Elaine Stritch Visits Theater Talk 10/22

Broadway legend Elaine Stritch, winning rave reviews alongside co-star Bernadette Peters as the new cast members in the Hugh Wheeler/Stephen Sondheim musical "A Little Night Music," pays a visit to THEATER TALK on Friday, October 22 (2010) at 12:30 AM on Thirteen.

Ms. Stritch discusses her love of the theater and audiences ("I level with them...truth was always number one on my agenda"), the training and techniques that have helped her give so many memorable performances, and the richness of her life ("I have the fullest life of anyone I know - it's the answer to longevity.")

She also shares comments she's gotten backstage from colleagues Hal Prince, Stephen Sondheim and Elaine May, as well as Angela Lansbury, who Stritch followed in the role of Madame Armfeldt in the hit revival of the popular musical.

Above all, Stritch pays a moving and heartfelt homage to the profession that has sustained her and delighted audiences for more than 60 years since her Broadway debut in 1947.

The outspoken star, in her fifth appearance on THEATER TALK, also displays her frustration with doing 8 shows a week ("It robs you of enough sleep to keep you from doing your best ... It's not the part - it's the getting ready"), but tells co-hosts Michael Riedel, Broadway columnist for the New York Post, and series producer Susan Haskins that appearing on THEATER TALK "cheers me up."

After premiering on Thirteen, Friday, October 22, the Elaine Stritch interview will repeat on CUNY TV: Saturday, Oct. 30 at 8:30 PM; Sunday, Oct. 31 at 12:30 PM, plus Monday, Nov. 1 at 7:30 AM, 1:30 PM, and 7:30 PM. (All new programs premiere Friday nights on Thirteen and then repeat on CUNY TV the following Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays.) It will also air on NYC TV and NJN in New York City.

Viewers may watch current or past episodes of THEATER TALK online by visiting www.cuny.tv and clicking in the Online Program Archive box, or by accessing the series via audio-only iTunes podcasts.

THEATER TALK, devoted to conversations about the world of the stage, is celebrating its 18th New York television season. A unique forum for theater artists, the series is jointly produced by the not-for-profit Theater Talk Productions and CUNY TV. The program is taped at The City University of New York (CUNY) TV studios in Manhattan and is distributed to participating public television stations nationwide. THEATER TALK is made possible in part by The New York State Council on the Arts, The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, The TDF/TAP Plus Program, The CUNY TV Foundation and the Friends of THEATER TALK.