One year ago we lost the beautiful and extraordinary Natasha Richardson. Her magnetic presence transitioned seamlessly from the stage to the screen. She created some of the best performance of the last 20 years from her powerful performance in Anna Christie to her iconic tormented Sally Bowles in Cabaret. Her ability to vanish into a role made her a broadway sensation and one of the most under rated film actresses of our time. From Patty Hearst to Waking Up in Reno or my personal favorite The Parent Trap, her vast range and versatility was undeniable. Whether you remember her for her powerful humanitarian efforts particularly for amFAR, or her performances, or just for her charming personality,and her passion and her intelligence you will know that Ms. Richardson is one far to brilliant to forget.
Your Legacy Lives on Natasha and may you continue to Rest In Peace
Current Avatar:The sensational Aaron Tveit in the soon to be hit production of Catch Me If You Can.
Brilliant actress, beautiful person inside and out. Always fascinating on stage. So sweet and humble in real life. I miss her dearly. Lovely tribute, Esparza. How quickly a year passes.
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
2008: Feb. 18- Rent, Feb. 19- Curtains, April 18- Xanadu, April 22- Wicked, April 26- Legally Blonde, May 31- Wicked, June 13- The Little Mermaid, June 28- Wicked and Young Frankenstein, July 2- The Little Mermaid, July 6- A Chorus Line and Legally Blonde, August 16- Xanadu, September 13- Legally Blonde and 13, September 28- Xanadu and Spring Awakening, Oct. 12-GYPSY and [title of show], Oct. 19- Hairspray & Legally Blonde, Nov. 9- Wicked and 13, Dec. 14-13, Dec. 26- Billy Elliot, 2009: Jan 1- Shrek, Jan 2- 13 and Wicked, Jan 4- 13, Feb 17- In The Heights, Feb 19- Billy Elliot, Feb 22- Sweeney Todd (tour), March 28- Mary Poppins, April 4- Mamma Mia!, April 15- Jersey Boys (on tour), April 25- next to normal & 9 to 5
May 1- Billy Elliot, May 3- Spelling Bee (tour), May 8- Chicago, May 21- Wicked, June 6- Everyday Rapture, June 23- The Wiz, June 25- Hair July 15- Shrek, August 9- Wicked, September 7- Rock of Ages, October 11- Next To Normal, October 23- The Marvelous Wonderettes, November 7- Ragtime November 29- Dreamgirls, December 25- Billy Elliot, December 30- Finian's Rainbow, 2010: January 9- Bye Bye Birdie, January 16- Memphis February 17- The Phantom of The Opera, February 18- God of Carnage, March 7- Billy Elliot, March 31- American Idiot
"The gods who nurse this universe think little of mortals' cares. They sit in crowds on exclusive clouds and laugh at our love affairs. I might have had a real romance if they'd given me a chance. I loved him, but he didn't love me. I wanted him, but he didn't want me. Then the gods had a spree and indulged in another whim. Now he loves me, but I don't love him." - Cole Porter
I adored her Sally in Cabaret at the Kit Kat Klub. I managed to get her shot glass when she left the show and it temporarily closed to move to Studio 54. I was also lucky to have a pal who gave me a cassette of the entire show when she did A Little Night Music last year. I think of her often, she's sorely missed!
I think the reason people have been so deeply affected by her death is because of the connection people felt to her in general. She communicated so much when she performed or when she gave an interview. She was real and had this amazing zest for life which everyone admired so much. Anytime someone with such amazing qualities dies before their time people are affected deeply.
Current Avatar:The sensational Aaron Tveit in the soon to be hit production of Catch Me If You Can.