Elaine Stritch At Liberty At The Simon?

[RippedMan]

Posted: 7/18/14 at 4:47pm

Her solo show played the enormous Neil Simon Theater? I didn't realize. How did that go over? Reidel says it played for a year.

Any pictures of the marquee during her stint?

[Brave Sir Robin2]

Posted: 7/18/14 at 4:59pm

She also did a stint of it at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco afterwards, and I believe a stint at the Ahmanson in Los Angeles.

[haterobics]

Posted: 7/18/14 at 5:00pm

I was lucky enough to see her do this at the Curran.

[Tag]

Posted: 7/18/14 at 5:04pm

IBDB says it ran for 69 performances (plus an extra Actor's Fund closing show, making it 70).

[SomethingPeculiar]

Posted: 7/18/14 at 5:10pm

It ran from early February to late May 2002 (doing, from what I can tell, just 5 shows per week).
http://www.playbillvault.com/Show/Detail/845/Elaine-Stritch-at-Liberty

[Mike3]

Posted: 7/18/14 at 9:49pm

I saw this at the Curran as well. A very special night in the theater.

At the performance I saw, she struggled with the lyrics to "Zip." When she finished the song, she asked the music director where she flubbed up. She then apologized and said she wanted to do it over as it was one of her favorite parts of the show. She nailed it, and the crowd went wild.

[madbrian]

Posted: 7/18/14 at 9:54pm

For me, it was one of the greatest nights in the theater. As a huge fan, I had high expectations, especially considering the buzz from the run at the Public. However, my expectations were exceeded. Stritch totally broke the mold of the one-woman show, and she had the audience in the palm of her hand from beginning to end.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 7/18/14 at 9:55pm

I believe during the Broadway run the show play Wed-Sun only.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 7/19/14 at 1:06am

Oh gotcha. It still seems like such a vast theater for the show. So it def. didn't run a year like Reidel said. (Or was that including the Public dates?).

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 7/19/14 at 9:14am

Having sat way up top with friends, some of whom had no idea who Elaine Stritch was and loved this show just as much as I did, I can tell you that she filled that house far better than a lot of huge casts in big shows I've seen there did.

[Huss417]

Posted: 7/19/14 at 9:33am

I was at the closing performance on Broadway which was also a benefit performance for the Actors Fund. Was an amazing crowd and Stritch was in top form. Great night of theatre.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 7/19/14 at 12:57pm

Oooh! Bet that was amazing!

[TimesSquareRegular]

Posted: 7/19/14 at 9:49pm

Unfortunately, the splendid DVD of the complete show is now out of print: http://www.amazon.com/Elaine-Stritch-at-Liberty/dp/B0000C23HO/ref=sr_1_14?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1405820885&sr=1-14&keywords=at+liberty

[heytravistravis]

Posted: 7/23/14 at 8:44am

The whole video of Elaine Stritch at Liberty is on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15a5jz6J0lM

Updated On: 7/23/14 at 08:44 AM

[Roscoe]

Posted: 7/23/14 at 9:48am

She was magnificent. I had the great good fortune to attend opening night at the Simon -- an unforgettable experience.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 7/23/14 at 11:15am

She also did the show in Boston at the Wilbur Theater.

[Phantom4ever]

Posted: 7/23/14 at 11:29am

This show was also done just a few months after 9/11, when New York was empty and full of missing persons signs everywhere. So it is a testament to Elaine Stritch that this show did as well as it did during arguably the roughest months on Broadway ever.

[Wilmingtom]

Posted: 7/23/14 at 2:23pm

It was, indeed, a magical evening. She held that stage for 2 hours and 20 minutes with nothing but a chair. And despite the vastness of the St. James, I felt like I was in her living room. Her tremendous presence created an enveloping intimacy, and it was beautifully and knowingly directed by George Wolf.

[bdboston]

Posted: 7/23/14 at 2:55pm

By the time "At Liberty" got to Boston for its week-long run at The Wilbur, Elaine was having a hard time remembering lines and lyrics. The night we saw it, she was prompted by her accompanist/music director at least a dozen times throughout the show. No matter - everyone knew they were witnessing a legend. Hard to believe that was 10 years ago.

[madbrian]

Posted: 7/23/14 at 3:49pm

She altered the show from The Public to Broadway to London, etc, so I wonder if she was working in new songs and/or anecdotes.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 7/24/14 at 2:15am

Interesting. Having seen her do "A Little Night Music" not too long ago, I'm still amazed. I know she forgot her lines, but I somehow didn't care, and that's a testament to her talent.