While many college students may not be familiar with Carol Channing, she's coming to UCO's Mitchell Hall Theatre anyway, for a one-night only performance on Oct. 22.
Channing is perhaps best known for her 1964 Tony Award-winning role as Dolly Levi in "Hello Dolly!"
Since then she has appeared in several movies, countless television shows, at nightclubs, has recorded ten gold albums and has the distinction of unseating the Beatles on the record charts in 1964, with her original cast recording of "Hello Dolly," according to her biography.
And the good news for UCO students is that on the day of the show, a limited number of leftover balcony tickets to the Broadway Tonight event will be available for $5 from 10 to 5 p.m. at the theater box office.
As to what to expect for the evening's entertainment, Channing's publicist Harlan Boll said the 83-year-old performer's one-woman show, "The First Eighty Years are the Hardest," will include singing, dancing and maybe even a few surprises.
"Carol says it is the most interesting role she has ever played, because she is herself and every show learns a little more about herself," Boll said. "She says that the unusual thing about this show is that the audience is actually the director. No two shows are ever truly the same since the audience can redirect her by simply yelling something out."
Before Channing hit the road for an eight-city tour in October, followed by a nine-month scheduled tour in November, UCO's Susan Reger interviewed her over the phone for the Broadway Tonight magazine, "Marquee."
"She (Channing) is bright and witty and extremely energetic and upbeat," Reger said. "She had story after story to tell and I wish I could have talked with her longer; she's very personable and charming and really funny."
Far from retiring, Boll said that Channing is booked for shows in the U.S. and abroad, through the end of the year into next year.
"I can tell you the requests far exceed the ability she has to do them," Boll said.
Now as to why a college student might be interested in seeing the show, Boll described Channing as a non-pitch client whose audiences cross the bounds of age, race and gender.
"Her audiences are so wide and varied," Boll said. "The only other artist I ever worked with who had that kind of appeal was my ten years with Bob Hope."
"I can tell you that more than 25% of our requests that come in for Carol are from schools, from elementary up to universities," Boll said. "Even if they (students) didn't know who Carol Channing was, the rich, humorous, educational aspect of entertainment history that Carol imparts is priceless."
And for $5, students can bone up on their show business history and have a few laughs with a living legend for less than the price of lunch in the Nigh University Center.
Boll said that Channing is just as enthusiastic about her stop in Oklahoma as she is about each and every performance.
"Whenever she is asked what her favorite performance is, she says the next one," Boll said. "I truly think she has a love affair with her audiences?They can never get enough of her and if there weren't time restraints I sometimes think she would never leave the stage with so much knowledge and talent to share."
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