It was her dad, the son of a cantor, who got her into performing, accompanying her on piano in their Queens household, driving her to singing lessons and taking pride in her starring roles in amateur productions of Grease and Gypsy.
These days, such memories are the daughter’s alone to recount. But when her father tickles the keys of an electric keyboard, Polley sees a glimmer of recognition. So the show is for him—and to raise money for a research fund she helped establish at the Alzheimer’s Association. Polley would like to see diagnostics for brain health similar to those for the heart.
‘Pay Royalties’
Having put aside performing when she began her career in finance, Polley returned to the stage to put on a show for her 40th birthday. She’s continued, every few years spending months to develop and write a cabaret, always reflecting on different stages of her life.
“Taylor Swift should pay royalties to Stacy,” said Lloyd Blankfein by phone. “It’s Stacy that invented the Eras tour.”
Blankfein—who first met Polley when he was at J. Aron, and left the Goldman CEO post the year Polley exited—has attended every cabaret except the latest.
That was because his former Goldman boss, Steve Friedman, had asked him to moderate a panel with Goldman alumni Dina Powell and Chuck Davis at a dinner for a banking group.
It just goes to show, Goldman alumni often flock together—as they’ll do Monday night at the annual retired partners’ dinner.
They’ll also have a chance to see Polley’s act: She’ll be performing the show again on Jan. 23, with ticket sales benefiting the fund.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.