Elaine Stritch in "ALNM"

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 1:33pm

I went to the show last Wednesday, and I had a question for those who saw her in the show.

Did her "Liasons" just seem like she was just trying to remember the lyrics? It didn't seem like it had any "rhyme or reason" to it.

[broadwayjim42]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 1:40pm

I saw the show in September and last Thursday and there were many more pregnant pauses this time around. Whether it's part of the performance or forgetting her lines I don't know for sure, but it was far more evident.

[shrekster224]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 2:55pm

When I saw it, it seemed like she was forgetting things as well, but she got all the lyrics and it worked well. I don't know why it came off as that, but it did seem like she couldn't remember things.

[binau]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 5:02pm

I am convinced that the pauses were so she could remember the next line...but it all worked because it was consistent the entire performance. Someone next to me thought everything was part of the performance until someone called form the wings.

[bluetuna]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 5:19pm

She has significant problems with her lines each time I saw her. She skipped, paraphrased, and changed words and orders to a number of lines.

[logan0215]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 6:15pm

X-Posting from elsewhere:

I had seen the show with Bernie and Stritchay a few months back and they were both outstanding. I had read prior to going to the show about all of the issues Stritch was having on her first few nights then saw the show and thought people might have been taking her "Where was I"'s as her actually losing her place.

I then went back on Friday night (1/7) and she was visibly struggling throughout the show. Liaisons came almost to a halt multiple times, she struggled with the Wooden Ring speech and almost entirely lost the "Losing your teeth is a catastrophe" joke had it not been for Fredrika's prompts. It was uncomfortable to watch, to say the least.

The show also ended at 11:20PM clocking in at 3h18m with the pacing (in large part due to Stritch) very slowed down.

[bluetuna]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 11:03pm

When she wasn't pausing, I feel like she would often say lines incorrectly, and instead of moving on, she would try to then say the correct line.

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 1/13/11 at 10:50am

Glad to see that I wasn't alone. Fredrika helped her a lot

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 1/13/11 at 2:55pm

I saw it last Tuesday, and concur that it was very difficult to watch. She clearly was struggling. She also seemed to be compensating by winking...an awful lot! She winked every line. Poor Frederika probably thought she was having a stroke. That little actress was wonderful.

[shrekster224]

Posted: 1/13/11 at 4:29pm

I agree. When I went, Keaton Whittaker was on, and when Elaine couldn't think of something, she prompted her with, "remember when you were going to tell me that story about...." and Elaine actually recovered pretty promptly.

[PiraguaGuy2]

Posted: 1/13/11 at 4:33pm

At the Saturday matinee, Elaine literally forgot every line, and the Fredrika had to get through the scene with "did you say that they stray? Has the night smiled twice before?"

[ljay889]

Posted: 1/13/11 at 4:35pm

I think it's fair to say that she started and ended the run roughly. She was pretty perfect from Sept-early Dec. At least the times that I saw her then.
Updated On: 1/13/11 at 04:35 PM