November 20, 2009

In faith and on stage, lifelong entertainer shines

Orlando–based entertainer Pam Brody captures willing hearts with music and laughter as she reigns from her perch at the Rose and Crown Pub’s piano – playing, singing and sharing stories.

BETTY ANN WEBER | FLORIDA CATHOLIC CORRESPONDENT

Posted: 10.15.09

ORLANDO | As the daily noon Mass at St. James Cathedral here ended, Pam Brody gathered her rosary, said a final prayer and slipped the pink crystal beads into their case. Then collecting her ever-present tote bag, she passed among the remaining worshippers – smiling, nodding, patting shoulders and assuring each one, “I’ll see you here tomorrow.”

Never mind that the venerable cathedral, in the throes of remodeling, is but a shadow of magnificence to come. Brody lives in the moment, doing what she does best: connecting with anyone and everyone around her.

“I wouldn’t miss it (Mass),” she said, with a certainty born of her deep faith.

“Pam’s a people person,” said Father John McCormick, rector of the cathedral. “Whether in her spiritual or worldly life. And she’s an entertainer in the best sense of the word.”

Entertainer, indeed. Reviewers have exhausted their trove of adoring adjectives. Repeat audiences can’t get enough of her.

For more than 20 years Pam Brody has captured willing hearts as she reigns from her perch at the piano – playing, singing, sharing stories – at the Rose and Crown Pub in United Kingdom area of Walt Disney World’s Epcot.

“I’ve watched the children growing up,” she said.

Her repertoire? “Whatever you want to hear,” she said. “I sing in English, French, Spanish, Italian and Polish. And you can join in. For visitors from Argentina, I play ‘La Comparasita’ and they dance the tango; ‘La Bamba’ for Mexicans.” Her eyes twinkle. “Or I can manage Marlene Dietrich’s ‘Lili Marlene.’”

The audience laughs.

Brody never reveals her age. “When I’m asked, I say, ‘I don’t know. Let me look at my passport.’

“One woman called out, ‘You’re so full of pep, were you one of the Spice Girls?’ I told her yes, call me ‘Old Spice.’”

People often inquire, “How did you get from London to Epcot?” Brody’s saucy retort: “Talent.”

That’s exactly how it happened.

“My mother played piano at home when my two sisters and I were growing up in London, and we loved to sing.” After completing studies at Loreto College in Dublin, she returned to England and started singing and playing piano in clubs.

“I worked hard. Long hours. One night a violinist with the BBC said, ‘You’re really funny. Master the piano, play for yourself, and you can always get a job.’”

Then she auditioned as an entertainer on the Queen Mary ocean liner.

“I was nervous. But before I started to sing the four selected songs, a lovely man came forward and said, ‘Please, let me play for her.’ It was God’s will. But when the director asked, ‘Are you a good sailor?’ I lied. I got the job, but had to have anti-seasickness shots twice a day.

“What an elegant, glorious time,” she recalled. “I met so many stars, ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev, Margot Fonteyn. And Noel Coward told me, ‘Never change your style. A good audience will catch up.’”

She took it to heart.

In time, her agent offered a new prospect. He told her that he wanted her to go to Bermuda and try it. If she wasn’t happy there, he’d get her back on the Queen Mary.

Again, looking back, she could see God’s hand. At the Castle Harbor – then the most famous hotel in Bermuda – Brody shared billing with Danny Dillon, a talented comedian and impersonator from New York.

“He was a very honest man who loved to dance,” she said. “We played tennis, swam and attended daily Mass at the U.S. Navy Base.” They fell in love, married and stayed 12 years, until Dillon decided “we can’t live on an island forever.”

Moving to Orlando in 1980, they entertained at the Royal Plaza Hotel. “We loved Disney, and when Epcot opened we joined the cast: I was Mary Poppins and Danny was Bert.” They also traveled, performing at conventions in Hawaii, Mexico, Las Vegas and London.

Finally, they came to roost. Dillon appeared at Disney’s MGM Studios (now Disney’s Hollywood Studios) where he impersonated such stars as Bing Crosby and Stan Laurel. Then there was the stellar night when Ed Sullivan playfully introduced him as Jack Benny on network television.

Meanwhile, Pam became a popular fixture at Epcot in the Rose and Crown Pub.

“Our marriage?” she said. “We were a team for more than 40 years, we loved each other and there was never a dull moment.”

Dillon died of cancer on Ash Wednesday 2005.

“St. James was packed for the funeral,” recalled Bob Schaefer, music director of the cathedral. “Filled with their Disney family and parishioners, worlds connected. Danny was a faith-filled Catholic. As a couple they lived the same life on stage and off. Now that he’s gone, Pam is drawing heaven to earth.”

“Disney was like family,” said Brody. “They said please come back. I couldn’t. It was too sad. I told God I could never go back. I prayed to Our Lady for strength, asked St. Joseph if he wanted me to work. Finally, I felt Mary saying, ‘Give it a try. Try it for one day.’ So I put on dark glasses to hide my tears. I asked for strength and I got it.”

On a recent night, Schaefer took one of Brody’s biggest fans to see her at the Rose and Crown: his 5-year-old grandson, Jensen Williams. “To him she’s a magical character,” he said. “She hugs him at church and then he sees her at Epcot.”

That night, the youngster stood there, arms folded. “I’ve been waiting,” he said. Then, “I’m going to sing a song.” Accompanied by a delighted Brody at the piano, Jensen sang “Bingo.” Said Brody, “The place broke up.”

And the show goes on. Thursdays, 4:30-9 p.m. and some Sundays, employees, locals, visitors and repeat visitors drop in at the Rose and Crown wanting to see “Pam.” Drawing them near, making them part of the show, she’s energized. She’s everybody’s best friend.

What’s her favorite song? She laughs. “Please Don’t Talk about Me When I’m Gone.”

Oh, but they will. Nobody touched by Pam Brody ever forgets her.

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