I just "watched" that DVD while writing an exam paper yesterday.
Lovely. LOVE HER.
"The Spectacle has, indeed, an emotional attraction of its own, but, of all the parts, it is the least artistic, and connected least with the art of poetry. For the power of Tragedy, we may be sure, is felt even apart from representation and actors. Besides, the production of spectacular effects depends more on the art of the stage machinist than on that of the poet."
--Aristotle
There is a rendition of her singing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" on a CD called A Cabaret Christmas. Simply divine rendition. I found it on I-Tunes... Updated On: 12/7/07 at 05:25 PM
I like to think that when Clint Eastwood dies and is at the Pearly Gates, he will have to explain to St. Peter just how it is that the soundtrack album of "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" he and his daughter and Kevin Spacey get to sing...
But DOROTHY LOUDON, who was also in the movie and REALLY CAN SING doesn't get a song...
"A coherent existance after so many years of muddle" - Desiree' Armfelt, A Little Night Music
"Life keeps happening everyday, Say Yes" - 70, Girls, 70
"Life is what you do while you're waiting to die" - Zorba
After watching Queen of the Stardust Ballroom last week I was curious about Ballroom......Thank You....She was Great.....I wish I could of seen the show.
PJ, I know you adore that performance, but to me the funniest performance by anyone, ever, is Loudon's brilliant comic tour-de-force rendition of "Losing My Mind/You Could Drive a Person Crazy." I remember the first time I saw the DVD of Sondheim at Carnegie Hall I had no idea that she was gonna do a medley of the songs, I was expecting a typical torchy "Losing My Mind" (I wasn't familiar with Loudon either so I didn't realize she didn't do "typical" anything), by the time she was done, I was laughing so hard I could barely breath and she had gained a new fan. I felt miserable when I looked her up and realized she had passed away. I adore her. I really think she would have made a great Sally in FOLLIES, and how I wish she had played the female lead in THE APPLE TREE.
"Some people can thrive and bloom living life in a living room, that's perfect for some people of one hundred and five. But I at least gotta try, when I think of all the sights that I gotta see, all the places I gotta play, all the things that I gotta be at"
From Charles Strouse's wonderful memoir: "Dorothy had made her stage debut in 1962 in THE WORLD OF JULES FEIFER directed by Mike Nichols, but when Mike called her to find out if she was interested in being in ANNIE, she hesistated. 'Don't you think I'm too old to play Annie Oakley?'"
My mom has recently been listening to the Broadway channel on Sirius radio, and she heard Loudon singing "Fifty Percent". She asked me who it was, and she said that you could tell from the song that she was someone who was incredible on stage.
I also just showed her the "Vodka" video, and she loved it.
I think we have a new Dorothy Loudon convert.
I am a firm believer in serendipity- all the random pieces coming together in one wonderful moment, when suddenly you see what their purpose was all along.