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Elaine Stritch ‘At Liberty’ in Austin, Part 2
See Part 1 below…
After “Sail Away,” which helped make Stritch into a star in the U.K. — she lived there for 13 years and earned a TV hit with “Two’s Company” — she headlined more musicals, memorably as the original Joanne in Stephen Sondheim’s “Company,” belting out the face-melting “The Ladies Who Lunch.”
This and other signature Stritch songs play crucial roles in full during “At Liberty.” “This show works. It’s seamless,” she says. “Some fans ask: ‘How did you get all those songs to fit?’ I say: ‘Honey, you know I didn’t write those songs.’”
Best known for musicals, Stritch also riveted audiences in nonmusical roles, including two indelible Edward Albee characters: Martha in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” and Claire in “A Delicate Balance” — one an angry drunk, the other a quiet but equally destructive lush.
“At Liberty,” written with The New Yorker theater critic John Lahr, doesn’t just traipse over her 60-year career, recalling the show-biz highs and lows. It’s a searingly frank examination of Stritch’s psyche and what drove her to success and, at times, self-destructive behavior. (One telling anecdote involves her shocking the producers of “Golden Girls” during an audition interview, likely losing a shot at that lucrative series.)
She’s gratified that “At Liberty” has proven as therapeutic for audiences as it has been for the title character and performer.
“I never let it be instruction, never preachy, “ she says. “Still, I feel like I’m doing some good for somebody. Young kids come up to me to say they’ve straightened out their lives. Thank God for the humor or it wouldn’t be playable.”
Stritch calls on deep reserves of energy and soul in nightly performances, despite ongoing battles with diabetes and arthritis, as well as the threat of exhaustion. (She and musical director Rob Bowman must rest for days at any of their stops, before and after a run of “At Liberty,” an opportunity she takes for inveterate sightseeing.)
“I walk into the theater looking like a gym champion who won the gold medal and walk out looking like Dame May Witty,” she jokes, recalling the British character actress who, late in her career, played ancient women. “It takes everything out of me. Talk about reliving your life. Hey, now I know what it’s like to work with Elaine Stritch.” The self-threshing solo show prompts moments of philosophical reverie for the perpetual live wire.
“There used to be an expression my father used: ‘Give the boarders all the eggs they want.’ I’m not quite sure what it means, but I bet you’ll figure it out by the time I get to Austin.”
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Elaine Stritch ‘At Liberty’ in Austin, Part 1
From a distance of 5,000 miles, Elaine Stritch, the indomitable performer, sounds subconsciously concerned about high audience expectations.
“I give 100 percent every night,” Stritch assures me over the phone from London. “I couldn’t sleep with myself if I didn’t.”
Still, has her one-woman show, “Elaine Stritch at Liberty,” which she’ll perform for Austin Cabaret Theatre this week, evolved from its 2002 Broadway incarnation?
“I think I’m getting better,” she insists in her much-impersonated, air-gashing voice. “I know how to do it now!”
Anyone who has witnessed one of her cyclonic performances could not doubt Stritch’s commitment to life-altering stage experiences. Every molecule of her persona soaks up the limelight, making her act the biggest news on the Austin cabaret scene since — forever.
After all, Stritch first received notice on Broadway on Oct. 16, 1946, for a comedy called “Loco.” She made her name playing worldly-wise characters in musicals such as “Pal Joey,” “On Your Toes,” “Goldilocks” and, especially, “Sail Away,” Noel Coward’s jaunty jab at American travel overseas during the postwar era.
She revived the role of “professional pepper-upper” Mimi Paragon during a Carnegie Hall concert for the 100th anniversary of Coward’s birth.
“Noel Coward has not dated,” she says. “He’s goes on and on.” Stritch recalls spending Coward’s 1962 birthday with a few of the playwright/performer’s intimates at the Savoy Hotel in London.
“He was drinking a little champagne. I was drinking a little more,” says Stritch, who has since sworn off intoxicants that sometimes distorted her career. “He wanted to talk about death. He said: ‘I have only one fear. I don’t think I’m afraid of dying. I’m so afraid I won’t be remembered.’ I said: ‘Mr. Coward, anyone who wrote ‘Brief Encounter’ will not be forgotten.’”
In fact, shortly before our conversation, Stritch had seen the stage version of the 1945 movie, “Brief Encounter,” and was dazzled by its technical proficiency, though she wanted to be moved more thoroughly. We agreed that, although Coward’s star dipped a bit in the 1970s, when he was relegated to community-theater productions, plays such as “Design for Living,” “Hay Fever,” “Private Lives” and “Present Laughter” are now as firmly a part of the English-language repertoire as any since Shakespeare.
More to come…
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Out & About Annivesary Column, Part 2
In point of fact, Kelso didn’t know Caen, but it made a good line, and we share our best gags and tips every day in the newsroom. We cherish — and are trapped by — our public personas. He plays the amused Texas redneck (he’s from Maine); I come off like an urban sophisticate (I’m from Kilgore). He’s the one driving the Lexus to his mani and pedi appointments, while I, when shirking my usual pedestrian ways, tool around in a faded Chevy Malibu, and haven’t allowed anyone to touch my toenails (though implacable Ron King from Bo Salon threatens to do so).
Any column comes with critics. Some readers feel too much space is devoted to the trivialities of celebrity. Then they rush to the online edition when Matthew McConaughy or Sandra Bullock make the news. On the Internet, page-view numbers don’t lie.
People are most sensitive about the images that run with my columns. “Too many young professionals.” “Too many pretty people.” “Not enough people like me.” Actually, I find no trouble documenting Austin’s splendid diversity every week. Look carefully.
Despite the haters, Out & About is a hit online — where the bulk of the reporting lives — and in print. Thus, Tuesday will mark my first 24 hours as full-time social columnist. Effervescent editors Charles Ealy and Sharon Chapman will oversee the entertainment coverage in our print edition. I’ll devote my full passions to Out & About and related profiles, trend articles and breaking news stories.
Please keep reading. Kelso has spent 35 years polishing his column. Caen spent almost 50 years on his. Out & About will evolve while linking Old and New.
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Out & About Annivesary Column, Part 1
Hang a placard on this column: “Bridging Old and New Austin for 12 Months … or So.”
I arrived in 1984, when funky Old Austin of the Armadillo World Headquarters was bumping into sleek New Austin of Sematech, MCC and other tech pioneers. Yet Willie Nelson never abandoned the city, even after Lance Armstrong raced through his Hill Country neighborhood. (In fact, our two brightest superstars appear to get along quite well, at least in public.)
Since I served as the American-Statesman’s XL editor at the time, Out & About morphed into an entertainment blog with scattered gay themes, which then choked with reports of the social events I’d encountered as editor. By the time the print edition of Out & About premiered in August 2007, the topics ranged from movies and music to charity and business to politics and law, with lots of social fields squeezed in between.
Part 2 to come…
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Weekend Out: Labor Day & Longhorns
There’s no way we are going to make all these competitive events, but it’s crucial to acknowledge the options as the traditional social seasons kicks off.
Friday: Vince Young Foundation Event; Young Texans Against Cancer with Young Love, the Southern Sirens, Vinyl Darma at Austin Music Hall; Dale Rice Retirement Party at private residence
Saturday: University of Texas Longhorns vs. Florida Atlantic at Royal Memorial Stadium; Cantanker Issue Launch at Big Medium Gallery; Bob Schneider’s Labour of Love Festival at the Nutty Brown Cafe; The Not-So-Secret Society of Bruce Christman Admirers at a private residence
Sunday: Nike + Human Race at the State Capitol, Momo’s Eighth Annivesary with Jeremy Nail, Dave Madden, Dertybird, T-bird & the Breaks
Tuesday: AGLIFF Launch Party at Club DeVille
Wednesday: “Surfer, Dude” — with Matthew McConaughey — Red Carpet and Premiere at the Paramount Theatre; AGLIFF Opening Night Reception at Oilcan Harry’s; HAAM Corporate Battle of the Bands at Antone’s
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Grounded in Music and Strata TX at J. Black’s
So many social connections surged at J. Black’s on Tuesday, it was hard to keep track. First, Strata TX held a happy hour, which makes sense, because the young professionals club for the Texas Cultural Trust significantly brings down the average age for the trust’s statewide supporters and helps spread the word about what this trust does (primarily backs the Texas Commission on the Arts and educational programs about the arts, as well as some individual young artsts).
Erin Ivey, Marc Fort
Second, another group, Grounded in Music, held a simultaneous happy hour. This is another collection of twenty- and thirtysomethings putting their shoulders to the fundraising grindstone, this time for extracurricular music programs in schools not lucky enough to have well-heeled PTAs to pay for teachers. And they hire top musicians, too, keeping their operating budget to $40,000 by doing all the rest of the work with volunteers.
Jacquelyn Sorcic, Jeff Kreinik
But the best part was that the two groups met together in the narrow raised lounge behind the main U-shaped bar (where nightlife prince Brad Womack held court that dusk). Collaborating on the event meant their supporters cross-pollinated, something every charitable group in town should do. (I’ve seen it work for the Catalyst 8 folks on several occasions, for instance.)
Huey Houston, Leah Smith
Then it was off to dinner with the ever-gracious Stephen Rice and Mark Erwin and our instantaneous friends, Oliver Everette and Craig Rancourt at Eastside Cafe. We all left pleasantly stuffed and content.
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Your A-List: Best 24-hour Restaurant
Both local restaurant groups have garnered support for decades with bountiful breakfasts, quickie lunches and unconventional dinners. (In recent news, KL announced it would move its Northwest location to the Anderson Arbor Shopping Center at U.S. 183 and Anderson Mill Road).
Another well-trod Old Austin haunt, Katz’s, with it signature martinis, over-stuffed deli sandwiches and constantly burbling atmosphere on West Sixth Street, came in third with a respectable 14 percent, although that’s a big come-down from last year’s 40 percent. (What happened, Marc?)
IHOP, a corporate behemoth that has felt the sting of competition from fast-food breakfasting, hit the fourth spot with 5 percent. Star Seeds, the completely singular diner with decidedly eclectic clientele on Interstate 35 North, pulled in 5 percent, while two chains, Waffle House and Denny’s, settled for less than 3 percent.
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Your A-List: Best Vintage Store
Buffalo Exchange, a mere write-in candidate last year, zoomed up to second place with 20 percent of the vote. Goodwill, also a previous write-in, got a full 15 percent. South Congress veteran New Bohemia dropped from 21 percent to 7 percent (where are my SoCo homies?), while another longtimer, Room Service, nabbed 6 percent, closely followed by Amelia’s Retro-Vogue & Relics.
Taking less than 5 percent were Salvation Army, Flashback, Feathers and Big Bertha’s. A few more workouts and I’ll hit the resale ranks hard again.
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Skip ‘Rome 1960’
“Rome 1960” disappointed me terribly. David Maraniss’ reputation as a journalist who can handle book-length material led me to choose this treatment of the Rome Olympics as my games-side reading. Maraniss begins promisingly with taut, suspenseful accounts of women’s track coach Edward Temple, would-be spy David Sime and other leading characters — a young, brash Cassius Clay, a classically chiseled Rafer Johnson, long, limber Wilma Rudloph, and especially self-styled aristocrat and IOC president Avery Brundage, who couldn’t foresee that the Olympics were going truly global, thanks, in part, to commercial television.
That may work for NBC today, with hundreds of specially mounted cameras and instant editing, but not for a 400-page history that heaves in too many directions to tell any one story well. The biggest let-down arises from the expectations laid out by the subtitle: “The Olympics That Changed the World.” How? Even on page 423, we’re not quite sure. Yes, the USSR and it allies triumphed, forcing the US to initiate a “space race” in sports to match its efforts in other areas of achievement and propaganda. Yes, the club of Europe was fading while the newly independent Third World countries marched onto the Olympic stage. But really? Change the world? Nah.
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Meet the new bloggers
Fresh. Lively. Sometimes a little raw.
Meet the entertainment bloggers from St. Edward’s University journalism program. We met for our first three hours on Monday night, discussing the potential roles of the entertainment journalist (see their comments on an earlier post featuring Perez Hilton), the framing questions for crunchy writing about the arts (relating the “Mad Men” opening credits to observation, description, analysis, interpretation and evaluation).
A day later, we launched their blogs. Find the early links below. Read ‘em. Comment on ‘em.
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Angels on the Runway at Austin Music Hall
Right away, at Angels on the Runway, I ran into Kelli and Keith Lawson. The newcomers from Washington D.C. — like newcomers sweetly do — asked about the event. They wanted to know everything.
Kelli Lawson, Keith Lawson
Well, it’s an annual fashion show. And one with some name designers — this time layer-lover Robert Comstock from Aspen and New York, courtesy of Keepers men’s wear on Congress Avenue — as well as promising locals, such as Joanna Ruley-Garza and Stephanie Jimenez. But not all the beauteous models are experienced, so the action on the runway can be a bit tentative.
Mary Lee, Jenny Hoff, Maureen McCann, Catie Beck
The venue is the Austin Music Hall, which needs explanation. A multi-use facility, rebuilt from the ground up, its main flat floor is well suited to fundraisers like this one, as well as to rock concerts. But not so much for other performing arts events. The acoustics have improved from near-catastrophic levels earlier this year and the hall fits neatly with its 360 Tower and Ballet Austin neighbors.
Bennett Pifer, George Heretakis
The charity benefiting from this party is Heart House, which provides after-school educational services for the needy. I explained to Kelli and Keith that it was among several dozen young, fast-growing organizations built mostly with new money, not old, and therefore perfect for entry-level participation.
Amy Holloway, Chris Engle
Well, I hope Kelli and Keith liked the event. And yes, in Austin, unlike bigger, more established cities, you can make a difference right away.
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Fortunates at Dem Convention
Got any tips from Austinites at either convention to send our way? We’re ready to report.
Addendum: In the way of all Out & About, the couple that I pictured, John and Julie, ended up not being able to make it.
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AGLIFF Review 2: ‘The Edge of Heaven’
‘The Edge of Heaven’
Four stars.
An earthy Turkish laborer, retired in Germany, attempts to fill his declining years with a gusto for life’s pleasures. This brings him into contact with kind, worldly Turkish prostitute, who leaves the profession just ahead of Islamic religious bullies. His son is a scholar of German at a Bremen university; her daughter has disappeared in Turkey. The first act ends badly. When that prodigal daughter seeks refuge in Germany, she encounters a saucer-eyed young social activist, with whom she has a brief, but telling affair. The second act ends even more tragically. The activist’s mother, seemingly the least of the players in this story that loops back on itself, becomes the dramatic fulcrum by its ameliorating end.
The cast, which tends to let expressions tell more than verbosity, fits the material seamlessly, Hanna Schygulla, who plays the activist’s mother, is devastatingly effective, although those who have not seen her since the Fassbinder’s days may be startled by the effects of normal aging.
By the way, that the lesbian affair is treated almost as an afterthought, then as an unexpectedly crucial link in the mysterious story makes this an unusual pick for a gay film festival, but thank AGLIFF heartily for bringing this gem, which won best screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival, to Austin.
“The Edge of Heaven” screens 7:30 p.m. Sept. 3 at the Alamo Ritz.
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The Romance of KUT’s 50th Anniversary Party
The romance of the number 50.
The romance of a half-century-old radio station that echoes a city’s soul.
Patty Griffin
The romance of silvery-voiced Patty Griffin, serenading a musically vigilant house during KUT 90.5 FM’s 50th birthday launch at the “Austin City Limits” studio.
The romance of a music lovers like “Texas Music Matters” emcee David Brown, whose onstage conversations with Griffin could be collected under “love poems to an artist.”
Jeff and Janel Bates
The romance of the front-row newlyweds, Jeff and Janel Bates, who played a Griffin song during their Belize wedding, right after “you may kiss the bride.” (“We wanted to fly her down,” Janel says. “But couldn’t afford it.”)
The romance of the bearded, glowing Georgetown man, Tom Swift, trying to convert his topiary-maned, Gray, Maine friend, Sarah McCleary, into a Texan, one authentic experience at a time — peaking with the same KUT concert.
Sarah McCleary, Tom Swift
The romance of the flicker-eyed political fan, Francine Franklin, who finally meets one of her idols, Mayor Will Wynn, himself rhetorically transcendent describing KUT’s relationship to the city’s singular culture.
Mayor Will Wynn, Francine Franklin
The romance of the three British ex-pats — Trevor Richards from Swansea, Julie Tereshchuk from Carlisle and Matt Horrocks from Southwest London — sharing pre-Texas memories before the concert started.
Trevor Richards, Julie Tereshchuk, Matt Horrocks
The romance of meeting strangers who may become friends: Patrick Dentler, photographer for the KUT party — he took the Griffin photo above — youngest brother of former SXSW Film director Matt and son of my elementary school classmate Hank (aka George); Ian Knox, the husband of freshly minted Statesman food writer Addie, who, despite being a young parent, seems to attend almost as many parties as I do; and a good dozen KUT stalwarts who made a newspaperman feel welcome in this blessed broadcast realm.
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Catching up with Kevin Smothers at Thai Fresh
That’s why, this week, he’s started a new public relations firm called Pulse. (Well, for graphic reasons, he insists on “pulse,” but even on the blog, we defer to AP style on capitalization.) Smothers has worked for bigger, more established firms on more than one coast, but Pulse is starting small with clients such as Mulberry and J. Black’s, which, by coincidence, were already among my preferred hangouts.
I caught up with Kevin at Thai Fresh, the new spot on West Mary near South Fifth, in the same center as Cafe Caffeine. Started as a home delivery service, it’s now a counter cafe with onsite seating and take-away as well as a wall of Asian groceries. My tad pai with tofu was fluffy, filling and tasty, especially with jolts of hot sauce provided at the tables.
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Out & About meets OutCast
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Anthony Lane — Best Onsite Writing about the Olympics
Ahead of other onsite Olympics reporters by a mile was Anthony Lane of The New Yorker. For the Aug. 25 issue, the magazine’s wit-stained film critic dove deep into the Beijing scene, using his falcon eye to discern connections few other journalists would even notice.
On the mass spectacle of the ceremony: “Cometh the hour, cometh the glowing red drumsticks, the heaving sea of blocks, the Brobdingnagian scroll unspooling before our eyes, and other miracles of visual manipulation. … China supports a population of 1.3 billion, the knowledge of that resource was never far away; indeed, the whole evening became an exercise in number-crunching, as mass art was constructed from a mass of humanity.”
On Sebastian Coe, who heads London’s Olympic efforts: “He may have been hiding in the men’s room, calling home to order more light bulbs. ‘They had 2,008 drummers, all lit up. Yes, 2,008. And what have we got so far? Elton John on a trampoline.’”
On meeting rabid volleyball fans from Amsterdam: “How did they rate the Dutch chances this year? ‘We have no volleyball team,’ Mr. Goss said with infinite gloom. The Netherlands hadn’t qualified. The Gosses would have to make do with the beach equivalent, which is to proper volleyball what Elvis’s movies were to Elvis’s music.”
The New Yorker illustration by Robert Risko.
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AGLIFF Review 1: ‘Equality U.’
‘Equality U.’
Three stars
The set-up sounded a bit pat: A group of young Christians travel on a Soulforce Equality Ride to Christian colleges and universities to discuss with students and administrators their institutions’ rules against homosexuality.
And, for a while, those expectations are met in the documentary “Equality U.” Group co-leader Jacob Reitan finds his eloquent, uncompromising speech-making not always effective; equally adamant co-leader Haven Herrin looks more closely at individual situations and teases out more ambiguity. Disagreements about strategy cleave the Riders almost from the start. Yet train a camera on humans long enough — especially in such hothouse conditions — and they will surprise even a viewer who has seen scores of documentaries about gay culture.
One stumbles on the unflaggingly hopeful and spiritually adjusted Oklahoma Rider who discovers her father ready to disown her for appearing on TV; the Oklahoma Baptist University junior who comes out in great fear, only to find her status liberating; the weeping student who doesn’t want her university’s anti-gay stance to hurt actual people; other students who promise to help change their universities’ policies.
Director Dave O’Brien saves the most potent gesture for last: Brigham Young University students, knowing that they will almost certainly be expelled and excommunicated, stage a simple die-in on campus for those Mormons who committed suicide when rejected by their families and schools after coming out. It’s a heartbreaking subject the rest of the country, slowing altering its views on homosexuality, doesn’t want to face. The Equality Riders stare it down with courage, dignity and — dare we say? — grace.
“Equality U” screens at the Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival 2 p.m. Sept. 3 at the Alamo Ritz.
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Pretty People Can Be Nice, Part 3: Anthony Nak at Eliza Page
See Parts 1 & 2 of “Pretty People Can Be Nice” to follow the narrative and thematic thread of Thursday’s killer parties.
Bhawna Sharma, Gloria Callner
We wound up the evening at Eliza Page, the jewel-like accessories shop on West Second Street, for the world premiere showing of new artistry from the Anthony Nak team. Our first impression was how tall and thin the guests were, though it turned out the tallest, dressed in black, were actually security staff, who could peer over the partiers to check on the safety of the innovative jewelry on display.
Kelley Sullivan, Elizabeth Serrato
We did run into one gentleman with fantastic dreads who declined to be photographed, and we had a short, polite conversation about his reasons (he had declined on an earlier social occasion). I never force people to appear in the newspaper, but I’m always curious why.
Zion, James Walker
Elizabeth Serrato herself introduced me to her stunning employee Kelley Sullivan. Blackmail’s Gail Chovan and I caught up on lots of gossip, some happy, some sad. All the while, we glanced at the goods, which we’d prefer to examine more closely at our leisure, and the party drifted out onto Second Street’s wide sidewalks. What fun.
Brenda New, Regina Witte
I didn’t get a chance to chat with Anthony Camargo and Nak Armstrong, but they continue to keep Austin ever so stylish. I wanted to apologize about aiding and abetting the Madonna rumor earlier this year, but hey, they are grown-ups about their cherished and famous customer.
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Pretty People Can Be Nice, Part 2: Movies at Gruv
See Part 1 of “Pretty People Can Be Nice” to follow the narrative and thematic thread of Thursday’s killer parties.
Adam Bloodgood, Paul Michael Bloodgood
Party No. 2 took place at the never-dull Gruv on West Fifth Street. Sure enough, Hostess Suprema Jen Shoemaker greeted me at the door, looking sharper than ever. (And her hairstyle seems to grow higher on each greeting.)
Ryan R
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