I was very moved by the Jan Maxwell memorial held at the Friedman Theatre this afternoon. It was very well organized and the memories about Maxwell from her colleagues and friends were so moving. She was so respected and loved and several people noted her generosity, powerful presence, sly humor and exceptional talent. Among the speakers were Lynne Meadow, Ana Gasteyer, Mark Kudish, Richard Chamberlain, Anthony Giardina, Doug Hughes, Jayne Houdyshell and her husband and son. Tony Shaloub couldn't make it because of a last minute TV commitment and Mary Beth Peil had a bad cold so she also wasn't present. They showed clips of her acting on stage on and on TV and played an amusing montage of her voice work. They also played a lovely song Once (not the song from the Broadway musical) that she recorded a few months before she died. The afternoon ended with Maxwell's son playing Over the Rainbow on the violin. He is 22.
I was thankful to attend the Irish Rep gala tonight which was an Alan Jay Lerner Centennial Celebration. Melissa Errico, Stephen Bogardus, John Cudia, and James Barbour sang beautifully tonight. Jeremy Irons did a splendid performance of I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face. Maryann Plunkett, David Staller and Donna Kane also were charming. Another highlight was John Cullum sharing his memories working on Camelot and On a Clear Day and he shared a funny anecdote about how he was cast for Camelot. Cullum sang part of On a Clear Day and he still sounds wonderful. (I'm sorry I missed him in Waitress.) Most of the songs were performed with a 25 piece orchestra. This was an exciting evening all around. |
