In the memoir I'm endeavoring to write, I cover some of the notable singers of folk songs who performed in Seattle during the Century 21 Seattle World's Fair in 1962. This often included an opportunity, one way or another, to meet and spend a little time with the visiting performer. This was how about a half-dozen local folk music buffs had a chance to meet and chat with Theodore Bikel.

The next performer was singer, actor, and Renaissance man Theodore Bikel, fresh from a long run as Captain von Trapp in the original cast of the Broadway production of "The Sound of Music." He sang to a capacity crowd in the Opera House. Like his records, particular his live concert record, "Bravo Bikel," he sang songs in many languages, often humorously introduced, and with brief sub-titles when needed. He mentioned that it was nice to be out doing concerts again, having recently escaped from nightly performances "with twenty nuns and seven children."

He described how he decided to take up the guitar. He had a roommate who played the guitar. When the roommate went away, he left no forwarding address—but he did leave his guitar. "That's worse than leaving a woman behind," Bikel said. "A woman can follow. But a guitar can't. So I kept it!"

Once again, there was an opportunity to meet and talk with him, but this was the day after his concert. A record autographing session had been arranged at Campus Music and Gallery in the University District. Nancy Quensé and I both arrived before 2:00 p.m., the appointed time, along with a couple of other people, and there was Bikel, sitting in front of the counter by a big stack of his records waiting to be autographed.

But it seems that someone goofed and the word hadn't got out. Jim Bates, the store owner, apologized profusely about the mix-up. But actually, Bikel seemed relieved to be able to just relax and sit and chat with us. So for about two hours, a half dozen of us sat around in front of the counter with Bikel. A few people wandered into the shop to browse, and looked curiously at this clump of people sitting and gabbing in front of the counter.

Asked about his prodigious skill with languages, Bikel said that he was born in Vienna into a Jewish family, and that by the age of three he was used to switching easily between three languages, Hebrew, Yiddish, and German. With this early start, he seemed to be able to pick up languages easily, and soon learned English and French. He could speak several other languages fluently and could get along in a number of others.

He commented that the new theaters, such as the Opera House and the Playhouse were going to be a real boon to Seattle. Because of its previous lack of really desirable venues, Seattle had a reputation for not been all that attractive to many performers, but the word had already got around about the new performance halls, so performers would be far more eager to come here.
He also remarked that, as nice as the Opera House is, he would actually have preferred to sing in the Playhouse. He liked the intimate feel of the place.

The new Opera House seated 3,100 people. The nearby Playhouse seated 800. Richard Dyer-Bennet opted to do three concerts in the playhouse rather than one concert in the Opera House.

Bikel was a thoroughly charming, knowledgeable man, and nice to just sit and chat with.

As, for that matter, was Richard Dyer-Bennet.

Don Firth