Edie Cowan

This is a bittersweet day on Backstage Babble. I am proud to present my interview, recorded in January 2025, with legendary Broadway dancer and choreographer Edie Cowan. Ms. Cowan passed away on May 22, 2025 at the age of 88. It is a very sad loss for theater lovers everywhere, and I hope this interview will give you a sense of her humor, talent, and unique spark. Tune in to hear some of the stories of her wonderful career, including how the original production of OKLAHOMA inspired her love of theater, why Carol Haney selected her for FUNNY GIRL, the changes made to “Cornet Man” and “Rat-a-Tat-Tat,” replacing George Sanders with Clive Revill in SHERRY, working with a cast of veterans on the tour of FOLLIES, finding her take on the role of Lily St. Regis in ANNIE, the advice she got from Dorothy Loudon, how the whole original company of ANNIE ended up getting fired, how her role in Equity led to being involved in the MISS SAIGON conflict, how she met Howard Ashman at Indiana University, casting the Urchins in LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, choreographing “Mushnik and Son,” why the show belongs off-Broadway, how she ended up working for the State Department, and so much more. You won’t want to miss this interview with a true theater veteran.