My favorite song as a boy was definitely 'Downtown' recorded by Petula Clark. I still love it! And the original cast recording of 'Gypsy'; I played my mother's cast recordings until there was no vinyl left.
I moved to Paris for two years, then to London, then New York in 2002. In that time, I also lived in Japan, Italy, Germany - I've been a bit of a gypsy.
It's not often that the idea of continuing something for a potentially long period of time sounds exciting to me, because I really am a gypsy by nature.
I am a gypsy, in a way. It's a condition of my profession.
I wanted to have a home where I could go home and unlock my door and go in and be settled. I was tired of being a gypsy.
My father's family can be traced back to 1400. I've been told by gypsies that there is unmistakeably gypsy blood in me. Lee is a gypsy name, you know.
We called the head of CBS and said, 'We know how network television feels about musicals. Would you even consider doing 'Gypsy?'' He said, 'If I did say yes, you'd have to have a big movie star who does not do TV.' I told him that, in our fantasy world, we'd like Bette Midler. He said, 'Get Bette Midler, and you have an on-the-air commitment.'
There were no TV musicals until we did Bette Midler 'Gypsy,' and the success of that opened the door for us to do the rest.
I think we sublimated our Broadway desires by doing theater in Hollywood - not on stage but by doing the movies of 'Chicago' and 'Hairspray' and also musicals on TV. We did Rodgers and Hammerstein's 'Cinderella' and 'Gypsy' and 'Annie.' Even 'Smash' was like doing theater.
It's quite nice to have a place to leave things. You can be a permanent gypsy, but it's nice to go home.
