Jan McArt and daughter, Debbi Lawlor, celebrated the life of Jan’s late brother, Dr. Don “Bunny” McArt, at the Wold Performing Arts Center at Lynn University on Friday, Dec. 28. There was no doubt about it, they played to a final sold-out house—ending one of show business’ most unusual and longest running brother and sister acts in the history of theatre.
Jan, while still a teenager, was hired by Rodgers and Hammerstein for the lead in one of the longest running shows of all time, Oklahoma, while Don’s first show was with legendary director George Abbott in Kiss ‘n Tell. Both were constantly working in New York, Hollywood, Europe and the Orient.
Don took time away from his busy career in Los Angeles in 1977 to do the comic lead in The Merry Widow that opened Jan McArt’s Royal Palm Dinner Theatre, and, in 1990 they finally worked together when Don moved to Boca Raton and he became a steady comedy star in all of Jan’s five theatres (Key West, Fort Lauderdale, Miami Beach and two in Boca Raton). He quickly became an audience favorite and, after that, took Say Good Night Gracie on tour.
Don and Jan were scheduled to perform in the premiere of Tony Finstrom’s play reading in the Wold Center on January 14.
At Sunday’s celebration with the music of Finian’s Rainbow were the Atlantic City Boys, the musical duo Dunlap and Pennington, singing actress and cantor Lori Belkin Shapiro, Al Johnson, actress Connie Gould, actor/director Dan Kelley, John Lawlor, Jean Michel Redinger and Dr. Barbara Lunde. Many friends from both the theatre and Don’s ministerial work, along with great-niece and nephew Katharine and Evan Lawlor, enjoyed the impressive program featuring film clips, music and remembrances of Don and excerpts from his favorite show, Finian’s Rainbow.
Caption
Jan and Don “Bunny” McArt in “Merry Widow”