden score: “Broadway Baby,” “I’m Still Here,” “Too Many Mornings,” “Could I Leave You?” and “Losing My Mind.”

With a multi-million dollar budget, a 28-piece orchestra, and a large cast including megawatt dames like Bernadette Peters, Elaine Page and Linda Lavin, the Kennedy Center’s “Follies” (staged by gay director Eric Schaeffer) is produced big as it should be, says White. “And there are no divas here,” she adds. “It’s a brilliantly cast group of professionals who’ve come not only to work, but also to enjoy ourselves while we’re here. I respect all the ladies and relish the opportunity to share the stage with them.”

As a kid, White was part of the family act the White Quartet, and travelled the South and the Midwest performing on the TOBA — Theater Owners Booking Association, or more familiarly known to performers as Tough on Black Asses — circuit.

“My father was a crooner and a hoofer. He taught me to tap dance and put me on stage when I was 8. Times were often tough. Sometimes managers didn’t pay us and we’d get very low on funds,” she says. “I’d glue bottle caps to the soles of my shoes and tap dance on a wooden crate to raise some change for sandwiches and gas to get us to the next city for a gig.”

During those early years on the road, White watched as theaters turned exclusively into rock venues, movie houses or entirely disappeared. In the 1960s, she arrived in New York City as a dancer who sang, but as she grew older the physical challenges of dance prompted her to change her focus to singing. She still dances however. In fact, White’s Stella is perhaps the only one ever to tap dance throughout her big production number “Who’s That Woman?”

White’s Broadway and off-Broadway experience includes Joice Heth in “Barnum,” “Ain’t Misbehavin’” as Neal, gay director/choreographer Tommy Tune’s “The Club” (Obie Award 1976) in which she literally tap danced from her entrance to her exit, “Nunsense,” “Stepping Out” at Radio City with Liza Minnelli, “Chicago,” and the recent revival of “Finian’s Rainbow.”

Despite her big talent, White has known lulls in her career. After appearing in Tony Award-winning “Barnum” on Broadway in 1980, White was unable to find similar gigs for eight years. “I was effectively blacklisted for being gay,” she says. “There were a lot of gay men in the theater, but you didn’t see a lot of openly gay women performing on Broadway then or now.”

In 2008, White lost her apartment and slept in Manhattan’s Washington Square Park for three months. With the help of friends she found a signing gig in Key West, Fla., where she met her wife and business partner Donna Barnett. A year later the couple was celebrated a commitment ceremony on the stage of the St. James Theater where White was playing in “Finnian’s Rainbow.” Shortly thereafter, they were legally married in nearby Connecticut.

“For now,” White says, “I’m happy playing this incredible part Stella in ‘Follies.’ If the show goes on to Broadway, my wife and I will follow. If not it’s back to Key West to enjoy some gorgeous sunsets. That’s the plan.”

Related Topics:Follies Out & About Stephen Sondheim Terri White

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Photos

PHOTOS: ‘Studio 69’

Glitterati Productions hold party at Bunker

Published

2 hours ago

May 11, 2026

Michael Key

'Studio 69' was held at Bunker on Friday. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Glitterati Productions held the “Studio 69” party at Bunker on Friday, May 8.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

Arts & Entertainment

Washington Blade’s Pride on the Pier returns June 13 to kick off D.C. Pride week

Pride on the Pier officially launches Pride Week in D.C.

Published

8 hours ago

May 11, 2026

Staff reports

The Washington Blade’s annual Pride on the Pier celebration returns to The Wharf on Saturday, June 13, 2026 from 4-9 p.m., bringing thousands of LGBTQ community members and allies together for an unforgettable waterfront celebration to kick off Pride week in Washington, D.C.

Now in its eighth year, Washington Blade Pride on the Pier extends the city’s annual celebration of LGBTQ visibility to the bustling Wharf waterfront with an exciting array of activities and entertainment for all ages. The District Pier will offer DJs, dancing, drag, and other entertainment. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase for those 21 and older.

“Pride on the Pier has become one of the signature moments of Pride in D.C.,” said Lynne Brown, publisher of the Washington Blade. “There’s nothing like watching our community come together on the waterfront with live music and incredible energy as we kick off Pride week.”

Pride on the Pier is free and open to the public, with VIP tickets available for exclusive pier access to the Dockmaster Building. To purchase VIP tickets visit www.prideonthepierdc.com/vip.

Additional entertainment announcements, sponsor activations, and event details will be released in the coming weeks.

Event Details:

📍 Location: District Pier at The Wharf (101 District Sq SW, Washington, DC)
📅 Dates: Friday, 13, 2026

⏱️ 4-9PM
🎟️ VIP Tickets: www.PrideOnThePierDC.com/VIP

Theater

National tour of ‘Gatsby’ comes to National Theatre

Out actor Edward Staudenmayer talks playing the show’s gangster

Published

1 day ago

May 10, 2026

Patrick Folliard

Edward Staudenmayer plays Meyer Wolfsheim in ‘The Great Gatsby.’ (Photo courtesy National Theatre)

‘The Great Gatsby’
May 12-24
The National Theatre
1321 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
$59-$196
Thenationaldc.com

Often dubbed “The Great American Novel” for its depiction of ambition and self-invention alongside the reversals of success, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” says it all in a fast read.

Set against the excesses and energy of the Roaring Twenties, “The Great Gatsby,” novel and now the same-titled hit Broadway musical with a jazz/pop original score by Jason Howland and Nathan Tysen, tells the story of Nick Carraway and his friendship with Jay Gatsby, an enigmatic millionaire intent on reuniting with ex-lover, Daisy Buchanan.

It was during a four-month 2025 run in Seoul, South Korea, that out actor Edward Staudenmayer first played the show’s heavy, Meyer Wolfsheim, a gangster who helped Gatsby make his murkily acquired fortune. As Meyer, Staudenmayer opens the second act with, appropriately enough, “Shady.”

Now three months into a year-long North American tour, the show is poised to enjoy a brief run at Washington’s National Theatre (5/12-5/24).

While putting on his eyeliner prior to a recent Wednesday matinee at Chicago’s Cadillac Palace Theatre, the upstate New York-based actor shared about Gatsby and a life in theater.

WASHINGTON BLADE: Despite your good looks and terrific voice, you’re rarely the leading the man. How is that?

EDWARD STAUDENMAYER: I’m definitely a character man. I’ve been painting lines on my face to play old men since I was in high school. I was the youngest freshman in college playing old Uncle Sorin [in Chekhov’s “The Seagull”].

There have been many villains. Some darker than others. Meyer Wolfsheim is a very bad guy, but he doesn’t haunt me once I’m offstage. I play a lot of pickleball.

BLADE: Is it true that like so many of Fitzgerald’s characters, Wolfsheim is famously based on someone the writer encountered in life.

STAUDENMEYER: That’s true, Wolfsheim is pretty much a direct portrayal of real-life mobster and 1919 World Series fixer [Arnold Rothstein].

BLADE: When did the 1925 novel first surface on your radar?

STAUDENMAYER: Like many of us, I was assigned “The Great Gatsby” in high school. It was short, and filled with sex and illicit activities. I thought it was great. Definitely wasn’t a Judy Blume novel.

Interestingly, the book wasn’t originally a huge a success for Fitzgerald, but because it was about war and having the girl at home, they gave it to GIs leaving for WWII. After returning, a lot of those guys went on the GI Bill and became English teachers. They assigned the book to their students.

BLADE The idea that the book’s first-person narrator, Nick Carraway, is gay and enamored with Jay Gatsby is long discussed among readers and scholars. Does the musical touch on that?

STAUDENMAYER: Yes, there’s conjecture about Jay and Nick, and it’s implied in our show. It’s also implied about Jordan Baker, Jay’s fleeting romantic interest. Ultimately, she’s a confirmed bachelor, and a professional golfer who only wears pants.

Our performers are really good. Josh Grasso who plays Nick is fantastic. I’ve had to stop watching him in his last scene; it’s not good for Meyer Wolfsheim to take his curtain call crying. Our Gatsby, Jake David Smith, is good too. He’s gorgeous like Superman and sings like an angel.

BLADE: Do you ever imagine backstory for your characters whose sexuality is undefined?

STAUDENMAYER: I do, but not with Wolfsheim. I don’t see it. I’m trying to be as butch as possible with this ruthless killer.

BLADE: Have you had to do that in your career?

STAUDENMAYER: For a long time, I wore a mask to hide my gayness. I worked hard on being believable, that I was into the girl or that I was a tough guy.

It’s a different world now, and it’s so refreshing to be around the younger actors today; they’re remarkably open and comfortable.

BLADE: What was your coming of age like?

STAUDENMAYER: I played high school football in Palm Springs [he chuckles, alluding to the arid gay mecca], and I was pretty good too. But much to the chagrin of my parents and coaches, I quit the team to act in our senior year play. My super butch dad played semi-pro football and he was an ex-cop. I’m named after him. While I didn’t become my dad, I’ve played him often on stage. He was a true Gaston [the bumptious rival in “Beauty and the Beast”]. And like Gaston, he used antlers in all his interior decorating.

BLADE: Did he live to see your success in theater?

STAUDENMAYER: He did. Life was challenging growing up but the last 10 years of his life we couldn’t get off the phone with each other [his voice catches with emotion]. He accepted me entirely, and we became very close.

BLADE: Looking ahead, is there a part you’d especially like to play?

STAUDENMAYER: Like all baritones I’d love to play Sondheim’s “Sweeney Todd.” I’ve come close but it hasn’t happened yet. There’s still time.