Andrea Martin on Being the Sexiest Star in Pippin, Her 'Perky' Lady Parts & Choosing a Spa Over Eating in Europe

Andrea Martin is back where she belongs, twirling from a trapeze and belting “No Time at All” in a three-week reprise of her Tony-winning performance as Berthe in Pippin. Broadway’s most gorgeous granny will soon add “author” to her resume, with the September 23 release of Lady Parts (Harper Collins), a collection of reminiscences that almost had a more racy title. Broadway.com got the scoop on all the good things happening in the life of this legendary comic actress.

We can’t wait to read Lady Parts. How did you come up with the title?
It came from Devlin Elliott, who is Nathan Lane’s partner. Give him credit! Steve Martin thought I should call it Perky Tits, after one of the stories I tell, but I was too scared—and Harper Collins said Costco wouldn’t sell the book if I used that.

Uhhh, tell us more about the “Perky Tits” chapter!
It’s about a dinner party with Steve Martin, Marty Short and Eugene Levy. We were talking about my book, and Steve said, “There’s Tina Fey’s Bossypants; why not Andrea Martin’s Perky Tits? It has New York Times bestseller written all over it.”

How did it feel to reflect on your life and career in print?
The book is not really a memoir, it’s autobiographical essays—humorous stories, like Nora Ephron or David Sedaris. But once I started writing, it became clear that the stories would be about things that are important to me, including being a parent. There are stories about squirrels in my attic, about aging, about SCTV. By the end, you do get a sense of who I am.

Are you dishing about Broadway in the book?
I don’t really dish, although there is a chapter called “Old Lady Parts,” since the parts I’ve played on Broadway all seem to have been older women: Golde in Fiddler on the Roof, Frau Blucher in Young Frankenstein, Aunt Eller in Oklahoma! When Pippin came along, I thought, “This really is the last straw. I can’t morph into an old lady in a wheelchair.”

You certainly didn’t. Is there a chapter called “I Was the Sexiest Person in Pippin”?
Dammit, no! But there’s a picture that shows I was the sexiest person in Pippin. I don’t need to say it [laughs].

How does it feel to be back in the show?
It’s wonderful. I’m in New York for three weeks, and then I’m going to L.A. for three weeks to perform at the Pantages, this beautiful old theater in Hollywood, near where my sons live. I raised them there, and I have a lot of friends on the west coast who didn’t get the see the show. I’m going to stay with Sean Hayes and his partner, Scotty, who are like family. I’m really excited.

Was it tough to get back in trapeze-flying shape?
I’d been doing Act One, but that required a different kind of energy. I was dressed in period costumes, so I wasn’t focusing on being fit. When the play ended, I thought I’d have a nice summer, go to Europe and eat! Then [Pippin producer] Barry Weissler called, and I thought, “What’s more motivating for a 67-year-old woman to get in shape than hanging by her ankles 12 feet above the ground in a corset?” So I went to the Golden Door, this beautiful spa and yoga retreat in California, and now I’m in really good shape again.

It must be such a treat to surprise the audience every night with your performance.
Pippin was the most transformative experience of my life. First of all, who would have imagined that at this point I would have the opportunity to learn a new skill on the trapeze? I also wanted to reach out to people my age who might not feel like they have much left to give and say, “We can still look sexy. We can still have energy and change the world.” If you keep yourself healthy and stay curious, there are surprises around every corner.

Speaking of surprises, how’s your love life?
Well, that’s not happening! [Laughs.] But there’s a lovely chapter about dating a younger man, and you should go directly to that.

See Martin in Pippin at through September 21 the Music Box Theatre.