‘The party’s always at our house,” says actress and singer Jessica Molaskey.
That “house” is a 1,600-square-foot apartment on the Upper East Side that manages to squeeze in practically the whole Broadway community at once.
“Sometimes I feel like it’s a scene from ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s,’ where the apartment is so crowded that people are out on the fire escape,” Molaskey says and laughs.
Molaskey, who’s performing in “Sunday in the Park With George” (she plays both Yvonne and Naomi Eisen), is also a jazz singer. Her husband, John Pizzarelli, is a jazz guitarist, singer, bandleader and part of what’s known as “The First Family of Cool.” (His dad is famed jazz guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, his brother Martin plays the bass, and sister Mary is a classical guitarist.) The couple also host a syndicated radio program called “Radio Deluxe.”
At first glance, it doesn’t look like their place can hold all their friends from their different circles. But it’s actually a combo of two apartments: a large one-bedroom and a studio.
“It’s really like a three-bedroom,” Molaskey says, “because we use the kitchen in the studio as an office. It’s like having a whole other wing, and that’s John’s and my suite. We can close the door, and the kids can make noise and we won’t hear them.” (The kids are their daughter Madeleine, 10, and John’s son from an earlier marriage, Johnny, 16, who lives nearby.)
The apartment – a rental, which they’ve lived in for 10 years – has two large bedrooms, two baths, a sunken living room and a small kitchen where a lot of food gets prepared.
“I was always interested in Italian cooking,” Pizzarelli says. “And one day I just put a big pile of flour on the counter, put a couple of eggs in it and stirred it up just like chef Mario Batali did on TV.”
Pizzarelli’s domain is the kitchen, while Molaskey is in charge of the home’s overall look. She’s filled it with 1940s antiques, a table she found in a garbage heap and painted herself, a lot of barkcloth (vintage Hawaiian fabric made from tree bark), hand-woven rugs and a 1940s aluminum and Formica table. But the couple’s prized possession is a piano that once belonged to composer Arthur Schwartz; it was a gift from his son, radio personality Jonathan Schwartz.
“We promised him we’d get all the great people to play it,” Molaskey says. “So we started having big Christmas parties. We tried to keep it to 15 or 20 people, but it never failed that we’d have about 75 people. Someone would be playing the piano, and everyone would be singing.”
One of the bathrooms is covered with posters from Molaskey’s Broadway shows including “Parade,” “Les Miserables” and “Tommy.”
“When my daughter started school five years ago, I really wanted to be home more,” Molaskey says. “So I stopped doing Broadway. But ‘Sunday in the Park With George’ is special. I just had to do it. Playing it every night is a dream.”
After “Sunday” closes on June 29, Molaskey and Pizzarelli will begin an eight-week stint at the Carlyle, starting in September.
“I was working with my dad and brother and people wanted to add another singer,” Pizzarelli says. “So I just said, ‘If they’re going to throw anybody into the mix, it might as well be Jessica.’ And it’s worked out very well.”
Molaskey & Pizzarelli’s favorite things
* Composer Arthur Schwartz’ 1950s piano, a gift from his son, radio personality Jonathan Schwartz
* Photos by Bill Claxton of jazz musician Zoot Sims and another of Pizzarelli in the same pose
* Pizzarelli’s guitars
* Molaskey’s Broadway show posters
* A painting by Bucky Pizzarelli of the waiters at Gino’s restaurant