Point Park alum thriving on the Great White Way
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Point Park University alumnus Rob Ashford, a director and a Tony Award-winning choreographer, received an honorary doctor of humane letters degree at the university's commencement ceremony May 1.
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Tony-winning director/choreographer Rob Ashford's big week included the opening of "Promises, Promises" on Broadway and giving the commencement speech at his alma mater, Point Park University, on Saturday.
All that, and he managed to dodge a couple of bomb threats, too.
He was in Pittsburgh when a bomb was found just a few blocks from where "Promises, Promises" was playing at the Broadway Theatre at 53rd Street. And he was headed back to New York when there was a bomb threat during the Pittsburgh Marathon.
Talking by phone Monday, he said he hadn't heard about the Pittsburgh threat, but Broadway was still buzzing about the bomb found in Times Square.
He was having dinner here Saturday with family and friends including Beverly Edwards, the company manager for "A Behanding in Spokane," now on Broadway with Christopher Walken and Sam Rockwell.
Ms. Edwards got a call about the Times Square bomb, and the dinner companions began calling and texting everyone they knew in New York to make sure all was well.
Authorities had blocked off an area including "Behanding's" Schoenfeld Theatre on W. 45th Street. "What they allowed them to do was keep the people who were already in the theater or on the street, so they did their show for like, 300-350 people," Mr. Ashford said, "and they had to keep them afterward until the police said it was OK to go. And they ended up taking the whole audience and the cast through the Broadhurst Theatre -- there's a secret door there -- all the way through to 44th Street to get out."
Mr. Ashford was relieved that his excitement this weekend was all about Pittsburgh and Point Park.
The Florida native, 52, is a Class of '83 graduate who won a Tony for his choreography of "Thoroughly Modern Millie." He can bring out the stars, too, and recently directed Rachel Weisz in "A Streetcar Named Desire" at London's Donmar Warehouse, where he has been named associate director.
First Published May 4, 2010 12:00 am
