Article January 19, 2009 Issue

KEEPING HIS BANJO IN TUNE

Entertainer Richard Stillman talks about his love of vaudeville.

BY KIM SHIPPEY

HIS BUSINESS CARD mentions his versatility as an actor, musician, singer, tap dancer, and storyteller, and lists some of the 11 instruments he plays. What it doesn't say is: First Reader in a Christian Science branch church in New Jersey (where he recently completed a three-year term); father of two daughters in their 20s; and, husband to a talented woman (whom he met when she was a costume designer in New York City).

I met Richard Stillman this past summer in a private home overlooking the Mystic River in Connecticut. He'd been invited to give what his flier described as "an enticing cabaret about a performer in love with vaudeville."

In the living room he'd laid out a wooden dance mat and a gleaming array of instruments, and had rearranged the chairs to cater for people of all ages, sizes, and musical tastes. In one corner was a dish of water for Poko, the resident black Lab, who wasn't quite sure what was going on!

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