Henrik, no, to my knowledge there is no such phrase as "ego seek." Adams is trying to invent a pun where none exists.
And to make matters worse in the song, the line is preceded by filler just to make the rhyme. To wit:
"Now you've entered the asylum.
This profession's unique!
Actors are children
Play hide and ego seek."
So while I agree with you that "Welcome to the Theater" is better than many of the songs in the show, it isn't by much. I took a class with Lee Adams in college and he is a lovely human being. Minor talent, however, IMO.
I don't have a copy of the libretto, but IIRC Margo has no speech where she explicitly announces she has retired from acting. As in the film, she is staying with her current show rather than moving on to Buzz's new show.
Much is made, however, of the lack of roles for women her age and it's clear by the end that Eve has stolen Margo's part in Buzz's new play. But no problem: Margo realizes there's "Something Greater" than her work: she has a loving boyfriend who wants to marry her. (Bill has realized who Eve really is and has rushed back to Margo's side. Why she forgives him for having taken Eve's side, I don't know, but it's late in the evening and time to wrap up the story.)
So it's pretty much the old choosing husband over career, even if no literal announcement is made. (Frankly, I rather thought that was true of the film, too, though having a song to sing about it only makes the point more obvious.)
***
I totally agree that moving the plot to the 1970s does the story no favor. As you point out, it only places the narrative in a time when the Golden Age of Broadway was past, when true "stage stars" were few to none, and even name actors were supporting themselves largely with film and TV in California.
WHICH GIVES ME AN IDEA: if we're going to re-adapt it, why not set it entirely in Hollywood. Frankly, it's a sight more believable to me that a total newcomer could worm her way into a starring role in a film, where inspired camera work can sometimes compensate for lack of acting experience.
Updated On: 12/16/11 at 06:51 PM
