No, girls, I am not talking about the passing of Jim Backus as Mr. Magoo; that happened awhile ago. I am using this iconic image from his "Christmas Carol" to mourn the passing of two theatrical greats. When one goes, it is bad enough, but more than one at the same time is too much for some of us theater queens to bear. It makes me want to take the day off. Or at least nurse my sorrows with a Bloody Mary at the Riviera Cafe--the best in town, as far as I am concerned!!!!!!!!!!
Let's start with Arthur Laurents, who finally bit the dust, at 93!!!!!!!!! Now, granted, 93 is 93, but Mr. Laurents was pretty hale and hearty. However, he died from complications of pneumonia, and at that age once that sets in, well, you can pretty much kiss it all goodbye. Or as Ethel Merman would say, "Blow, Gabriel Blow!"
Forget that I could not even finish his excruciating autobiography, "Original Story By," wherein he criticized just about everyone he ever worked wtih. Except himself, of course.
Nevertheless, to have written not just one but TWO of the greatest American musicals of all time--"West Side Story" and "Gypsy," not to mention the play "The Time Of The Cuckoo," which became the Katherine Hepburn movie "Summertime," and thne the 60's musical, "Do I Hear A Waltz?, then going on to direct into his senior years, including the orginal "La Cage Aux Folles" and Patti Lupone's groundbreaking "Gypsy,"-- you have to hand it to Arthur. And he slept and romanced with Farley Granger, which is quite a coup, considering Farley was so gorgeous in his day, while Arthurm while presentable, could hardly be called such. He must have had other......accomplishments!!!!!!!!!
He will be missed, but his theatrical legacy will live on as long as Broadway, theater queens, and Original Cast recordings exist!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As if this were not enough, girls, imagine my shock when I discovered the great actress, Sada Thompson, had died, too. Now, Sada, to some of us, will always be Kate Lawrence on "Family," back in the 70's. I can still recall, both at home and in college, how on Tuesdays my life stopped at 10PM as I tuned in to the latest developments in the Lawrence household. The way she dressed and wore her hair, Sada reminded me of my mother. And there is no truth to the rumor tha Lawrences were based on my family. We were actually closer to "The Soparanos," with me as Carmella!!!!!!! But Sada headed up a great ensemble on that show--Matthew Broderick's father, James, as lawyer Doug Lawrence, Gary Frank (whatever happened to him?) as son Willie, the Emmy winning (and now out of the business and closet, respectively) Kristy McNicnol, as Buddy, and the young Meredith Baxter Birney as alpha daughter Nancy. Oh, and John Rubinstein (when he was still good looking) as her n'er do well hubby. I am not even going to talk bout Quinn Cummings, because that is when the series began tanking, but before this, it was solid drama, like you so rarely got then, and hardly ever get, now.
And Sada made theater history--how I wish I had seen her onstage. She originated the role of Beatrice Hunsdorfer, the frustrated matriarch, in Paul Zindel's "The Effect Of Gamme Rays On Man-In-The-Moon Marigolds," and in between Michael Bennett putting together "Follies" and "A Chorus Line," he directed Sada in a straight play called "Twigs" by the unevenly talented George Furth. Whose talent, in tandem with Bennett's flourished enough this time around, for Sada to win a Best Actress Tony Award that season--before "Family."
After the show folded, I don't recall hearing or seeming much about her. Perhaps she had health issues, and these caught up with her; the obit says she died of lung disease, but does not specify.
Two theatrical luminaries have gone. Honey, if Broadway does not dim its lights tonight in honor of these two, you can bet I will dim them in my apartment this evening!!!!!!!!!!!
And I STILL want to play Mamma Rose in "Gypsy!"
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