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. . . including Pete Seeger and Bruce Springsteen
He reminded Jack Black, Marisa Tomei, and other actors
where and when they would salute presidents and other
honorable Americans. He made sure choirs switched
places as smoothly as possible during their four-minute
allotments. He guided the easily distracted from the path
of 40-foot rolling platforms, “explaining,” Pearl says, “in
his inimitable, gentle style that there’s a big heavy object
coming your way.”
There were surprisingly few glitches during the show,
which was watched by an estimated 400,000 in person,
including rooftop sharp-shooters. Vice President-elect
Joseph Biden Jr. committed the biggest faux pas, speaking
on “The Dignity of Work” from an unarmored
podium because it was closer than his designated armored
one. The wrong move bothered Secret Service agents,
but not Lewis. “Oh yeah, classic Joe,” he says with a wry
chuckle. “Which was fine. We survived.”
For Lewis, We Are One was business as usual, and yet it
wasn’t. It’s not every day, after all, that a stage manager
gets to shadow Bruce Springsteen and Pete Seeger as they
sing “This Land Is Your Land” by a monument to the
president who officially ended slavery. And it’s not every
year that the African-American grandson of a railroad
porter helps stage a concert celebrating the first African-
American president at the site where Martin Luther King
Jr. famously said, “I have a dream that one day this nation
will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed:
40 lafayette • SPRING 2010
‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are
created equal.’”
AND YET . . .
No, for Lewis, We Are One wasn’t business as usual. And
yet it was. “It was extra special, and quite profound.
That’s why everyone was so focused and buoyant,” he
says. “And, you know, these difficult-weather shows
always have a sense of drama about them. It was just nice
being part of a caring team sharing an historic event. That
someone you’re sharing that hug with might be Denzel
Washington or Denzel Washington’s au pair or a stage
carpenter.”
It’s this disarming blend of modesty and decency that
charms stage manager Lynn Finkel, who has assisted
Lewis on The Chris Rock Show and the Tony Awards
ceremony. She insists he’s taught her all the virtues:
Remember everyone’s names. Praise the entire team
when a teammate rescues another teammate. Calm
everyone by staying calm. And when a co-worker is overthe-top
pregnant, reverse roles and bring her delicious,
nutritious smoothies.
In fact, Finkel loves everything about “Arthur, that
darling boy” except one thing. “Can I say something
annoying about him? He can eat all day—good food,
junk food—and he is as solid as a rock. That’s the one
thing I can’t stand.” ■
ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images