Elaine Stritch at Liberty
Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2008 8:24 pm
I just watched the special made this summer based on her 2002 Broadway show.
I saw Bea Arthur's show (on the tour) that was on Broadway at roughly the same time (early 2001). Obviously I am bigger fan of Arthur, but I thought her show was indeed better, and wish she had won the Tony for Special Event rather than Stritch (I realize the Tony was not for either actress but for the producers).
Stritch was a reclamation project, with unhappiness and a drinking problem to discuss, and Bea had little of that. Stritch described a little more dirt on other actors, and Arthur only revealed some funny bits about Tallulah Bankhead and Angela Lansbury (she said this statuesque, regal, classically-trained British woman has a mouth like a sailor).
Not that either of them had all her original vocals at 79 and 76, but I thought Arthur tried less flashy stuff and was therefore more successful. I wish someone had done a video recording of that show, but until that surfaces I'll have to make do with the album.
PS - I love that Arthur closed her show by saying, "No, I will not sing 'I'm Still Here'," which is a little dig at Stritch's show, in which she covers that one and a few more Big Numbers.
I saw Bea Arthur's show (on the tour) that was on Broadway at roughly the same time (early 2001). Obviously I am bigger fan of Arthur, but I thought her show was indeed better, and wish she had won the Tony for Special Event rather than Stritch (I realize the Tony was not for either actress but for the producers).
Stritch was a reclamation project, with unhappiness and a drinking problem to discuss, and Bea had little of that. Stritch described a little more dirt on other actors, and Arthur only revealed some funny bits about Tallulah Bankhead and Angela Lansbury (she said this statuesque, regal, classically-trained British woman has a mouth like a sailor).
Not that either of them had all her original vocals at 79 and 76, but I thought Arthur tried less flashy stuff and was therefore more successful. I wish someone had done a video recording of that show, but until that surfaces I'll have to make do with the album.
PS - I love that Arthur closed her show by saying, "No, I will not sing 'I'm Still Here'," which is a little dig at Stritch's show, in which she covers that one and a few more Big Numbers.