NR: Do you have anything else coming up?

JH: Yes. If you like the first CD, I have an even better one. This one is called A Christmas Survival Guide. It's using a lot of Christmas songs that you know, and some that you don't know. Oh, by the way, I Love New York won the 1999 Bistro Award and one of the songs won us a MAC Award.

NR: Which song?

JH: It's called "Goodnight New York" that Heather Mac Rae sang. It's a beautiful song. It won the award for Julie Gold. She wrote "From a Distance" - that song that Bette Midler sang and won a Grammy for. She wrote us a song for our Christmas show that Marin Mazzie is singing on our new CD. Instead of my voice being the book narrator, it's going to be Marc Kudisch. Danny Gurwin's one of the singers on it, and Bryan Batt. It has Alice Ripley and Emily Skinner on it, Tim Shew, Heather Mac Rae and Janet Metz, Christiane Noll, and it's really going to be great. We're doing the same thing - taking songs you may or may not know but putting them into a context. Like, "The Twelve Days of Christmas," but it's called "The Twelve Steps of Christmas" and it's about a woman having a little breakdown in the pageant. It's very funny.

NR: It sounds great. When is it coming out?

JH: We're mixing it now. Sometime in the middle of November.

NR: Where will it be? At Colony, or anywhere else?

JH: Yeah, and then it will be on the web at www.ChristmasSurvival.com. It's going to be amazing. "Silver Bells" is a song that we know and Ross Lehman from Epic Proportions is singing "Silver Bells" but it's kind of driving him crazy in the city. It's really fun. Some of them are just straight.

NR: Do you ever think of writing something full scale with a big cast?

JH: Yeah. That's going to be next I think. I'm still with my collaborators. We have different ideas but we have to figure out which road to go down.

NR: Would it be something totally original or an adaptation?

JH: I don't know. I have ideas for both. I'm not sure what it will be. After the Christmas one, and after Pete 'n' Keely, I feel like I'll have enough of a track record to do something big. I also have another show called Mercada and the Talking Stars which is a one-woman show for an African American woman. Phylicia Rashad's agent loved it and gave it for her to do, so I'm hoping that she'll like it and want to do it, or have the time to do it. It's totally different than these silly musical things, but my musical stuff is still never silly. I think that's why I Love New York is so great. It's isn't just people in tuxedos singing "East Side, West Side."

NR: Do you write music also?

JH: No. Just the book really. Some lyrics.

NR: Do you see yourself switching to writing, or will you continue on the stage also?

JH: As long as I feel fulfilled somehow, it doesn't really matter. As long as I feel like I'm being creative. And Pimpernel of course, being in it awhile, it doesn't feed me as much, so it's great that I have these other things. This is what I call my "day job."

NR: How have you reacted to the support of the League?

JH: I was actually thinking about it during the seascape today - I swear to you. I was thinking about the League and I thought that the Internet has really helped the League form. It's sort of like...I have cousins from Buffalo and they follow the Bills all around the country. They go to the games, but the games are on TV. They have their group and they can say, "Did you see the game?..." Ours is live theater, so you have much less people who can say, "Hey, did you see Scarlet Pimpernel or did you see Death of a Salesman?" So, I think it's great that people have a place to go and get a communication going, and support.

NR: It's nice to find out you're not alone.

JH: Yes. I wish it was around when I was young. You learn so much and you feel so much more a part of it. From a little town in Michigan - whoever is "me" now in Michigan - can feel much more connected with the show.

NR: Douglas (Sills) lived pretty close to you probably.

JH: Yes, he did. We used to play him in lacrosse. I used to go to his school to play lacrosse. They usually won - they were better.

NR: The League is over 600 people now, and I would say that the last 100 or 150 that have joined did so with SP3. They never saw the other versions so they don't even have ghosts of old performers in their mind.

JH: I think it's wonderful. Everybody is so nice and has been so supportive. I think it's the best thing that happened to theater, especially this show. I hope that Pete 'n' Keely gets something like it.

NR: It will, because you already have this group.

JH: You know what? That makes me feel great. I have to tell you that. It makes me feel so supported and I don't feel like I'm doing it alone.

NR: That's wonderful. Well, good luck with all of them.

JH: Thanks.

I wish Jim the best of luck with all of his projects. His I Love New York really is a very enjoyable CD, and I'm sure his Christmas Survival Guide will be just as much fun. He has a wonderful ability to gather talented individuals and bring out the best in them. I can't wait to see his efforts brought to life on the stage.

Questions suggested by:

Jan Combopiano, Renee Girard, Kelly Honig, Colleen Rosati, Jan Kolb

Interview conducted and photographs by Nancy Rosati.