Ken Billington

Smuin would figure out something, and he knew he could deliver on the glitz.

So he got Douglas Schmidt to do the scenery, Willa Kim on the costumes, and the great Ken Billington on lights.

The plan would be that this $4.3 million musical would try out in Los Angeles in August and September of 1983, and then open at the Mark Hellinger Theater on November 10th, 1983, coming in during the iconic season of La Cage aux Folles, Sunday in the Park with George, Baby, The Rink.

Actually, believe it or not, La Cage is one of the main reasons Chaplin doesn't go to Broadway.

Don't believe him? The newspaper said enough to back him up.

The L.A. Times said, They adored Michael Smuin's direction and choreography.

They loved Douglas Schmidt's scenery, Willa Kim's costumes, Ken Billington's lights.

But on the show, they said, quote, not only is the psychologizing pretentious and unnecessary, it backfires.

Pat Collins went to this sort of group of men who are holding on for dear life.

You know, Jules Fisher and Ken Billington.

I mean, I love them both.

But that was like, you know, a whole pack of them.