Don Schaffer
May 28, 1939 – July 21, 2021
Remembering a best friend of cabaret
By John Hoglund
Angels come in many forms; some have halos, others are just good guys. The cabaret community lost one of those good guys with the passing of Don Schaffer on July 21, 2021. His friend and Broadway legend Chita Rivera once described him as “the best friend a performer could ever have” (1999 Cabaret Hotline interview).
Don was a friend and mentor to many in the schizo world of cabaret and entertainment. His story began in Pittsburgh in 1939. For years, he taught elementary English there as well as in West Lafayette, Indiana, and Windsor, Connecticut. One day, he made the decision to follow his heart; he left academia behind, retired early and moved to New York where he surrounded himself with music and performers. This challenge allowed him to pursue his passion which was rooted in the Great American Songbook. Shortly thereafter, his world became filled with rising and established artists as he discovered the world of Manhattan night clubs. For a while, he managed established singers such as Jill Corey and the legendary Margaret Whiting. Later, he would manage jazz icon Blossom Dearie and became the booking manager of Danny’s Skylight Room on Restaurant Row until its closing in 2006. The list of singers he booked at the club is as impressive as it is extensive.
Don’s professional association with Margaret Whiting was part of a 40-year friendship. In the early 1990s, he opened his own public-relations office and devoted himself to numerous clients in cabaret. His last official club affiliation was with the Broadway Comedy Club on West 53rd Street where he helped launch a new cabaret series and piano bar (Broadway Baby Bistro) at the multi-room club (the cabaret space is currently renamed 53 Above at Broadway Comedy Club). He presented the off-Broadway revue Our Sinatra in the main showroom as well as the late Broadway star BJ Crosby in a rare cabaret engagement. Such was his respect within the community he supported that many artists he represented were reviewed in major publications including The New York Times. Don was honored with a prestigious Back Stage Bistro Award in 2007 for Outstanding Cabaret Achievement at Danny’s Skylight Room.
During his years at Danny’s, he presented another jazz legend in a cabaret setting, Annie Ross. Other unique bookings included such seasoned performers as John Wallowitch & Bertram Ross, Charlie Cochran, David Allyn and Joanne Beretta. KT Sullivan was one of many acclaimed singers who made their New York cabaret debut at the club. Don was instrumental in launching the cabaret careers of Maude Maggart and Barbara Brussell which led to successful engagements at the Oak Room at The Algonquin. He also presented Chip Deffaa’s acclaimed George M. Cohan revues as well as The Johnny Mercer Jamboree, for which Ms. Whiting was a consultant.
After a fall in his West Village duplex (that he shared with George Sanders and Shawn Curran) led to physical complications, Don was no longer able to safely climb stairs. He spent his last years in rehab and assisted-nursing facilities where old friends and associates would visit or call. He resided at The New Jewish Home in Manhattan for several years until his passing on July 21. Funeral arrangements were private.
On his passing, multi-talented song and dance man Jon Petersen (who starred on Broadway as the emcee in Cabaret and in Chip Deffaa’s show The George M. Cohan Revue at Danny’s) said, “He was such a lovely and wise man; a really wonderful man. He was so kind to me and so generous and always giving, giving, giving. I always called him Uncle Don. If he was my real uncle, he couldn’t have been closer to family and to me. I will never forget him.”
Social media and Facebook overflowed with loving tributes to the man who had no boundaries when it came to offering such benevolent support to the performers he so loved. “Don Schaffer was one of the most supportive and fun-loving people I knew,” said powerhouse entertainer Mark Nadler, who formed a great personal and professional relationship that lasted for decades. “Whenever he was in the audience, if I did a number that scored, he would yell out my name in a congratulatory tone. It made me feel like the most important performer on the planet. He made everyone feel that way. He was all enthusiasm and all love—all the time.” Cabaret star and director of the Mabel Mercer Foundation KT Sullivan a longtime personal friend reflected: “Don was just there with his big, ebullient presence when my career in New York City began at Danny’s Skylight Room. As Peggy Lee told Don (seated in the first row) and her entire audience at one of her last performances at The Ballroom, ‘You give good face.’ As someone who loves doing comedic material, I not only appreciated his uninhibited expressions but his hearty laugh. He later escorted his pal Margaret Whiting to my first opening night at The Algonquin. There was never a more supportive, kinder, joyous, and generous person in my personal and professional life than Don Schaffer. I sing “With a Song In My Heart for You”—our irreplaceable Don.”
Respected author James Gavin looked back on his old friend: “I adored Don. He lived for cabaret, believed wholeheartedly in its importance, and put up with anything in order to present the performers he loved in the humble back room setting of Danny’s. He gave us Blossom Dearie for (I believe) eight years, and tolerated no end of Blossom’s craziness in order to make those magical shows happen. He was a gentle giant with the smiling face of a small-town postman; physically, he could have stepped out of The Andy Griffith Show, but here he was in New York, booking all these sophisticated singers and acting as a cabaret Ziegfeld as he fought to bring attention to younger singers he believed in, notably Barbara Brussell. He was equally dedicated to turning a spotlight on veteran singers he loved—Jill Corey, David Allyn, Bobbe Norris, Joanne Beretta, Charlie Cochran, Trudy Richards. Don was an eternally good-natured, positive, loyal, and tenacious guy, full of funny but never mean-spirited stories about the cabaret world and the wacky personalities he dealt with on a daily basis. In Margaret Whiting’s physically challenged later years, Don was the best friend she could have wished for. His energy was a guaranteed pick-me-up. Don had a huge heart”.
Don will always be remembered for his unwavering kindness, religious generosity of spirit, and earnest support to all. He was the heart and soul and anchor for a great many cabaret shows, and he provided the encouragement and strength that he gave to the new performers who needed them to move on. These same qualities shined in his personal life as well. He is survived by his beloved son, Ben, who was the light of his life and always came first.
On a personal note, I partnered with Don on several events and temporarily booked the Broadway Comedy Club (quite a challenge introducing cabaret to a long-established comedy club). Thanks to Don, singer Jane Schecter’s 2008 Lena Horne tribute was glowingly reviewed in The New York Times. The crowds were coming to see her and she had many sold-out shows at the club.
I have a litany of personal and professional memories of this teddy bear of a man absorbed in his world of music and doing for others. Once, I was hospitalized with for a minor procedure. The first night, Don appeared in the doorway at 9:00 p.m. with a milkshake and waving $800 in cash, which he stuffed under my pillow, then turned and left saying, “You might need extra money to tip the nurses!” He was gone as fast as he arrived. Then, he returned an hour later with an armload of magazines. (He was almost home when he remembered he forgot to leave them with me.) It was so typical of him to think about others. Whether it was a noisy midtown diner or an elite restaurant, he stubbornly insisted on picking up the check. He would literally fight anyone for the check. Occasionally, someone might take advantage of his largess. He once met a well-known performer for a business meeting in a French cafe. She ordered two bottles of the most expensive imported wine (for herself) before ordering a steak dinner. Don was generous to a fault and anyone close to him knew that. Blossom Dearie drove him crazy by sending him all over town to buy her a very specific new mattress and then she sent it back on delivery. Don never complained.
Don was generous to a fault and anyone close to him knew that. He never complained. The spirit of a good man lives on, as will Don Schaffer’s in the hearts of all those who were touched by his unbound kindness, intelligence, and generosity, and by his joy in having a life in the arts. Also, let’s never forget that hearty laugh. Don Schaffer’s is a life worth remembering.
