Stars of the AVT #80: Michael Townsend Wright
This post is one of a series profiling the hundreds of performers I’ve presented through my American Vaudeville Theatre in celebration of its 15th anniversary. Don’t miss the American Vaudeville Theatre’s 15th Anniversary ExTRAVaganza in the New York International Fringe Festival this August!
It is the opinion of experts that Michael Townsend Wright is the missing link. Oh, not between ape and man. How quotidian. No, I mean Old Vaudeville and the New. Now, he’s far too young to have been in the old vaudeville (he’s a baby boomer unless I miss my guess). But he’s old enough to have apprenticed with such folks and from where I’m sitting that makes him one of the most valuable men alive. For example, he was the last comedy partner of second banana, Joey Faye. See my profile and interview with Michael here. And here he is with Joe Smith of Smith and Dale, who he says was like a grandfather to him:
Over the years, Michael also managed to befriend Rudy Vallee, Arthur Tracy and Imogene Coca.
In films, Michael has worked with Richard Dreyfus, Vinny Pastore and Talia Shire. Michael was cast as Walter Winchell in the HBO film, The Rat Pack. He played the title role in the acclaimed independent feature The Life And Times of Charlie Putz. Recently, Michael was seen in the popular TV series Rescue Me. He was the voice of the father in the Nickelodeon cartoon Zoey’s Zoo and appears in the “County Fair” episode of the Nickelodeon series Naked Brothers Band.
I first saw him in 2008 when he played the title character in Chip Defaa’s musical about Eddie Foy. I am thrilled to be presenting him in American Vaudeville Theatre’s 15th Anniversary ExTRAVaganza next month. And if you can’t wait that long, he’s appearing with another of my heroes, Uncle Floyd Vivino TONIGHT at Five Towns College in Dix Hills, Long Island. How I wish I could be there. All the info is here.
To learn more about vaudeville past and present, consult No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous, available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and wherever nutty books are sold.
