The hottest tickets in Northern Westchester this week are the ones in the hands of those lucky enough to have purchased them for Friday’s sold out Harvey Presents: Martin Short with Paul Shaffer in the Lasdon Theater of The Walker Center for the Arts.
Short, the famed actor and comedian, will appear with his longtime friend Shaffer, the musical director of TV’s “Late Show with David Letterman,” at Harvey Friday at 7:30 p.m. The two became friends in 1972 when Shaffer began his professional career as the musical director for the Toronto production of “Godspell” and Short was a member of the cast. Friday night’s show promises to be an entertaining evening of lively chat, music and laughs.
The tickets for the show were sold out in the first 90 minutes of the opening of the box office April 6. There will be no tickets available at the door.
Short, who won an Emmy in 1982 while working on Canada’s “SCTV Comedy Network,” shot to stardom as a member of the cast of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” almost 30 years ago. He became a fan favorite for his portrayal of characters Ed Grimley, Jackie Rogers Jr., lawyer Nathan Thurm and “legendary songwriter” Irving Cohen.
Short made his debut in the film “Three Amigos” and followed with “Inner Space,” “Three Fugitives,” “Clifford,” “Pure Luck” and Tim Burton’s “Mars Attacks” and this year’s "Inherent Vice."
An accomplished stage actor, Short won a Tony and an Outer Critics Circle Award for his role in the revival of “Little Me.” He was also nominated for a Tony and took home an Outer Critics Circle Award for the musical version of Neil Simon’s “The Goodbye Girl.” Short co-wrote and starred in “Fame Becomes Me,” prompting The New York Times to describe Short as “a natural for live musicals, a limber singer and dancer who exudes a fiery energy that makes you want to reach for your sunglasses.” He recently completed a three-month run on Broadway in the Terrence McNally hit, “It’s Only a Play.”
Short, who resides in California, returned to television in an Emmy-nominated role for the miniseries “Merlin” and as host of “The Martin Short Show,” for which he earned seven Emmy nominations. Short also wrote, produced and starred in three comedy specials, winning two Cable ACE awards and an Emmy. In 2001, he launched the critically acclaimed “Primetime Glick,” garnering another five Emmy nominations. Short was nominated for his 19th Emmy award in 2010 for his work as the lawyer Leonard Winstone on the critically acclaimed FX series “Damages.”
Short’s funny and heartfelt memoir, “I Must Say: My Life As a Humble Comedy Legend,” was published in February by HarperCollins and he can currently be seen as the self-centered comedy star and game show host Lou Cannon on the new television series “Mulaney,” airing Sunday nights on FOX. Fans who purchased Meet and Greet tickets will get a complimentary copy of Short’s book.
Shaffer, like Short, was born and raised in Canada. After his work in “Godspell,” Shaffer became a member of the “Saturday Night Live” house band in 1974 and regularly appeared in the show's comedy sketches. He has served as musical director for David Letterman’s late night talk shows since 1982.
Among his many music credits performing with a wide range of recording artists and working on many benefit concerts, Shaffer has served as musical director and producer for the “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame” induction ceremony since its inception in 1986. Shaffer has released two albums, 1989’s “Coast to Coast,” and 1993’s “The World’s Most Dangerous Party.” In 1982, he co-wrote “It’s Raining Men” with Paul Jabara, reaching #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play charts. He won his first Grammy for his participation in the “Earl Scruggs and Friends” tribute album in 2010.
Shaffer has appeared in a number of motion pictures, including “This is Spinal Tap,” “Blues Brothers 2000,” “Scrooged” and “Look Who's Talking Too.” In addition, Shaffer lent his voice to Disney’s animated feature and television series, “Hercules,” as the character Hermes.
Shaffer lives in Westchester with his wife and two children.