Audrey Landers, American Actress, Singer, and Sarasota Resident, Joins the Club

Robyn Bell: My goodness. Today I get to talk to a movie Star. Many know her name is being synonymous with Afton Cooper, Jr. R Ewing's mistress on the hit television show, Dallas. Others may know her from her role as Val Clark in the film version of a Chorus Line, yet others will recognize her from her many appearances on Happy Days, the Dukes of Hazard Fantasy Island, the Love Bolt, Battlestar Galacia, I must say, as a child of the eighties, these. All of the shows that I watched, but I'm glad you weren't in Heehaw, Audrey.

Audrey Landers: I was. 

Robyn Bell: Oh, you weren't Heehaw. 

Audrey Landers: I actually did one episode of Heehaw. 

Robyn Bell: Well, then I watched you, uh, every show I watched you were in. She created the children's television series, the Huggabug Club in 1996 at Ren for five years. She has her own fashion line. She often guest hosts on the ABC seven Suncoast View program has performed as the feature artist for my Pops orchestra, a thrilling collaboration for me, and she lives right here in Sarasota, Florida. I have invited her on the podcast today to talk about an upcoming performance she has at the Sarasota Opera House on Wednesday, April 19th, that we are all invited to. So Audrey Landers welcome to the Club. 

Audrey Landers: Thank you. It's great to be here. 

Robyn Bell: I have to say, when I told the S SCF Foundation staff that Audrey Landers was coming in today for a podcast interview, they were like movie store. It's very exciting. Lori, who works next door to me, her husband I guess had posters of you everywhere. So, you know, you should probably get this all the time from people. 

Audrey Landers: I love it. Yeah, I do. It's fun. It's fun. Fun. I to to. People and, and I know that you touch their lives in some way. It's amazing. 

Robyn Bell: Yes. I can't tell you, my mom and I would sit on the couch and watch Dallas one night and watch Dynasty the next night, whatever, and all these shows in. You know, as you and I are talking, getting to know each other, like, wow, who would've thought all these years later, our paths crossed in this miraculous way. Music, it's all about music. 

Audrey Landers: It's all about music. That's how my whole world began too. It's music. 

Robyn Bell: Well, let's start with that. I wanna take a few minutes here at the start, , for you to tell us about, How you got your start in the entertainment industry and, and how you went from Philadelphia, where you were born to LA where you did all this fabulous work that we see on our little screens and to Sarasota, Florida.

Audrey Landers: Yeah.

Robyn Bell: How did all this happen?

Audrey Landers: Well, there was a very long pit stop in New York as well. 

Robyn Bell: Okay. Yeah. 

Audrey Landers: Before la the Philadelphia thing. Brief. I just happened to have been born there. Um, and we moved to the New York area when I was about, hmm, I don't know, 5, 6, 7, something like that. But, I always had this. Desire to be in show business. , you know, it sounds funny, but I kind of knew when I was three and four years old. Mm-hmm. You know, you kind of have that in you. And I, recognize that because my sons who are grown, one of them has also had that in his heart and soul from the time he could speak. So I recognize that, my mom, From very, difficult beginnings coming to this country at an early age and learning the language and all that stuff, She did some modeling when I was very little and I would go with her and, , it was there. I'm sure that I said, wow, I wanna do that too. And so, I kind of got the bug and the exposure very young. She then of course, began a, stupendous career in business. No more modeling. She had to support the family. 

Robyn Bell: Sure. 

Audrey Landers: Modeling doesn't do that. 

Robyn Bell: But can I say that the family is you and your sister, Judy? 

Audrey Landers: Right. Okay. And I, I had a father, but he was busy going to school and they were very, very young. And so, uh, after, many years, she . . Was basically a single mom raising us. So. I guess I began doing like school plays and local theater in New York, in the suburbs where we lived. 

Robyn Bell: And you were like, you went to a public school at New York?

Audrey Landers: I did. 

Robyn Bell: Okay. 

Audrey Landers: I did. 

Robyn Bell: And they had arts programs that allowed you to take advantage of that? 

Audrey Landers: They did. Which was, wonderful. They had, uh, school plays and musicals and, , I played the violin very poorly. 

Robyn Bell: But your teachers, the directors of the plays and stuff, you think they saw a little extra special talent in Audrey?

Audrey Landers: I hope they did. Yeah. I mean, I was just very self-motivated and, I, implored my mother to please help me do this. And I secretly ordered a magazine at the time, no internet, of course, nobody can relate to that anymore. I ordered a, a newspaper to be delivered to the house backstage, and I would pour through that at age nine and, and circle any parts that I could possibly be right for.

Robyn Bell: Wow. 

Audrey Landers: And finally I found one. I said, mom, I wanna do this play. Got involved in local theater, a musical, wizard of Oz. Actually, 

Robyn Bell: I was about to ask. All right, good. 

Audrey Landers: And not Dorothy Totto the dog. 

Robyn Bell: You were Toto? 

Audrey Landers: Yes. 

Robyn Bell: All right. All right. I I, I don't see that, but I'm sure it was great.

Audrey Landers: I did become Dorothy towards the end of the run when everybody got sick. Yes. And I was, they were all adults and I was the only child, but I happened to learn everybody's parts. I can do that. I know all her songs and dances, and that was my big break. 

Robyn Bell: And so you continued this process of, performing community theaters in your schools? And we must say you did go to Julliard.

Audrey Landers: I did. Yeah. I went to Julliard, but I started writing songs like at about 11. 

Robyn Bell: Okay. Piano. Guitar. 

Audrey Landers: Guitar. That was my . First instrument. Started out with poetry. What actually happened was jump forward a few years early teens. I got the part. In a soap opera called The Secret Storm. Ancient News. Ancient. But they wrote my character in, I looked the part, so they assumed I sang and played the guitar, long hair split down the middle. They assumed. Of course she does. I picked up the script one day and he said, Joanna sings and plays. And we had like three days ahead. I said, what do I do? It says Joanna sings and plays guitar. She said, well, we better buy a guitar. And that was sort of the genesis of me writing music because I couldn't learn anything. I had a bunch of poems and I put them to music and it went over so well that that continued for the next year or so. That's what my character did on that show. Moved on to my next character on Somerset, another soap opera where I, again, was written in, I got to write new little folk songs and, play them, perform them in the show. And it was pretty much live TV in those days. And then came the big soap opera Dallas. Wow. And sure enough, they wrote me in again as a singer. It was crazy. I was backstage first, or second day on the set, and you know, it's a very intimidating. Well established show to have jumped into. So I was trying to keep my focus and I was backstage during lunch hour, found a piano. I said, okay. When I played the piano, it calms me. And by this time, okay, I have jumped ahead a few years. I have gone to Columbia University, I have gone to Julliard. I do play the piano now. Okay. 

Robyn Bell: Right. And, but you, you've got a degree in psychology. Right. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, we're not, people kind of see you as a, actress and a poster on a wall, but let's, not leave out the really important stuff for Audrey Landers. I mean, she's an accomplished academic and an actress and well-trained and, you know, it's all inclusive package here.

Audrey Landers: Yeah. I did study psychology. I started out as. Pre-med and switched over. But anyway, so on Dallas, I'm on the set and it's very quiet. Oh, thank goodness. There's a piano there. And so I gravitate to that little corner and I start, hmm, just focusing on something I'm writing, trying not to, think about the enormity of this show that I've just jumped into.

Robyn Bell: Right. 

Audrey Landers: And, Sure enough, the producer comes by carrying his lunch and he says, oh, what, what are you playing? I said, oh, it's just something I'm working on. I write songs and you know, I, I enjoy that. He said, oh, sounds beautiful. Next script I get. I'm a singer and it was so awesome, and so I got to write all the songs that my character Afton sang in the series.

Robyn Bell: That's really amazing. Yeah. And you don't think about that as someone that watches any kind of show on TV that after you're already cast, you're already doing something. They see a talent you have and they write for it.

Audrey Landers: It was incredible Going back, I had had a hit record very little in the US when I was a teenager, a country song. Something I wrote and it got to top 20 and it was very cool. But from there I went on to do soaps and didn't continue on that path. And it wasn't until Dallas became a worldwide hit that a producer in Europe saw me singing, approached my mom, who was my manager, and said, does she really? And you know, 

Robyn Bell: this is for real. Yeah. 

Audrey Landers: Yeah. Because, you know, you never know there's a lot of smoke and mirrors on tv. 

Robyn Bell: True. 

Audrey Landers: And so she said, yeah, as a matter of fact, and he was in LA at the time and I was too, she has a dress rehearsal for her Vegas act and it's here in la. You wanna come sit in on it. And so he did. And next thing I knew he said, let's work together. And he signed me to a record deal, which was out of Germany. 

Robyn Bell: And you have a really big fan base in Germany, and it's because of this, that happened back then, right?

Audrey Landers: It is, yeah, it is. And I've had decades of hits there, most of them in English. I wrote most of them. And then we branched out, we did songs in Spanish. I did a Spanish duet with a very famous Spanish artist named Camillo c. Who recently passed away, and we did, German covers and originals that I would write the English and somebody else would write the German. And actually Daniel, my son Yeah. Who's all grown up now. Right. The one I mentioned earlier who has always had that in his heart and soul. , I had taken a break from my recording career in Europe. , I'm taking a break from LA as well. Moved to Sarasota and I said, it just, you know, I want a quieter life. I wanna raise my kids. And then my record company said, Hey, would you consider, doing another album? And I said, you know, been there, done that, did the touring, did all that stuff. And I don't think so. They said, well, what would it take? I said, look, Okay, we can record another album if we do it between hours of nine and three. Because I take my children to school in the morning and I pick them up in the afternoon and we have to do it in Sarasota. And this was quite a few years ago, and there weren't a lot of options for recording studios. We found some. And I said, and you know, I need to change my image. You know, I've had a couple decades of this kind of, euro pop and teenybopper audience and so forth. I said, I'm a mom now, right? So we're gonna do an album of mother, son duets. With my nine year old son. 

Robyn Bell: Wow. 

Audrey Landers: And we did. And he became the darling for all the grandmas in Europe. And uh, so it was something he was great at and he could speak languages Whoa. For a little kid. Amazing. And, He obviously he could sing really well, especially for his age. And so we recorded these albums and his career kind of branched off and oddly enough, Daniel started writing songs at also about age 11. , and his songs were really good, and I realized that this little niche that he was in, it's called Schlager music in German. 

Robyn Bell: Okay. But

Audrey Landers: it's kind of like folksy. But he was writing really good pop rock stuff. At age 11. I said no more of that for you. You are going to separate this little connection here. You've gotta go out on your own. It's so good. So he, Formed a band. He did all the county fairs to Florida State fairs. This little kid with this big voice and 

Robyn Bell: Wow. 

Audrey Landers: Grown up band behind him. Yeah.

Robyn Bell: And we should say you have twin boys. 

Audrey Landers: I do,

Robyn Bell: yes. Adam and Daniel, as we were saying 

Audrey Landers: Yeah.

Robyn Bell: And they went to the Pine View School in Sarasota. You put all them through public school.

Audrey Landers: Yeah.

Robyn Bell: Here 

Audrey Landers: we are so lucky to have such a wonderful. 

Robyn Bell: And then Daniel ends up going to Miami. Right. Frost School of Music. 

Audrey Landers: Exactly. 

Robyn Bell: He gets a degree. And Adam, where did he go to college? 

Audrey Landers: He went to Duke. 

Robyn Bell: He went to Duke. That's right. Now he has followed a different path. He's kind of like the business. Also very creative, but the business mind of the two boys. And Daniel is the entertainment mind of the two boys. 

Audrey Landers: Yeah, exactly. He's an EVP of strategy in an international media company. 

Robyn Bell: And they're both in New York 

Audrey Landers: pretty much, but they both come home. Often as can be. 

Robyn Bell: Yeah. 

Audrey Landers: And it's so, it's wonderful 

Robyn Bell: and I know you're really, really proud of them. And, uh, Daniel and I are Facebook friends and so I, I keep up with all of his shenanigans. I say shenanigans cuz I'll be like, look at this modeling thing he just did. Look at these photos. I mean, yeah. He's just the most beautiful man I've ever, ever seen. 

Audrey Landers: Aw. 

Robyn Bell: And I'm not saying it's just you're here, like, he looks just like his mother. 

Audrey Landers: Oh. 

Robyn Bell: Uh, and I mean, Listen, Adam, if you're listening, you are a very handsome man yourself. Don't get don't. 

Audrey Landers: No, he is. No question about it. 

Robyn Bell: Yes. Yes. So what made you land in Sarasota with these two kids? And your mom lives here, your sister lives here. Everybody lives here. 

Audrey Landers: Okay. So when we were in la, we created and wrote a children's TV series called the Huggabug Club. And. It became pretty successful on public television. And we were invited to Sarasota to do a live show of it. And I said, okay, I better write a live show. And we did. And of course, that show went on to tour the country. Okay. But this was our first stop and we came to Sarasota. Fell in love with it. And you know, I kind of divided my life into decades and chapters, and I had done the New York chapters through college and soap operas and stuff, and then I had done a couple of decades in LA and I just thought, you know, I wanna raise my kids. In a different environment, and I've been there and done that too. So I wanna start fresh as a mom came to Sarasota with no intention of continuing my career path and then said, but 

Robyn Bell: yeah, like maybe like a retirement.

Audrey Landers: Kind of just like, not really retirement, but just kind of refocus for a few years on family only. Mm-hmm. Which lasted about five minutes. And, and, uh, our whole, my sister and her family, and of course my mom, uh, we all sold our homes in Beverly Hills and moved here like the Beverly Hillbillies, you know? 

Robyn Bell: No, hardly.

Audrey Landers: And, I said, wow, this is beautiful. I don't know any movies that have been set here. So we went on to write this wonderful little family film called Circus Island based in Sarasota, but that was how long it took about literally months before we said, no, no, no, we have to do this here. And we did a movie here and then, you know, the world opened up and we could continue work from here. So that, was. My choice. I continued fostering my music career. Mm-hmm. Which I still had to go on tour every now and then, but, 

Robyn Bell: This place has been a real nice home for your family. 

Audrey Landers: It has been, yeah. 

Robyn Bell: And a lot of people say, oh, I moved here for the arts kind of Audrey, you are the arts, but do you. And I think it's tough when you're as public as you are to just kind of go out and enjoy stuff. But do you get to sort of the cultural arts offerings that we have here? 

Audrey Landers: Yes. I mean, to think we have such wonderful theaters here and performing arts centers and the pops orchestra. I mean, just, no, I'm not, I'm just, I'm not, I, I'm sincere.

Robyn Bell: Yes. 

Audrey Landers: That is really an incredible, incredible. Organization and 

Robyn Bell: yeah. Thanks. 

Audrey Landers: And you do such a good job, Robyn. I mean, to think we have it here at our doorstep, you know?

Robyn Bell: Right. Yeah. No, yeah. 

Audrey Landers: And the Opera House, yes. The Opera House. Opera House. 

Robyn Bell: The Opera House. So that sort of leads me to my next topic of your current projects, because someone like you, And you know, I don't, I'm not gonna put myself in your category, but someone like you and someone like me, we don't stay idle. There's always something we are working on. 

Audrey Landers: Mm-hmm. 

Robyn Bell: So I'm sure you have a lot of things going right now and juggling. So tell us about your current projects.

Audrey Landers: Oh goodness. Okay. Well, I mentioned a few times now Daniel. 

Robyn Bell: Yes. 

Audrey Landers: Who is my, really my collaborative partner, creative partner, and business partner. Now, look, for decades it's been my mom who's been my business partner and many, many ventures, whether it's film production, TV production, she would go on tour with me. So we were, a pretty darn good team. And it was a great example for me and for my son and, uh, so we work together now, third generation. And, um, he, and I have written, we're developing several different projects and one of them is a dark pop musical film 

Robyn Bell: Wow. 

Audrey Landers: For which he wrote all of music and has produced the songs in his own catalog. He has over 250 songs he's written and produced. and I wrote the screenplay for this. And we've gotten some really wonderful, feedback and Daniel is presently in LA for just a short trip because it came about suddenly when, when the interest arises, you jump, 

Robyn Bell: yeah. What time should I be there, right? 

Audrey Landers: Yeah. He basically did that, jumped on a red eye and was there and, 

Robyn Bell: well, okay. In, in writing this mm-hmm. Dark pop, musical film. Are you able, I mean, you know, so you've been in the business for so long, you have a lot of connections. Are you able to connect people or do you try to let the world sort of work the way it's supposed to? 

Audrey Landers: We have certain relationships of course, throughout the years, but in this particular, genre, it's all new. Mm-hmm. And Daniel, we are out there, we've had a lot of interest in also making it into a theatrical stage, Musical. And so there's just so many possibilities and, now that we've put it out there, we are, experiencing, Just great reactions and people reaching out saying, okay, we can get funding from here. Do you wanna do it this way?

Robyn Bell: And I think people would be surprised, Audrey, when you say, I have written a script, we have all the songs. It could be a, a Broadway musical, it could be a film. 

Audrey Landers: Both,

Robyn Bell: it could be, yes. You could, you could do both. Mm-hmm. So what does it take? Financially to get a, project like that to the world? 

Audrey Landers: Well, you need to either, this is like a strategy session right now.

Robyn Bell: Sure. 

Audrey Landers: You either have to have a streaming network. Say, okay, give it to us and we'll run the whole show. 

Robyn Bell: Netflix, Hulu, whatever. 

Audrey Landers: Amazon, 

Robyn Bell: Amazon, 

Audrey Landers: apple. We'll take it from you. Maybe take it 

Robyn Bell: right. 

Audrey Landers: We will, uh, 

Robyn Bell: you would sell it to them. 

Audrey Landers: It's something like that.

Robyn Bell: Okay. 

Audrey Landers: We relinquish a lot of creative, control if we did that. But if you are with good partners and you trust them, that's okay. So that's one way. And then they would just take over the project, cast it, fund it. With it, what they see fit. And then you can go the independent route, which, my background and my mom, , we produced many independent films, you know? But it was a little, little different world then. But that's the world. 

Robyn Bell: You keep the creative advantage that way. 

Audrey Landers: Yeah. You do. And you work with the distributors. Mm-hmm. And you work with those streamers and you say, now I have the. Would you like it? 

Robyn Bell: Right. 

Audrey Landers: So there are just different ways to go about it and we're exploring all of them.

Robyn Bell: But when I, you know, and when you watch the Academy Awards or you hear there's some film coming out, they go, this took $300 million to produce. You know what I mean? It's like, 

Audrey Landers: no, no, no, no. 

Robyn Bell: Nuts. We just, right. So your project's not, not gonna be quite that expensive. 

Audrey Landers: No, 

Robyn Bell: but we're not talking about like, like we have the Sarasota Film Festival here in. And we have interviewed people on the podcast that maybe can produce a film for $300,000, something like that. But this is really a big time production that you guys have done.

Audrey Landers: Well, it's, it's bigger than the $300,000. 

Robyn Bell: Sure. 

Audrey Landers: Just because we are attracting name talent. Mm-hmm. So before when we were trying to do it for 3 million and under, or even a million and under, which was a stretch. Then we put the film out there and all of a sudden we had interest from A list talent who are reviewing the script and we realize now we've gotta get a bigger budget going. 

Robyn Bell: Right. 

Audrey Landers: And it works very well in that way for the distributor and producers who have funded it because they have more assurance to get their money back if you have an A-list, or two at least in the film. So, it's very, we've gone up to under 10 million now. 

Robyn Bell: Wow. 

Audrey Landers: When we were at the one to 3 million range, we weren't getting as much traction. Mm-hmm. But as soon as we upped it and we got, you know, we have managers who are giving us letters of intent now for their clients. Now we're attracting more funds, bigger funds, and it's still not a greatest Showman 189 million, budget now. Totally. You know, but when you say musical, that's immediately where everyone's brain goes, oh my God. You know, rent or West Side story or No, no, no, no, no. This is still a small, independent film with a minimal cast and,

Robyn Bell: well, I can't wait to see the final product. I, I think you, you have shared some more information with me than we have on this podcast about it, and it's a fascinating plot and storyline. The music. Fabulous. 

Audrey Landers: Thank you. 

Robyn Bell: Fabulous. And I know things take time, but you guys are working tirelessly to get it off the ground, so I'm I'm your biggest cheerleader there for certain. 

Audrey Landers: Oh, thank you so much. 

Robyn Bell: Now you have another current project coming up here in Sarasota. 

Audrey Landers: I do 

Robyn Bell: the Ear Research Foundation. Their Hear and Now Oil Barron's Ball. It's their annual performance gala fundraiser. All of the proceeds benefit the mission and programs of the Ear Research Foundation and their website says it is a night filled with eighties Texas glamor. And that just says Audrey Landers all over it. Right? Eighties, Texas glamorous. So tell us about this performance and how you got hooked in to be the performer for this gala 

Audrey Landers: well, some of the people on the board are fans. 

Robyn Bell: Okay. 

Audrey Landers: And they reached out and I said, yeah, uh, we can do this. Yeah. And, so the show is, a combination of lots of fun, fun music. Of course, we focus on, the Great American songbook. Okay. But I have my take on it, of course. A little jazzy different take. , and then I, I can't help but perform some of my favorites, Motown and Carol King. A little Elvis. Of course we have a, so it's fun. And what's really special is Daniel is gonna fly in the night before and we are gonna introduce just a few snippets of the songs from our film.

Robyn Bell: Okay. 

Audrey Landers: It will be the first time that anybody has ever heard them. Except for you, Robyn. Oh, yeah. Well, yeah, 

Robyn Bell: but I'm not sharing them with anybody.

Audrey Landers: No, but like, as a live performance, this will be the first time. So, um, oh, cool. We're excited to hear the audience reaction to it and, share a little bit of the story with them, but that's just a little interlude while I go change into something more spectacular.

Robyn Bell: You have to have. Change, Audrey? 

Audrey Landers: I do.

Robyn Bell: Yeah. It was funny because I went to a Diana Ross show in Chicago. I, I was flying to Chicago for a conference and I got in the night early. And I just, I don't know something, you know how your phone just knows whatever town you're in? And it said Diana Ross tonight at eight o'clock. And I went, what? I was by myself. I said, oh, there's one ticket right there for $80. I was un unbelievable, Audrey. So anyway, her opening act was her daughter and her daughter's band. Totally. Yeah. It was, it was fantastic. Wow. Anyhow, that was quite a, a show. 

Audrey Landers: Oh, I love Diana ross. She was one of my greatest influences.

Robyn Bell: I bet. 

Audrey Landers: You know, especially for the blues stuff from like, lady Sings the Blues. 

Robyn Bell: Yes. Yeah. Well, a lot of these tunes, I have to say, we just had, Joan Ellison with the Pops and she has been reconstructing Judy Garland's original arrangements, and there's an arrangement, like a medley we do called, Judy at the Palace. Hmm. And in the middle of that medley is My Man. And I say that because every time we got to that, In rehearsals. I thought of you because I didn't even know the tune until you performed with us. 

Audrey Landers: Yeah.

Robyn Bell: And here, here's this thing, My Man and I, I almost can't hear it without hearing your wonderful version of it. So, 

Audrey Landers: well, thank you. 

Robyn Bell: Are you, are you performing that one? 

Audrey Landers: I am.

Robyn Bell: Nice 

Audrey Landers: because of course I tie it into the whole Dallas theme. Yes. And so we do talk a little bit about Dallas, uh, to the audience 

Robyn Bell: now you have a little backup group, bass, drums, piano, 

Audrey Landers: and synth 

Robyn Bell: and synthesizer. Alright, tell us who's performing with you.

Audrey Landers: Well, first of all, Don Brynn is going to be the musical director 

Robyn Bell: right here at the Piano state College of Florida, Don Bryn. Don Brynn is the music program manager, and he teaches piano. And he does a wonderful job. So I'm glad to see he's on, on your team for this. 

Audrey Landers: Oh, he is so talented. So talented. And you know, the music sounds great already. We've only had a rehearsal together. One. 

Robyn Bell: Yeah. Um, but it's not anything he can't play. 

Audrey Landers: No. Amazing. Mm-hmm. Makes everything sound good. 

Robyn Bell: He does. And so the rest of the band Don has put together and he's rehearsing them separately, and then you guys will throw this together with the whole group before the show. 

Audrey Landers: One time. 

Robyn Bell: One time. Yeah. It's, that is pretty amazing. And these arrangements, if I remember right, if they're similar to what we did, I mean, these were done for you specialized when you had your Vegas show. I don't know how many years ago that was, but you have had these in your possession. They're very treasured charts, right? 

Audrey Landers: They are. Nobody really understands what that means. Boxes and boxes. Did Robyn, have you ever heard of Onion Skins? 

Robyn Bell: Yes. I, yes. The paper that crumbled. Yes. 

Audrey Landers: Well, that's how the original charts were written because it doesn't disintegrate or something like that.

Robyn Bell: Yeah. 

Audrey Landers: You know, 

Robyn Bell: but now they scan it all in and it's just a digital file, but

Audrey Landers: oh, it's so much better. 

Robyn Bell: Wow. 

Audrey Landers: So much better. Because you don't freak out about, oh my God, this musician ran off with this chart. Now what am I gonna do?

Robyn Bell: Yeah. We, as a matter of fact, here's. Behind the scenes insider trading, as I call it at our Judy Garland Show. We just did between the two shows overnight. Our saxophone player who had multiple solos, he says he can't find his music, so I think he put it on top of his car in his folder and then drove off. Cuz he still, today he doesn't, so a half hour before the second show, he goes, I, I am so sorry to have my music. Joan had her iPad and then Dropbox and we were able to print the parts in two seconds. 

Audrey Landers: Yeah, see that's, the beauty of this digital age because that other stuff is 

Robyn Bell: just, uh, onion skin. I never thought I'd heard that term. It doesn't even smell like onion.

Audrey Landers: I have no idea. I did a box somewhere and. Storage. I have no idea, but it says on the box, onion skins. I'm going, what the heck is that? 

Robyn Bell: Well, this performance, I wanna tell you, $450. It sounds like a lot of money, but it's for a great cause, and that gets you a cocktail hour dinner. In the courtyard of the Sarasota Opera House Premium up front and close seating for the show starring you, Audrey Landers. Mm-hmm. And there's an exclusive after party on the second floor of the Opera House. To go to the show, not necessarily the dinner and the after party. Yeah, Those tickets range from 30 to $155 and for students at the State College of Florida, because of our connection with Don Bryn and maybe students at New College and Ringling, all those, we do have some special pricing and so if you go on the website, we can find out more information about that. So it depends on where you wanna sit, but uh, you've got a wide range of tickets there. The Opera House, there's not a bad seat in the house, now how often. Do you get to perform with Daniel? 

Audrey Landers: not often enough. 

Robyn Bell: Sure. 

Audrey Landers: Okay. We love to perform together, and honestly, we have not, in, uh, quite a long time, so this will be very special for us as well. 

Robyn Bell: He's gonna perform while you're changing. Costumes. 

Audrey Landers: We're gonna do one, we're gonna do a duet.

Robyn Bell: Cool. 

Audrey Landers: Of course. Yeah. Uh, then he'll do a couple of songs, by hi himself and give a little backstory to them. And of course, he's written them all. And, then I'll come back on stage and he'll join me for an encore. 

Robyn Bell: Oh, nice. We'll have to stay around for that. Mm-hmm. Okay. I have a couple of rapid fire questions for you.

Audrey Landers: Okay. I'm ready. All right. Ready? 

Robyn Bell: All right. JR or Bobby Ewing. 

Audrey Landers: Jr. 

Robyn Bell: Good answer. Good answer. All right. New York City or Sarasota? 

Audrey Landers: Ah, that's a tough one, but I'll have to say Sarasota cuz I'm here.

Robyn Bell: Yes, of course. Now downtown Sarasota is getting to look a lot like New York City where the, those buildings are getting so big, there's no sunshine coming in. Aw. All right. This one I think's gonna be really. Tennis shoes. Flip flops or high heels. 

Audrey Landers: High heels. That wasn't that hard, 

Robyn Bell: You don't get dressed every day in your high heels though. Come on. 

Audrey Landers: Oh, how do you know? Okay. I, I'm sure that I walk my dogs in high heels and, and a faux fur coat. 

Robyn Bell: And your neighbors are like, there she goes again. Okay. Ooh, this one might be hard. West Side story or Hamilton. 

Audrey Landers: Hamilton. 

Robyn Bell: Oh, I think so too. It's coming to Sarasota at Van Wezel next season. 

Audrey Landers: Oh, exciting. 

Robyn Bell: Yeah. I gotta gotta get your tickets. All right. A day at the museum or a day at the beach 

Audrey Landers: day. At the beach. 

Robyn Bell: But what's great about Sarasota, 

Audrey Landers: you have the museum. Yeah. It's gorgeous. I love that museum. 

Robyn Bell: If you come here on vacation and it's a rainy day, or red tide is bad. So what you got lots to do in the museum district? 

Audrey Landers: You know what? in any case, that's a really special museum and it doesn't take the whole day to get through it. It's just so magnificent. 

Robyn Bell: Yep. The John, the John Ringling Museum. Yep. Yep. And we also have the new Sarasota Art Museum, which is more cont 

Audrey Landers: I haven't been there? 

Robyn Bell: Oh, we should go. 

Audrey Landers: Okay.

Robyn Bell: They have a great little lunch spot and yeah, 

Audrey Landers: let's do it. 

Robyn Bell: It'll be fun. Fun day. Fun day out with Audrey. Okay. This one is the toughest one. I ask all my guests this, so if you need to think about it, I completely understand roundabouts or stop lights, 

Audrey Landers: stop lights. Did I need to think about that? Just getting here was ridiculous. And to look in the people's eyes, everybody, everyone in their car has this look of panic. Like, do I go now? Do I go now? When do I go? Oh, I'm going, ah, 

Robyn Bell: nobody knows. 

Audrey Landers: I dunno why they did that to our wonderful city. 

Robyn Bell: I know , okay. Someone did describe to me that at a stoplight, your brain kind of goes dead. You don't have to think much. You might pick up your phone, but at a roundabout it's all systems go and your brain is firing because you gotta. Pay so close attention. So that's the only positive I've gotten out of it so far. 

Audrey Landers: Um, okay. 

Robyn Bell: Alright. Well congratulations Audrey Landers. You are now officially part of the club. So if our listeners wanna follow you in your career, what's the best way for them to do that? 

Audrey Landers: I have Instagram, Audrey Landers official. 

Robyn Bell: Okay. 

Audrey Landers: And that's a good one. I do have a Facebook, fan page. And 

Robyn Bell: you have a website? 

Audrey Landers: I do, but I have to update it. 

Robyn Bell: I know, right?

Audrey Landers: Oh, I'm so bad at that. 

Robyn Bell: Me too. Someone told me just the other, you gotta update your website. I was like, Ugh.

Audrey Landers: Yeah. I'm like really on my Instagram more than anything else. 

Robyn Bell: That's a great platform, isn't it? 

Audrey Landers: Yeah. It's fun. You could put videos up there. You can. Yeah. You know, 

Robyn Bell: they've recently changed us. You could do videos.

Audrey Landers: Yeah.

Robyn Bell: Mm-hmm. Do you do TikTok? 

Audrey Landers: No, 

Robyn Bell: I don't either. 

Audrey Landers: Oh, 

Robyn Bell: Twitter, 

Audrey Landers: not much anymore. 

Robyn Bell: Yeah. Twitter's kind of a mean place. 

Audrey Landers: Yeah. I just, I, I like my Instagram. I hear, you know, I can grab photos and put them up and stories are fun and I can share them and Yeah. You know, Daniel and I sometimes collaborate on stories, 

Robyn Bell: I see a lot of. About you through Daniel's postings. He's, he's your number one fan, I think, for certain. Yeah. And I think you, him? 

Audrey Landers: Yeah, I think so. I think so. 

Robyn Bell: He's, he's really making him himself a name though, so I will put links to all of those in our show notes so that people that are listening to this on the web. They don't have to go hunt you down. They can just click and go right there. So, friends, you need to get your tickets to the Ear Research Foundation's Hear and Now, Oil Baron's Ball on Wednesday, April 19th to hear Audrey Landers perform along with her son Daniel Landers and SCF's own music faculty member Don Bryn on piano. You can get those tickets by going to. rf.org. That's E A R rf.org/hear and now, but it's spelled H e a r. They're so clever hear. And now having worked with Audrey before, I can tell you she puts on an amazing show. Audrey, you are the consummate and seasoned performer, and I'm thrilled that you were able to take time to come visit with me. I just treasure our friendship and can't wait to work together again very soon. Please give your precious mother a hug from me too. 

Audrey Landers: Aw, thank you so much. This has been so much fun. Robyn.