About eight years before he came to Birmingham to become executive director of Red Mountain Theatre Company, Keith Cromwell was having the time of his life being involved with an off-Broadway phenomenon called “Howard Crabtree’s When Pigs Fly.”

The musical revue – in which Cromwell “covered,” or was ready to go on for, any of the five stars of the show – featured songs by Dick Gallagher and Mark Waldrop and flamboyant costumes by Howard Crabtree. (It also featured a young rehearsal pianist named Jason Robert Brown.) The men in the show play all the characters, male and female, as young Howard vows to put on an off-Broadway show despite a school counselor saying it will happen “when pigs fly.”

The show ran for two years and more than 800 performances, winning the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical. Now, 20 years later, Cromwell and the rest of the original cast are gathered in New York for a 20^th anniversary concert of the show. Performances Sunday and Monday at New York’s 54 Below are sold out.

Cromwell took a trip down memory lane with us, answering questions about the little show that theater folks remember so well.

Alabama NewsCenter: Tell us about your involvement with “When Pigs Fly.”
KC: I had just come off the national tour of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” and I was at a  Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids event at the Palace Theatre, and I remember leaving the theater and running into Mark Waldrop. Mark was one of the creators of a previous off-Broadway show I did called “Howard Crabtree’s Whoop-Dee-Doo.” Mark said, “Wow, I would love you to be a part of a show called ‘Howard Crabtree’s When Pigs Fly.’ You could be the guy to cover all five of the cast member.” Well, I had just left “Joseph,” where I was a swing covering the entire male company, and I thought standing by for five guys and in a New York City show sounded dreamy. Not to mention, I adored Howard. So, next thing I know I am in rehearsal with Mark and a wonderful collaborator named Philip George.  Together, we mounted the production. I remember how amazing it felt to be asked my opinion and to be a part of creating the staging. It was just awesome.

ANC: How long were you with the show?

KC: After we opened, the artistic staff and producers were really wonderful about letting me leave for various other jobs and return. I think I had earned a very valuable role with the unlikely ability to cover these five disparate roles. I continued as show supervisor but was allowed to leave for various other amazing opportunities, like joining the Donny Osmond cast of  “Joseph” for its Salt Lake City closing or directing and choreographing at the infamous Muny in St. Louis. I had the good fortune of always being able to come back and was there when the show closed.

ANC: Can you tell us about the show at the time? Was it a flat-out hit?

The cast of “When Pigs Fly” (Keith Cromwell is in the middle) appeared at an event at the World Trade Center. (Photo/contributed)

KC: I remember all of us being very curious at the get-go. It felt special, but we were not sure. I had the classic opening night experience that you read about. We were at the opening night party waiting for The New York Times review, and literally overnight we were a sensation. The popularity of the show was cult-like but fed by celebrity. Anyone who was anyone wanted to see the show — memorable moments were a very kind and charming Liza Minnelli, Stephen Sondheim and Bette Midler. Bette sent incredible bouquets of flowers to all of the cast with a card that said, “You were Divine.” Very classy. Mark Waldrop went on to direct her tour, and she recorded one of the songs from the show, “Laughing Matters.”

ANC: Describe the show, please:

KC: Where do I start? It’s for any square peg who has ever felt shoved into a round hole! This was before “Will and Grace,” “Modern Family,” “Glee,” “RuPau’ls Drag Race,” and as we were coming out, the community was numb from the AIDs epidemic. It was still a real hot-button topic to talk about homosexuality, and this show did not just break the wall down. It blew it up with warmth and laughter.

ANC: How did the reunion idea come up?

KC: Mark called me up and said this New York producer, Josh Goodman, wanted to do a revival of the show since it had been 20 years. Mark was cautious, and they ultimately agreed that perhaps a reunion concert would be a better way to test the waters. Mark reached out to all the original cast and many of the replacements and here we are — nine of the folks who were on that stage during its two-year run back together.

One character that Keith Cromwell played in “When Pigs Fly” was Carol Channing (far right). (Photo/contributed)

ANC: This is a concert version?

KC: It is a concert version. If you have been to 54 Below you know the stage is tiny, literally a postage stamp. So we are giving gentle reminders about the physical staging and showing slides of the original costumes. The costumes were really a leading character of the show. There is a loving nod to Howard Crabtree and his costumes in this celebration including a video memorializing Howard. Sadly, he died just before we opened the show. There are a few surprises and a few new songs. I get to do one of them – it’s a torch song to Dick Cheney, seriously hilarious!

ANC: How has it been reconnecting after two decades?

KC: So beautiful, so inspiring and frightening. We have all gone in different directions since doing the show — some cast members working on Broadway, some working in the arts on the fringe, some in LA, some being caretakers for aging family, some heading a non-profit in Alabama. We are everywhere, and that’s one of the points of the show.

ANC: You’ve performed with RMTC, but now you’re back performing in New York. Any nerves?

KC: Let me just say … Heck, yeah! I am excited some friends from Birmingham will be here, and right now, there is a waiting list for two sold-out shows. Nerves or not, this pork is taking off.

“Howard Crabtree’s When Pigs Fly,” a 20^th anniversary concert, takes place Sept. 18-19 at New York’s 54 Below. Tickets are sold out, but you can get on the waiting list by calling 646-476-3551.