"St. Bridget, Deliver Us To Beekman Place..................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                    Imagine, as I write this, sitting in the Winter Garden Theatre 55 years ago, as the curtaian is about to go up on the opening night of  "MAME."  If time transport were possible, this is one  thing I would want to witness!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                    First, the orchestra plays the most fabulous Overture; one of  Broadway's  best.  The lights come  down,  then up, as they focus on Jane Connell as Agnes Gooch, and  Frankie Michaels (still  the youngest TONY Award Winner in history) as Young Patrick Dennis,  stepping out on stage,  and  the music, with their voices, segues into "St. Bridget."

                                     Oh, my God, girls, can  you imagine????????????????????????????

                                      That  was 55 years ago tonight, darlings.  Almost to the time  I am now writng  this!

                                        Alas, Time has moved us all on.  To think that Angela Lansbury--Mame,  hersellf!!!!!!--is the only surviving lead cast member,  at 95!!!!!!!!!!  She will be 96 in October!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                          So,  get  your "MAME" cast album out, and relive the triumph of the opening  night of a true Broadway musical  masterpiece!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                             When we used to have them.  Alas.......................

                                                And I always said, many of our best musicals played  the Winter  Garden Theatre, which is why I  still dream  of  playing there.

                                   Here is the  opening number, "St. Bridget," just as it sounded tonight, 55 years ago!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!