Elaine Stritch Isn’t Leaving New York Quietly
And we wouldn’t want it any other way

If April hasn’t already been declared “Elaine Stritch Month” in New York, it should be.

After seven decades in New York, Elaine Stritch, one of the last Grand Dames of the Great White Way, announced earlier this year that she was leaving New York and moving closer to her family in her hometown of Birmingham, Michigan. But, it seems Stritch was determined not to leave quietly.

Earlier this month, in one more cabaret act at the Café Carlyle, Elaine Stritch: At the Carlyle… Movin’ Over and Out, the 88-year-old proved she’s still got it. For five nights, Stritch, clad in her signature look – a man’s white shirt and black tights (proving you can have great looking legs at any age) – bounded to the stage.

With her mother’s cane in hand for added support, Stritch was ready to once again wow standing-room only audiences in the tiny venue located in the famed Carlyle Hotel on the Upper East Side.

For the uninitiated, let’s pause for a moment and review just who Elaine Stritch is and her contribution to the American theatre:

Stritch arrived in New York at age 18 and at 22 made her Broadway debut in the musical review Angel in the Wings. From there she went on to success on stage, screen and television.

Her powerful and gravely voice made its way into classic productions of Pal Joey, On Your Toes, and Noël Coward’s Sail Away. She conquered plays like Bus Stop and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? She played a wealthy widow and became the object of desire in the Walter Matthau / Jack Lemmon comedy, Out to Sea. And Stritch made her mark as Colleen Donaghy, the harden, yet hilarious mother to Alec Baldwin’s Jack Donaghy in NBC’s 30 Rock.

But it was her part as Joanne in Stephen Sondheim’s 1970 production of Company that elevated Stritch to iconic status with her performance of The Ladies Who Lunch (let’s propose a toast!) Most recently, she starred alongside Bernadette Peters in the 2009 revival of Sondheim’s epic, A Little Night Music. (Stritch and Peters replaced Angela Lansbury and Catherine Zeta-Jones, respectively.)

And now back to our regular program…

In a reminiscing nod to her one-woman show, Elaine Stritch At Liberty, which landed her a Tony Award, the legend told stories of her encounters with other entertainment legends (“Judy Garland is the funniest white woman I’ve ever met”). She shared bawdy jokes (“St. Peter looks at Jesus and says, ‘Are ya gonna fuck around or are we gonna play golf?’”). And, with the help of her longtime musical director, Rob Bowman, Stritch showed she can still sing even if her voice lacks some of the power it once had.

There were no ladies who lunch, or any other interpretations of Stephen Sondheim, which turned her into a theatrical icon. Just a powerhouse of the American theatre sitting down to have a conversation with the people who matter most to her: her audience.

But if you thought that the cabaret was the final word before Stritch’s move back to Michigan, you’d be wrong. If you’ll pardon the pun, Stritch has one parting shot.

Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me, a documentary directed by Isotope Films founder Chiemi Karasawa, makes its long-anticipated debut at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York tonight.

The “hilarious and achingly poignant” film gives us Stritch’s “take on aging, her struggle with alcohol and diabetes, and the fear of leaving the follow spot behind.”

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From the summary on Isotope’s website:

In stolen moments from her corner room at the Carlyle, and on breaks from her tour and work, candid reflections about her life are punctuated with rare archival footage, words from friends (Hal Prince, George C. Wolfe, Nathan Lane, Cherry Jones and John Turturro) and photographs from her personal collection. By turns bold, hilarious and achingly poignant, the journey connects Stritch’s present to her past, and an inspiring portrait of a one-of-a-kind survivor emerges.
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In interviews, Karasawa shared that the idea for the intimate portrait of Stritch came from Vartali Salon stylist Piet Sinthuchai. Sinthuchai counts both Stritch and Karasawa as regular clients. After being introduced to Stritch, Karasawa, a long-time producer now turned director began a crazy two year period following Elaine Stritch as she kept up a dizzying schedule that would make men half her age weep.

On Monday, the Tony and Emmy Award winning subject will once again take to the stage, along with Karasawa, and Charles Isherwood of the New York Times for a discussion about the film, her life in the theatre, and industry dish (maybe more Judy Garland stories?). The discussion is part of the Tribeca Talks®: Beyond the Screens: The Artist’s Angle series.

With all of the recent attention on Stritch, you have to think that this isn’t the swan song of an actress past her prime; it’s the next phase in the long and celebrated career of a woman who doesn’t know the meaning of the word “quit.”

I’ll drink to that.

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Tickets for the three Tribeca screenings of “Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me,” went fast, but as with all films at Tribeca, there’s no such thing as a sold out house. Those wishing for a chance to see Stritch one more time before she heads off to Michigan, can arrive early and stand by for rush tickets.

More about Elaine Stritch:

Playbill Vault archive of Stritch’s Broadway career
Elaine Stritch on IMDB

Full disclosure: The author is a self-described, unabashed Elaine Stritch fanboy. He also contributed to the Indiegogo campaign for Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me.

Original post: Elaine Stritch Isn’t Leaving New York Quietly… And We Wouldn’t Want it Any Other Way!

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