I'll never forget the first preview of the ultimately ill-fated revival of Ragtime. There was long, thunderous, applause when the curtain rose after the lights dimmed to reveal Coalhouse at the piano with the cast gathered around him.
The final performance of the Night Music revival was pretty special, too. There was a sense among the audience, an unspoken feeling, that this would be Stritch's last appearance on a stage and it was as if everyone wanted to thank her for her career. And she was letter perfect that afternoon- totally on her game. At curtain call, unbeknownst to her, Bernadette and the rest of the cast stepped back to let Stritch have a solo bow and that's when the place really erupted. In a very Stritchian way, she ate it up, while pretending not to (repeatedly gesturing for everyone to stop clapping). Bernadette spoke, and then Stritch, again in a very Stritchian way, said "Now it's my turn to talk!" and proceeded to run through her own list of thanks, which allowed her to poke a little fun at herself (she gestured upwards and said "And Hugh Wheeler, I swear I never changed a single word!"). It was an afternoon I won't ever forget.
Updated On: 12/12/14 at 07:36 PM
