Farewell To Celia And The Gang, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                             After 5:30 PM today, Celia Keenan-Bolger will be facing something every actor faces.

                             What is she going to do next????????

                              Of course, she has faced this before, and will again.  And there will be something next, because Celia is, after all...Celia, and just too talented not to find something, or have someone clamouring for her services, and  I , like lots of others, cannot wait to find out what her next project is!!!!!!!!!!!!

                            But this situation is a little different than  others.  For, today, Celia ends her Role Of A Lifetime, one that will become--has already, in fact--a career definer: Laura in "The Glass Menagerie."

                           And with Celia And The Gang goes a little bit of theater history.  Because, for those of us fortunate enough to have seen it. never in our lifetimes will we see a better production of this play.  Just as the "Carousel," done with Audra McDonald, at Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theatre 20 (can you believe it, darlings??????) years ago, has come to be the defining revival of that musical for our time, (remember, the Philharmonic presentation, with Jessie Mueller, was not quite full scale!!!!) the same is going to hold true, in the Drama division, for this production of 'Menagerie.'

                         So, Celia has a lot of thinking to do.

                          Consider Patti Lu Pone!  She faced the same thing when the curtain came down on the Broadway revival of her "Gypsy."  What did she do next?  A supporting role (and I think Laura Benanti was with her, here, too!) in the musical adaptation of "Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown," simply titled "Women On The Verge."  It was not a hit, but Patti did add luster with her presence, and, what's more, you could tell she was having fun, up there!

                          Patti was smart.  She knew how hard it would be to  follow the Role Of A Lifetime; they just don't come right and left; I mean, it was almost 30 years between "Evita" and "Gypsy."  So, she decided to select something she knew would be fun, and work with someone she enjoyed--Laura.

                           If Celia is smart--and I think she is--she will do something of the same.  I would love to see her do something with her brother, Andrew, or even get all the Keenan-Bolgers together, by having them do something with Maggie.  And, darlings, before you go all prophetic on me, Celia is 30 years, at least too young to do Violet in "August:Osage County."  Hmmmm...but wouldn't she make a fabulous Ivy??????????

                            What ever Celia does next, I wish her well, and when she does it, you know, girls, I will be there!  As for "The Glass Menagerie," a fond farewell to this Production Of Production of this Play Of Plays.  Its like will not be seen for decades to come!

                               I am just thankful I had the privilege and pleasure to observe it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!