A Fine Piece of Talent

As I mentioned yesterday, I found Joel Grey's performance in Anything Goes dubious (and not only because I played Moonface, albeit pretty poorly, in Brophy Prep's 1986 production). Grey's slow-like-a-fox performance reminded me at times of one of Martin Short's dimwit characters (Lawrence Orbach, in particular). My theatergoing companion felt similarly, and then helpfully uncovered this vintage clip of Grey in embryo–before his prime, certainly, but well primed for a break (he wouldn't get a real one until 1961's Come Blow Your Horn, and his defining role in Cabaret would come in 1966). The energy alone is something to behold, particularly in contrast to his appearance in the Porter show.