thesalting SPOTLIGHT | frank di lella | emmy award winning host & professor | portrait by petros kouiouris

thesalting: How long have you been with NY1?
frank dilella: I've been at Spectrum News NY1 since 2004. I've been the host of ”On Stage” - the network's news magazine theater program – since 2017.

ts: 3 most thrilling interviews?
fd: Elaine Stritch
Liza Minnelli
Bridget Everett

ts: first Broadway production?
fd: “The Phantom of the Opera”

ts: first theater experience/ memory?
fd: my mom took me to see the national tour of “Cats” in Philadelphia when I was four-years-old. We sat front row.  Once the show ended, I refused to leave the theater. I was hooked.

ts: Do you have one all time favorite play? musical?
fd: It's a tie between "Gypsy" and "A Chorus Line" - two of the greatest shows ever written for the theater.


ts: 3 favorite artists?
fd: I have a lot… the first three that immediately come to mind:

David Hockney
Tracey Emin
Hunt Slonem

And if we're talking theater artists - Stephen Sondheim. period.


ts: Dream interview?
fd: Being with NY1 for almost two decades, I've honestly been face-to-face with so many of my entertainment idols - everyone from Elton John to Diana Ross. If I had to pick someone who is no longer with us, I would say Bob Fosse.

ts: When did you first move to NYC? And where are you from originally?
fd: I moved to New York City in 2002 to attend Fordham University at Lincoln Center. I'm originally from Philadelphia.

ts: 3 favorite restaurants in NYC?
fd: The Polo Bar
Felice on the Upper West Side
Joe Allen

ts: If someone could see only one performance/ musical/ play this season, what would you suggest and why?
fd: I'll give you a few. “Company,” “MJ: The Michael Jackson Musical,” “How I Learned to Drive,” “Take Me Out”