Dan's Papers - April 24, 2009

The East Hampton Grace Estate overlooking the Northwest Harbor is a secluded tract of 300 acres bordering Cedar Point Park and a 517-acre nature preserve. This isolated spot, with only 30 homes, is about as far as one can get from civilization in East Hampton. But here, in a rambling French chateau on over four acres, is where Broadway producers Stewart F. Lane and his wife, Bonnie Comley have called their second home.

"For the past eight years we have moved our entire family (five children and pets) here for the entire summer," said Comley. "We met almost 16 years ago, when I interviewed Stew for a cable show on travel that I was hosting."

For almost 10 of the dozen years they've been married, the couple has been working together professionally. "We alternate between theater projects, which I gravitate to, and film or television projects, which Bonnie often prefers," said Lane. "But we never stop working. We act as a sounding board for each other and are quick to shoot down stuff." Often this results, he said, "in the other pleading their case. And in the process we refine what we believe will work."

"We work 24/7 and could find ourselves talking about tickets sales in the middle of the night," added Comley.

As a tribute to their accomplishments, Comley and Lane were honored in February at the Drama League's annual star-studded benefit gala at the Rainbow Room. The black-tie event, "A Musical Celebration of Broadway," was hosted by Tony winners Donna Murphy and Julie White. It highlighted Lane and Comley's illustrious careers, as well as Broadway productions led by alumni of the Drama League Directors Project. "The evening was dazzling fun," said Comley.

In person, the Broadway power duo is casual, down to earth and outgoing. Lane is known as the self-proclaimed "Mr. Broadway," a veteran of scores of major shows. "I began in 1979 and have produced many West End (London) productions," he said. Their original Broadway musicals and revivals are invariably nominated for Tony and Drama Desk Awards, as well as Olivier Awards when mounted in England.

"Five of our shows have won Tony Awards," said Comley. Those include La Cage Aux Folles (1984), The Will Rogers Follies (1991), Thoroughly Modern Millie (2002), their joint productions of Jay Johnson: The Two and Only (2006), and the current hit, The 39 Steps, last season's winner of the 2007 Tony and Drama Desk Awards for unique theatrical experience. (The show moved to the Helen Hayes Theater.)

This past season, they produced Stephen Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George, and the musical Legally Blonde, with Laura Bell Bundy, which ran almost 600 performances. "We also produced a brief Broadway run of Cyrano de Bergerac (with Kevin Kline and Jennifer Garner) for the PBS series 'Great Performances,' where it aired last month," said Comley.

Lane, a co-owner of the Palace Theater with the Nederlander Organization since the early 1980s, had other achievements. In December, he hosted on Liza's at the Palace, the smash hit, limited run star turn by Liza Minnelli that paid tribute to her marvelous godmother, Kay Thompson. Comley added, "Stew's book, Let's Put on a Show, published last year, has recently been released as a 'how to' on DVD from Working Arts Library."

Besides their work projects, Lane and Comley raise their family - five children ranging in age from 2 1/2 -year-old twins, Lenny and Frankie, to 24-year-old Eli, their eldest daughter who aspires to be a director. The middle children are daughters Harly, a senior in high school, and 11-year-old, Leah.

"We bought our home to encourage togetherness," said Comley. "We make it our home and office for the entire summer, because we like to keep the family together and travel together as much as possible."

Lane's and Comley's passion for theater and life drive them as they navigate what must be quite a bumpy road. Yet they always appear upbeat and colorful, with an enthusiasm that is contagious. The two are larger than life, in the best possible ways. At over six feet tall, Lane has an ever welcoming smile and an extended hand. Comley is a smart articulate woman with a keen sense of humor.

"Bonnie is a bit more risky than myself. I tend to be more conservative. But our spirits balance each other," Lane said. "We share similar tastes," Comley added.

But there's always the question of how life partners work out business challenges and conflicts. "Our biggest challenge is deciding exactly what project to take on and when. When we are working in theater, Bonnie will more readily defer to me and I will more readily defer to her when we work in television," Lane explained. "There is a documentary on horses that Bonnie wants to finish, but that's on the back burner at the moment. We hope to have a rough cut very soon."

"Our top priority right now is Stormy Weather," said Lane. "The musical is based on the life of Lena Horne, and stars Leslie Uggams as the mature Horne. The show is a memory piece with Lena looking back over her life while facing a major decision." The musical, which opened on January 30 at the Pasadena Playhouse in California and received positive notices, includes classic songs by Cole Porter, Harold Arlen & Johnny Mercer, Rodgers & Hart, Jerome Kern, Billy Strayhorn and others.

Back from a trip out West to check up on the show's progress, Lane was excited. "The evening was running long, but the show is an embarrassment of riches and will be trimmed considerably," he said, explaining that this was all a part of the process of out of town tryouts. The show was extended through March 15 and the two are enthusiastic about bringing it to Broadway - something they both agree on.