Marky Bey is an African-American TV and film actress of the70s. She starred in Sugar Hill and had a recurring role on Starsky and Hutch. At the time of Hello, Dolly, she spelled her name withan "I”. Marky's nickname as a child was always Marky, short for Marqueeta.She used it starting with her career in Philadelphia at 15 .She was later talked into Marky with an "i" because it was more 'feminine'. Later , she just said, screw it...she was 'going out' just like she 'came in'. So she changed it back to the original spelling.
In 1967, she was working as a singing waitress at the Improvand heard about auditions for Hello, Dolly starring Cab Calloway and PearlBailey through the grapevine.She went to the auditions and got cast for thechorus and to understudy Minnie Fay. She also played Mrs. Rose. How did sheapproach the part? For weeks, Pearl Bailey had her walking in and out of herdressing room saying:”Well, well, well, look who’s here, Mrs. Levi.”
If she were given the opportunity to go back, Marky wouldnot change a thing. On the dark nightwhen it was their company’s turn to perform for all the other Equity houses,she got great applause doing Mrs. Rose crossing that stage at the St. James Theater.Marki brought a style that was all her own, her own freshness of delivery. Shedidn’t continue to tweak her performance after the show opened. Marky’s thoughts on Pearl Bailey are that she was an artist,a DIVA, a master of comic timing, a teacher, a “second mother” as she signedher book to Marky.
There was never a time when she did not own the stage shewas on.
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Marky fell in love watching Dolly/Pearl’s entrance down thestairs into the Harmonia Gardens each show for the title number and the eatingscene with Horace that followed it.For most in this company, they were in their early twentiesand it was their first encounter with “Celebrity Royalty.” There were ups anddowns for some, Marki included.
Initially when Marky was cast, she was intimidated at thethought of playing opposite a star of Pearl Bailey’s magnitude. It was the “celebrityroyalty” thing.
After playing Minnie Fay in one of the National Companies andreplacing Chris Calloway as understudy in their Broadway company, Marky learnedto trust herself and stand tall on her legs of confidence. Marky does place Hello, Dolly in her top five list of hercareer. She places that along the revival of Lost In The Stars with Brock Peters at The Imperial Theater. Thatwas the show where she met and is still married to the love of her life, Don If she could go back with the knowledge she has now, she WOULDN”TWALK IN AND OUT OF PEARL BAILEY’S DRESSING ROOM DOOR SO MANY TIMES!!!!! (Smile)
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| A younger Pearl Bailey |
Marky’s worst experience with the show happened oneperformance as the scenery was coming in for Put On Your Sunday Clothes. The scenery “grabbed” her hat and knocked it off. Her hair was in pinclips and small pink curlers, and she was headed for the downstage front row ofthe number! She faked a faint before making the turn and they got her off stageso as not to interfere with the number!
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They took her to Pearl Bailey’sdressing room and gave her “poppers” (for her heart!). It was one of her mostmemorable acting moments! It was not uncommon for Marky to have terribleexperiences during a performance of Dolly. Minnie Fay’s Harmonia Gardens hat,for example. It was a large pink question mark shaped feather atop the hat.Marky was seated and bent over to put it on during intermission, and the wireat the top of the feather went in the inside of her upper thigh inches awayfrom, well, just use your imagination…She couldn’t get it out, and they hadonly five minutes before curtain. It was their beloved stage manager, FrankDudley, who performed the ultimate extraction. And the show went on…Marky also saw Carol Channing play Dolly. One would thinkshe could never be replaced. She never was… She really OWNED Dolly. Marky saw her again many yearslater in Pasadena when lines were forgotten, but if Marky had not been in theshow she would never have known…overwhelmingly supported by the audience withrounds of applause initiated by her biggest fan and loving husband, CharlesLowe. 
The only “tailoring” that Pearl Bailey made to the scriptwas the eating scene between her and Cab Calloway. It was a priceless piece ofcomic art, especially with the “sopping of her plate and his.” It brought thehouse down every performance. It has been written about many times here, PearlBailey’s “third act.” In hindsight, Marky is sure the cast members would haveappreciated it more if they hadn’t hadto stand there for an additional 20minutes in those ever so heavy costumes! But they did, and as always, it was alesson in how to get an audience to love them even more…Pearl Bailey gave themthe extra 10% more after giving them the first 100%. It never failed. Even whenshe had to wear “slippers” (pink) all through one show because of shots in oneof her feet she needed. OR, the night she had to have drops put in her eyes anddid the entire performance in dark glasses. The famous 3rd Actalways went on. The only exception was the night Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wasassassinated. Fans loved it and came back again and again knowing they would befurther entertained after the show was over with Pearl Bailey doing a tap dancearound the passarelle with Cab Calloway singing Won’t You Come Home, Bill Bailey? 
Lucia Victor, of course, directed this production and itcouldn’t get any better than that. Marky only met Jerry Herman once. He gaveher a charm bracelet which she still cherishes to this day. The first time sheheard the entire score was at the first rehearsal and she was instantlysmitten. There is no way that the title number can’t work. It is the entrance ofall time…in RED…not to mention music by Herman. There Cornelius Hackl was JackCrowder who later changed his name to Thalmus Rassulala, He had an incrediblevoice and stage presence. Thalmus Rasulala (November 15, 1939 – October 9,1991) was an African American actor who starred in Blaxploitation films. Healso was an original cast member of ABC's soap opera One Life to Live from its inception in 1968 until he left the showin 1970. Their Barnaby Tucker was Winston Dewit Hemsley. He was a fabulous dancer. There were no peptalks needed from Lucia. They were so high energy all the time. She knew at thefirst rehearsal this was going to be a great Dolly! Marky loved their stage manager, Frank Dudley. At one time,he was married to Lucia Victor prior to Dolly in 1963. They were now divorcedbut continued to work together.
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When they closed on Christmas Eve 1969, they were even moremagnificent than when they opened on October 11th, 1967 at TheNational Theater in Washington, DC. Marky Bey (now Fenwick) says she can do Hello, Dolly for therest of her life. This show is such a part of her life’s history as a young adultthat she treasures and holds close to her heart…and she can’t imagine anyfemale in any company of Dolly not desiring to grow up and play the role ofDolly Gallagher Levi! Marky Bey has earned the right. Beginningin 1984 with a MagicCruise to Alaska, Don and Marky Fenwick have been producing"common interest", or themed cruises for over 25 years. Utilizing their skills as entertainers andorganizers, the Fenwicks produce four or five various cruise/conventions eachyear, including a StampCruise (with the American Philatelic Society), MiniCruise(for miniaturists), and Murder Mystery.
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| Marky and Don Fenwick |
Thank you Marky Bey Fenwick for the gifts you have given to the world and continue to give!
With grateful XOXOXs ,
Check out my site celebrating my forthcoming book on Hello, Dolly!
I want this to be a definitive account of Hello, Dolly!
If any of you reading this have appeared in any production of Dolly, I'm interested in speaking with you!
Do you have any pics to share?
If you have anything to add or share, please contact me at Richard@RichardSkipper.com.
NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY!
Please do what YOU can to be more aware that words and actions DO HURT...but they can also heal and help!
My next blog will be...Catching up with Julie Reyburn!
Thank you, to all the mentioned in this blog!
Here's to an INCREDIBLE tomorrow for ALL...with NO challenges!
TILL TOMORROW...HERE'S TO AN ARTS FILLED DAYRichard Skipper, Richard@RichardSkipper.com
This Blog is dedicated to ALL THE DOLLYS and ANYONE who has EVER had a connection with ANY of them on ANY Level!
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"Lorna Dallas is one of the very finest American vocalists of her style and generation." -
After the presentation, hepresented himself as Ian Bevin and that he was associated with Mr. Fielding,the producer, with the upcoming production of Showboat. She told him that she had spoken with Ray Cooke and, onceagain, wished them much success.The week went by with numerous presentations of thesebackers auditions. Lorna was practically brain dead by the end of it all. Thelast morning she was in London, after these presentations were over, she wasrunning around London being a tourist. She was in Harrod’s and thought sheshould reach her London agent to tell him goodbye. She got through to hissecretary who said, “Miss Dallas, we’ve been trying to reach you all morning!Mr. Fielding wants to see you at one o’clock.” At this point, it was abouttwelve thirtyish. Lorna had already packed in preparation of catching a threePM flight back to New York. The following day, she was flying to Montreal towork with Bob Hope to do some shows. She told the secretary that she would haveto tell Mr. Fielding she would be late. Lorna could hear the secretarypractically drop the phone. Lorna dashed back to the hotel. She had not checkedout by this point. She took a quick shower, grabbed music out of her case,changed clothes, ran down stairs and ran into Don Gohman in the lobby, told himhe was going with her, and they were off and running. In the cab, she told himthat Mr. Fielding was interested in seeing her for Showboat, which she thoughtwas bizarre. 
Danny, Lorna has to say, hadsuch heart in this piece. When they were opening in Birmingham, he was so verytruthful. People’s hearts would break to see him in this production. He was notdoing, “Watcha mate!” He was not his Danny LaRue at all, he WAS Dolly. It was acompletely SRO run. People were sitting on the steps to see this show. That wasa two month run. The idea was that they would finish the show there and a tourwas to be arranged. Suddenly, The Prince of Wales Theater in London becameavailable, unexpectedly. A decision was then made to go straight in with notour. The Prince of Wales Theater is right off of Leicester Square, apedestrianised square in the West End of London. Danny had played this theaterbefore and loved it. There was a great connection there. They virtually leftBirmingham and went straight into the Prince of Wales. From being so verytruthful and heartbreaking in Birmingham, suddenly in London, he felt he neededto be DANNY LA RUE! He changed drastically. He was worried about losing hisaudience. Interesting side note is that when Phyllis Diller playedDolly on Broadway, her fans were disappointed that she didn’t resort to her “shtick”.It was important to her to play it as truthful as she could. Unfortunately,that is not what her fans desired. Audiences stayed away. She was the weakestDolly as far as the box office was concerned. David Merrick used to stand inthe back of the theater and count the empty seats. With Danny, it was the opposite. He panicked. Peter Coe wasthe director. Peter Coe was a British director who reached a career peak in1961 when he had three hits running simultaneously in London's West End - ''TheMiracle Worker,'' ''The World of Suzie Wong'' and ''Oliver!'' The reviews werewonderful in Birmingham. 
The first preview in London was before an audience of the Variety Club. Those are the bigwigs, a lot of money and donations. The evening cost many of the patrons around five hundred pounds for charity. They are also the most boring audiences. Carol Channing once said benefits are the hardest audience because they are there to see each other as opposed to who is on stage! Danny was not getting the responses back from the audiences that he was used to. He was used to an audience that would give him back a response…a lot. That is the way of British pantomimes. The audience yells out to the actors on the stage. The audience was not unfolding that way and panic set in. It didn’t help matters that this was such a “sit on your hands” audience. It was not an appreciative audience. It rattled Danny a bit. It was an uncomfortable evening. Lorna also knew many of those people sitting out there in the theater. 
He did perform in Canada, with his act, but never in the states.Lorna states that Danny had one of the largest kindesthearts of any man she ever met. He was also adorable and very generous. Lornawould defend him to her dying day for that fact alone. If he had stayed as hewas in Birmingham, this would have been a tremendous hit. He was also sogenuine and gracious. They remained friends until his passing in 2009. She didconcerts at the Barbican, London’s largest multi-arts and conference venuepresenting a diverse range of art, music, theatre, dance, film and creativelearning events, with Danny. He was always beautifully dressed. He would comeout at the end of the concerts, a Cole Porter, Noel Coward, Ivor Novelloevening, with the London Symphony Orchestra, immaculately dressed in white tieand tails. It took her breath away. No one wore white tie and tails better thanhim. He was preening. He was a beautiful man. Danny asked Lorna to go to Australia with him to do aconcert. It was virtually the same concert and it was televised at the beautifulopera house in Brisbane. They had a fabulous concert there that went very well.They did several together. 
When they worked together, Dora and Lorna always foundthemselves talking about Tibetan Terriers. Dora was a ferry scatty type ofcharacter, so the way she played her was somewhere between Carol Channing andMargaret Rutherford. She had a nervous energy about her. She is one of JerryHerman’s favorite Dollys.
Ithad been a dream of his to do this for so many years. It was an exciting time for Lorna. It was 1982. She and herhusband Gary had just gotten married, perfect for Irene Molloy. She felt at thetime that they were going to London that she would be returning to the West Endin a show that would be a hit. It was a nice warm feeling doing this show inBirmingham. Judy Garland once said it gets harder and harder as time goes on becausethe expectations are so much higher. Lorna does not feel that the reviews inLondon were totally justified. Lorna feels that Danny should be remembered as an outrageous character but with a huge heart. When one walked into a room where he was, that person would KNOW Danny was there. After his shows, the champagne would be flowing and he would hold court with the greats of the world. Life with Danny was never dull!