''Elaine Stritch at Liberty'' is an autobiographical

one-woman show A solo performance, sometimes referred to as a one-man show or one-woman show, features a single person telling a story for an audience, typically for the purpose of entertainment. This type of performance comes in many varieties, including auto ...

written by

Elaine Stritch Elaine Stritch (February 2, 1925 – July 17, 2014) was an American actress, best known for her work on Broadway and later, television. She made her professional stage debut in 1944 and appeared in numerous stage plays, musicals, feature films a ...

and

John Lahr John Henry Lahr (born July 12, 1941) is an American theater critic and writer. From 1992 to 2013, he was a staff writer and the senior drama critic at ''The New Yorker''. He has written more than twenty books related to theater. Lahr has been ca ...

, and produced by George C. Wolf, which is composed of anecdotes from Stritch's life, as well as showtunes and Broadway standards that mirror Stritch’s rise and fall both on and off the stage.

Synopsis

The show consists of spoken monologues from Stritch following her life and career, interspersed with showtunes and pop standards which complement her stories. Many of these songs had been previously sung by Stritch in major productions, such as " The Ladies Who Lunch" from '' Company'' and "

Civilization A civilization (or civilisation) is any complex society characterized by the development of a state, social stratification, urbanization, and symbolic systems of communication beyond natural spoken language (namely, a writing system). ...

" from ''Angel in the Wings'' which she originated on Broadway. Her experiences and relationship with show business are focal points, but she also explores more intimate, personal themes like her alcoholism and romantic relationships.

Productions

Originally directed and produced by George C. Wolfe at

The Public Theater The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: An American Li ...

, the show premiered on November 7, 2001. After quickly selling out, the original engagement was extended twice: once until December 30 and then until January 6, 2002. The show then transferred to Broadway, opening on February 21, 2002 in the

Neil Simon Theatre The Neil Simon Theatre, originally the Alvin Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 250 West 52nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1927, the theater was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and was built for ...

, closing on May 26 of that year. Stritch continued to perform the show at regional and international venues.

Reception

The Broadway production was recognized with the 2002

Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event The Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League ...

and the 2002

Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical is an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in the theatre among Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway productions. For two years, in addition to the award ...

Adaptation

The documentary adaptation directed by

D. A. Pennebaker Donn Alan Pennebaker (; July 15, 1925 – August 1, 2019) was an American documentary filmmaker and one of the pioneers of direct cinema. Performing arts and politics were his primary subjects. In 2013, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sci ...

and

Andy Picheta Andy Picheta is a director and producer of film and television, music videos and musical concerts. Picheta has produced music videos and concerts for musicians including Bon Jovi, AC/DC, Lionel Richie, Madonna, Prince, U2 and The Jacksons, and ...

aired in 2004 on HBO. It went on to win two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Special, and Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program.

Song list

Songs are listed alphabetically, as presented in the Broadway program, with the note "the following songs may or may not be performed." *"All in Fun" (from ''

Very Warm for May ''Very Warm for May'' is a musical composed by Jerome Kern, with a libretto by Oscar Hammerstein II. It was the team's final score for Broadway, following their hits ''Show Boat'', '' Sweet Adeline'', and '' Music in the Air''. It marked a return ...

'') —

Jerome Kern Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945) was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in ove ...

and Oscar Hammerstein II *"Broadway Baby"§ (from ''

Follies ''Follies'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The plot takes place in a crumbling Broadway theater, now scheduled for demolition, previously home to a musical revue (based on the ''Ziegfeld Fol ...

'') — Stephen Sondheim *" But Not For Me" —

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...

and Ira Gershwin *" If Love Were All" (from '' Bitter Sweet'') — Noël Coward *"Can You Use Any Money Today?"§ (from ''

Call Me Madam ''Call Me Madam'' is a musical written by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. The musical is a satire on politics and foreign policy that spoofs postwar America's penchant for lending billions of dollars to ...

'') —

Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Beilin; yi, ישראל ביילין; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-American composer, songwriter and lyricist. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Born in Imperial Russ ...

"§ (from '' Angel in the Wings'') — Carl Sigman and

Bob Hilliard Bob Hilliard (born Hilliard Goldsmith; January 28, 1918 – February 1, 1971) was an American lyricist. He wrote the words for the songs: "Alice in Wonderland", "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning", " Any Day Now", " Dear Hearts and Gentle ...

Hooray for Hollywood "Hooray for Hollywood" is a popular song first featured in the 1937 movie ''Hollywood Hotel'', and which has since become (together with " That's Entertainment" and " There's No Business like Show Business") the staple soundtrack element of any Ac ...

" (from ''

Hollywood Hotel The Hollywood Hotel was a famous hotel, society venue of early Hollywood, and landmark A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible fr ...

'') — Richard A. Whiting and Johnny Mercer *" I'm Still Here" (from ''

'') — Stephen Sondheim *" I've Been to a Marvelous Party" — Noël Coward *"I Want a Long Time Daddy" —

Porter Grainger Porter Grainger ( Granger; October 22, 1891 − October 30, 1948) was an American pianist, songwriter, playwright, and music publisher. Biography When Grainger was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky, the Granger family name did not include an "i". A ...

*"The Little Things You Do Together"§ (from '' Company'') — Stephen Sondheim *" Something Good" (from ''

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, ''The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. S ...

'') — Richard Rodgers *" The Ladies Who Lunch"§ (from '' Company'') — Stephen Sondheim *" The Party's Over" (from '' Bells Are Ringing'' — Styne, Comden, and

Green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combi ...

*"There Never Was a Baby Like My Baby" (from ''

Two on the Aisle ''Two on the Aisle'' is a musical revue with a book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and music by Jule Styne. The project marked Comden and Green's return to Broadway following their successful reign at MGM (where they penned the class ...

'') — Styne, Comden, and

There's No Business Like Show Business "There's No Business Like Show Business" is an Irving Berlin song, written for the 1946 musical '' Annie Get Your Gun'' and orchestrated by Ted Royal. The song, a slightly tongue-in-cheek salute to the glamour and excitement of a life in show b ...

" (from '' Annie Get Your Gun'') —

*"This Is All Very New to Me" (from ''

Plain and Fancy ''Plain and Fancy'' is a musical comedy with a book by Joseph Stein and Will Glickman, lyrics by Arnold Horwitt, and music by Albert Hague. One of the first depictions of an Amish community in American pop culture, it includes a traditional barn ...

'') —

Albert Hague Albert Hague (born Albert Marcuse, October 13, 1920 – November 12, 2001) was a German–born American songwriter and actor. Early life Hague was born to a Jewish family in Berlin, Germany. His father, Harry Marcuse, was a psychiatrist a ...

and Arnold Horwitt *"Why Do The Wrong People Travel?"§ (from '' Sail Away'') — Noël Coward *"Zip"§ (from '' Pal Joey'') —

Rodgers and Hart Rodgers and Hart were an American songwriting partnership between composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and the lyricist Lorenz Hart (1895–1943). They worked together on 28 stage musicals and more than 500 songs from 1919 until Hart' ...

''Notes'' §: numbers previously performed by Stritch in professional productions

Recording

A recording of the original off-Broadway production was released on April 9, 2002 by

DRG Records MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch", formerly known as Koch Records and eOne Music) is a New York City-based independent record label and music management company. It was formed in 2009 from the music assets of Koch Entertainment, which had ...

, containing both the musical numbers and selected spoken material from the show.Elaine Stritch: At Liberty
at AllMusic.com

References

External links

Elaine Stritch & George Wolfe on creating ''At Liberty''
14 December 2001 episode of PBS '' Theater Talk'' * * * {{EmmyAward VarietySpecial Plays for one performer Tony Award-winning plays American plays adapted into films Films directed by D. A. Pennebaker