The last time I saw her was also at the Café Carlyle last year. She did an evening of Sondheim songs. She’s 88 now, and she doesn’t look like a young girl, but the girl’s still the girl amazingly. The energy level is unflagging.
She told us last night that she fell and broke her hip awhile ago and it’s been Not Been Pleasant ever since. She has such an enormous personality that it’s hard to believe anything could stop her from moving (performing). But after this fall, and this hip thing, she'd been persuaded to slow down some.
She’s always been a city girl since she first came her as a kid “to be on the stage.” In the last several years she’s lived on the Upper East Side (and at the Carlyle) and so you’d see her around, walking. Big strong gait, moving forward. She’s the kind of New Yorker who would stop and talk to you if you needed directions. And you’d get not only the directions but That Performer’s Personality which can do nothing but charm and disarm.
![]() | ![]() | | The lady plays the show and sings the final note. | ![]() | ![]() |
So for all that was I anxious to get a seat at last night’s performance. She came out in the Stritch costume – big white overblouse, almost a mini-dress, big black sleeveless, paneled vest, even longer; black stockings and black books. Black rimmed glasses also when necessary.
Her arranger/accompanist Rob Bowman came out first and sat down at the piano. Bowman’s been working with Stritch for quite some time. He’s also the musical director of the Chicago productions, and arranger/director for several other performers. He looks like a preppy college jock who sat down at the piano in the fraternity house, and just for the helluva it plays a bunch of rousing tunes all by ear. He loves making music. But it turns out he’s a maestro too.
He told us that he’d be the only one on with Stritch (no other musicians) and that it would be more like an “informal evening” rather than a full out club act.
Then she made her entrance, assisted by a cane and fulla beans and loud enough for everyone to hear. Elaine Stritch is one of those people who is naturally funny, and naturally an actress. She was probably an actress around the house growing up. A brilliant genius of actress, I should add. She loves the audience and she loves performing.
The act usually is quite a bit of patter and anecdotes, all presented with her offhanded directness, and no denouements left unsaid. And then a song perhaps to define the story. Watching her sing a song is something every actor and actress who will ever perform a song should watch. Because it looks like she just sits there and casually (and emphatically) sings, which tells a story with her version of the experience. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Hardest thing in the world. Practically nobody can do it anymore. The reason for that isn’t in the performers but in the business itself. There's no one to carry the code of the techniques. Stritch's prep was tradition, generations of live performing before live audiences
As soon as she was onstage she had to tell us who was in the house, namely Tom Hanks. And how she loves movie stars. Mr. Hanks became the object of much exclamation, show biz stories and jokes, and Stritch entertaining the crowd. Laughter. Applause. More laughter, more applause. She told us how Cole Porter used to like to write “send-ups” of his own lyrics and to the tune of “You’re the Top,” she sang one of his send-ups, “You’re the Pop, you’re my baby’s daddy ....” Very funny. More laughter, more jokes, more stories. Then before you know it an hour and a half had passed and she closed with Rodgers and Hart’s“He Was Too Good (how can I get along without him ...?)”
She told us over and over how frightened she was at getting through the evening. We could see what made her uneasy, except ironically she is so in command as a performer that even when she goes up on a lyric (and experiences the forgetfulness in front of an audience), she shows her reaction and then instantly moves on with such bravado and profound (to her toenails) talent, that you just keep on keepin’ on with her.
This video of her performance at the White House before the Obamas tell you the whole story of this amazing Broadway star and legend and her performance last night at the Café Carlyle. She’ll keep you on your toes too. |
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