In the latest biography of Stritch (I’M STILL HERE by Alexandra Jacobs, 2018), she says Stritch was indeed offered “I’m Still Here” first, but she turned it down, saying you had to “be Yvonne de Carlo or eighty.” She was in a panic state during the performance, according to Mandy Patinkin, and everyone, including Paul Gemignani, was startled when she began singing as though the words were coming out one at at time. “That was not the tempo we used in rehearsals,” he said, and adapted the orchestra to her pacing.
I’m paraphrasing; the book is upstairs and my foot hurts. I’ll post a citation later.
Laura |
