Hal Linden’s Show Blends Music, Acting, Comedy and Singing

[Zoneboy]

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THE VILLAGES — Hal Linden has led a storied acting career, both on the stage and the screen. But before all that came into his life, Linden had another love — music.

For the past 35 years, Linden has been mixing Broadway, music and comedy into a concert format.

“When you do a play, you have fidelity to the author because of the words,” Linden said. “The director has a vision of what the play should be like. I have to be at this mark; otherwise I’ll be in the dark.

“Here, I can do whatever I like. Here, it’s me and the audience, which is more of a one-to-one communication.”

Linden brought that love of music and acting to life during performances Monday through Thursday night at Savannah Center as part of the Concert Series.

Backed by a seven-piece band led by musical director and pianist Howard Salat, Linden walked out on stage to the theme song from his TV series, “Barney Miller.”


“What the hell is Barney Miller doing singing?” Linden asked the audience during the first show Wednesday night. “(In that show) I very rarely ever got to say anything funny. I reacted. (But) I reacted pretty good.”

Linden talked about his life while weaving in songs like “Give My Regards to Broadway,” “New York, New York” from “On the Town,” the fast-talking “Trouble” from “The Music Man,” and “Mack the Knife.”

From his first break on Broadway, when he went from understudy to star for “Bells Are Ringing,” he sang “Long Before I Knew You” and “Just in Time.”

At one point, Linden donned makeup and a wig to become Mayer Rothschild, the character he played in the musical, “The Rothschilds,” and sang the powerful “In My Own Lifetime.”

He even broke out the clarinet to swing a little with the band, including on the Benny Goodman classic, “Sing, Sing, Sing.”

When Linden was 8 years old, he had a choice between the clarinet and the violin.

“It was what we had in the house,” Linden said. “It was a limited choice, but I chose (the clarinet).”

His family made sure that he had the best music teachers to guide him along the path of the clarinet.

Since bringing the clarinet back into his life, Linden likes to sit in with a band in Palm Springs, Calif., every once in a while.

“I’m playing for the joy of playing,” he said.

Throughout high school and college, the thought of acting never crossed his mind.

“It was a left-field thing,” Linden said.

While in the Army, Linden was playing in the band, and the piano player was doing gigs with Special Services. He asked Linden if he wanted to sing a tune with that group, and Linden agreed.

“(Then) they needed me to do a part in a skit,” Linden said. “I was funnier than they were.”

Taking that as a sign, Linden used the G.I. Bill after his time in the Army to go to acting school. He also put his musical ambitions on hold.

His first break was in “Bells Are Ringing.” He later won a Tony Award for his work in the musical “The Rothschilds.”

“Theater is more of a actor’s medium, and TV is a director’s medium,” Linden said. “When the curtain goes up, you’re on. There’s no take two; you gotta do it.”

As for how he got the job on “Barney Miller,” it started with a phone call.

“It was kind of accidental,” Linden said.

Danny Arnold, the producer of “Barney Miller,” was working on a movie in New York, and his children were visiting during Christmas. He decided to take them to a Broadway show. It happened to be “The Rothschilds.”

“He went to see it, but he never came backstage,” Linden said. “Two and a half years later, when he was writing the concept for ‘Barney Miller,’ (I got the call). That was it.”

Warming the crowd up was comedian Timothy Hawkins, who played on his acoustic guitar a few songs that his father supposedly wrote, including “All of Me,” “Has Anybody Seen My Gal?” and “Always on My Mind.”

“This Hal guy, I’m so glad he’s closing for me,” Hawkins told the audience.

Throughout his set, Hawkins changed his father’s birthplace and occupation, going from Boston to Lancaster, Pa., Los Angeles and Israel.

“This is the best scam I can think of,” Hawkins told the audience. “I work 30 minutes a day, and sometimes I go home exhausted.”

[catlover79]

Thanks for sharing this article, Charles!! Hal is right - he had great reactions as Barney. Some of his facial expressions had me .

[LeeBlue]

Terrific article -- thanks for posting -- this sounds like a show I'd very much enjoy seeing!

[catlover79]

Originally Posted by LeeBlue

Terrific article -- thanks for posting -- this sounds like a show I'd very much enjoy seeing!

Me too!! Hal was - and still is - a class act. I love how the band plays the Barney Mille theme when he walks out.