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The DVD cover of the award-winning "Elaine Stritch: At Liberty" compares her to Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, and Barbra Streisand. I've known for a long time that she is one of the grande-dames of Broadway, but I wondered if she was worthy of such comparisons. Well, for starters, Elaine, who describes herself at one point as an "existential problem in tights," holds your attention all by herself for over two hours, and how many entertainers can do that these days? In her alternately hilarious and poignant one-woman show, Elaine takes us through all the "headaches, the heartaches, the backaches, the flops", the success, and so much more in her incredible 50+ odd years in show-business. Elaine has professional and personal stories to tell (involving the likes of Marlon Brando, Ethel Merman, Gig Young, Ben Gazarra, Rock Hudson, Noel Coward, Richard Burton, Judy Garland, Hal Prince, Stephen Sondheim, and a cast of real divas in a summer stock production of "The Women"), songs to sing, and a notorious, endearing "potty-mouth." Elaine is completely, 100% "Original Elaine"; with a refreshing lack of vanity. She is wise and, at last, self-aware enough to know the mistakes she made along the way. "Maybe if I'd stopped to have a Diet Coke somewhere, I might have made a few more adult decisions," she says. Elaine takes full responsibility for blowing-- big time!-- her audition for "The Golden Girls", for example.
She hilariously recalls running around like a crazy lady in the name of show-biz dedication (rushing to New York City to see if she was needed as "stand-by" for Ethel Merman in "Call Me Madam; rushing back to New Haven to sing the showstopper "Zip!" in "Pal Joey").
"And you wonder why I drank," she hollers to her captivated audience. And, underlining everything is this: Elaine was a hard-working, self-destructive, lonely, insecure, frightened, vulnerable lady who could never go on stage or on film "alone." This led to life-long alcoholism. Elaine, heartbreakingly, admits that, due to drinking, she was "absent almost always" from her own life. When alcoholism was combined with diabetes, Elaine played a dangerous game of Russian Roulette. She almost lost her battle with the bottle. Yes, she sings her signature song "The Ladies Who Lunch" from "Company" here. But, more importantly, she has earned the right to sing "I'm Still Here." She means every word of Sondheim's song because she has lived it. Yes, Elaine is still here-- and I'm so glad! She closes the show with, of all things, "Something Good" from the film version of "The Sound Of Music." Elaine sings it, full of genuine, quiet graditude, to her audience. This DVD is absolutely essential in the library of every serious show-business and Broadway Theatre aficinado.
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September 24, 2013 "Please retry" | — | 1 | $19.60 | $3.62 |
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Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2010
Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2009
Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2003
Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2013
Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2014
Top reviews from other countries
Canadian Reviewer
but amazed. May she rest in peace
Reviewed in Canada on July 24, 2014
The Wolf
A Consummate Performer
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 25, 2017Breck Liles
Elaine Stritch is at her finest. She blends great story telling and her past ...
Reviewed in Canada on December 7, 2014