ELAINE STRITCH SHOOT ME Director Talks Theater Legend's Final Days

In a new feature appearing in today's Variety, Chiemi Karasawa, director of the documentary ELAINE STRITCH: SHOOT ME speaks about the final days of the stage and screen legend.

Karasawa recalls the unconventianal eulogy which the priest delivered at Stritch's funeral service, which included a rendition of "I Feel Pretty," one of her signature pieces from "West Side Story. "He ended his remarks by asking the attendees to give Stritch a round of applause. We stood up and clapped," she recalls. "He wanted us to acknowledge her as a performer, because that's how she wanted to be acknowledged. I thought it was touching he picked up on that."

Following production of the documentary, Karasawa kept in close touch with Stritch, even visiting her bedside for what would wind up being the final three days of her life. "She was still Elaine but there was so little of her," she laments. "I would get on the bed with her, and she would hold my hand really hard. She had this grip." Attempting to imitate Stritch's signature voice Karasawa continued, "Darling, just let it flow." "I started bawling."

Karasawa will present clips of her close friend at an upcoming memorial service to be held on November 17th. The service will feature some of the biggest names in Broadway history. To keep from feeling mellow during the editing, the director often replays the dozens of voice messages that Stritch left her, including one in which the actress goes on a rant about wanting the documentary to sell for millions, a delayed membership to a country club and a caretaker who complains about giving her a bath. The message concludes with a kiss and a maternal, "Love you."

The close friend and confidente also shares that the actress was frightened by death. "She didn't want to be alone. She didn't want there to be nothing." When Karasawa told her how much she would miss her during one of their final visits, Stritch humorously replied, "I miss me too."

Read the story in full here

EVERYBODY, RISE! A CELEBRATION OF ELAINE STRITCH, an all-star tribute to the life and career of the legendary actress, constructed by George C. Wolfe, will be held on Monday, November 17th at 4pm at The Al Hirschfeld Theatre 302 West 45th Street. A limited number of tickets will be made available to the general public on the day of the event on a first-come-first-served basis. Details on how and when tickets will be available will be released closer to the date of the event.

Ms. Stritch passed away on July 17th, 2014 at the age of 89.

The tribute will feature reminiscences and performances by a host of theatre luminaries including Bernadette Peters, Patti Lupone, Hal Prince, Betty Buckley, Christine Ebersole, Michael Feinstein, Rob Bowman. Additional participants will be announced in the coming weeks.

With a Tony and Emmy Award-winning career that stretched from her stage debut in 1944 - through career triumphs in Sail Away, Company, and Elaine Stritch: At Liberty - to her final role on the boards in A Little Night Music in 2010, Elaine Stritch's whiskey-soaked voice, wry comic timing, and reputation as a sharp-tongued, unapologetically audacious personality cemented her as a bona fide legend of stage and screen.