Producer Jamie deRoy’s Tony Awards. Photo LMS.

What Do I Tell the Children?
Inside a Private Salon for Maltby & Shire’s “About Time” in Jamie deRoy’s Tony-Lined Living Room

There are a million reasons to love living in New York and having the privilege of covering theater, but near the top of the list is the chance to meet icons of the industry—and to receive those delicious, curated invitations to hear new music before it reaches an audience. 

This month, on a Friday night, I was invited—along with a guest—to the home of producer Jamie deRoy to meet some cast members and the creative team behind Richard Maltby, Jr. and David Shire’s new musical revue, “About Time.”

The first impression is simple: “omg, now this is an apartment,” I thought, confronted with a line of Tony Awards sitting nonchalantly along the mantel of her fireplace. The hardware is casually displayed, as if it were the most natural thing in the world to live among that much theatrical history.

This particular evening was more than a social call. The team of Maltby, Jr. and Shire were celebrating their 71st year of collaboration, and “About Time” completes the legendary songwriting duo’s massively influential trilogy that includes “Starting Here, Starting Now” and “Closer Than Ever.” “About Time” begins performances Off-Broadway at the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater on Friday, February 27, ahead of a Sunday, March 8 opening.

Jamie is a gracious host. Honestly, I felt like I’ve known her for years—effortless warmth, a kind of ease that only comes from someone who has long been at the center of the Broadway ecosystem. But that’s what one would expect from the highly acclaimed, award‑winning Broadway producer, cabaret performer, and television host with over 100 Broadway and Off‑Broadway credits. Known for her signature style, she has won multiple Tony Awards, Drama Desk Awards, and other honors for productions like “Merrily We Roll Along,” “Spamalot,” “Parade,” and “The Play That Goes Wrong.”

People often ask me: what does a producer do? The shorthand answer is that they produce—and Jamie truly has. She has been attached to over 150 Broadway and Off‑Broadway productions as of 2024, earning 14 Tony Awards. Recent credits include “Sunset Blvd,” “Once Upon a Mattress,” and “Stereophonic.” Beyond producing, she is a cabaret singer with nine CDs, hosts a Telly Award‑winning variety show (“Jamie deRoy & Friends”) now in its 34th year, and has appeared in films such as “Goodfellas.” In addition to her Tonys, she has won numerous Drama Desk Awards and MAC Awards, and is a recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award. Her variety shows frequently benefit the Entertainment Community Fund, underscoring why she is often described as a “force in New York’s cultural landscape,” supporting both major productions and smaller, more artistic endeavors.

One of the songs that struck me the hardest was sung by Darius de Haas, a critically acclaimed Broadway actor, singer, and recording artist known for his work in “Rent,” “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” “Carousel,” and as the singing voice of Shy Baldwin in “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”; he won an Obie Award for “Running Man” and is a founding member of Black Theatre United.

The song, “What Do I Tell the Children,” poses an honest and unsettling question: what do we tell the youth about what’s happening in this country—how do we explain what it means to stand up to a bully, and how do you identify what is right and what is wrong when so much of the public example seems to contradict what we were told growing up?

Allow me to leave you with the full lyrics, because they speak a trillion times louder than anything I can write—and I beg you to ponder them and think about what you can do to answer “What Do I Tell the Children.”

Lyrics to “What Do I Tell the Children” sung by Darius de Haas below:

MY GRAMPA GAVE ME LECTURES
WHEN TUCKING ME IN BED
“WHAT A MAN NEEDS MOST IN LIFE IS CHARACTER,” HE SAID
A MAN WITH “CHARACTER” WINS ALL THE FATES ALLOW
TODAY THAT WORD SOUNDS QUAINT SOMEHOW
YOU ALMOST NEVER HEAR IT NOW

WHAT DO I TELL THE CHILDREN
WHEN MY TURN COMES ALONG
AND IT’S TIME TO HAVE THAT TALK
ABOUT WHAT IS RIGHT AND WRONG
I WANT TO BE THE ONE WHO SETS THEM ON THEIR WAY
BUT WHEN I WATCH THE NEWS TODAY
I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO SAY

DO I SAY, “GOD WILL PUNISH GREED
AND THOSE WHO LIE DO NOT SUCCEED”?
BUT CHILDREN SEE AND READ
AND KNOW THAT IT ISN’T TRUE
OH, THEY DO

SO WHEN I SPEAK TO CHILDREN
IT MUST BE REALLY TRUE
AND NOT JUST ONE MORE PIOUS LIE
FROM GROWN-UPS
THAT KIDS SEE THROUGH
BUT THIS DILEMMA PAINS MY HEART MORE THAN IT SHOULD
DO I JUST TELL THEM TO BE GOOD
THEY’LL BE REWARDED IF THEY’RE GOOD
I’D SAY THAT IF I COULD
BUT LOOKING ‘ROUND TODAY
I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO SAY

WHEN SUPREME COURT JUSTICES ACCEPT EXPENSIVE TRIPS
THEN JUDGE A CASE ON ETHICS AND ANNOUNCE THAT BRIBES ARE TIPS
WHEN GREAT CHURCH LEADERS, SO EAGER TO CHIME IN
CONDEMN HOW OTHERS LIVE THEIR LIVES, THEN VOTE IN GUYS WHO SIN
HOW DO I SAY SUCCESS WILL COME TO THOSE WHO DO THINGS RIGHT
WHEN LIARS, CHEATS AND CHARALATANS FILL UP THE NEWS EACH NIGHT

KIDS! LIVE THE WAY I TELL YOU TO
YOU’LL WIN THE PRIZES IF YOU DO
BUT I KNOW THAT OLD SHOE
WILL NEVER RING TRUE TODAY
NO WAY!

I THINK WORDS HAVE MEANING –
THEY’RE POWERFUL AND STRONG
I WANT MINE TO BE MUCH MORE
THAN WORDS IN A STUPID SONG

IF YOU HAVE CHARACTER, YOU MAY NOT WIN THE DAY
BUT I SAY: DO GOOD ANYWAY
EVEN WHEN IT DOESN’T PAY
THAT’S WINNING, THAT’S WHAT I WILL SAY
, AND WHEN I DO
I PRAY THAT IT’S STILL TRUE

“About Time” by Richard Maltby, Jr. and David Shire begins previews on Friday, February 27, 2026, at the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater. 

The company includes Daniel Jenkins, Eddie Korbich, Darius de Haas, Lynne Wintersteller, Allyson Kaye Daniel, and Sally Wilfert, with Nicole Powell and Ethan Paulini serving as understudies.