Angela Lansbury and Friends Salute Terrence McNally

The Acting Company puts on some solid benefits. Last year they did a staged reading of Larry Kramer's The Normal Heart which is now coming to Broadway next month. Let's just say Glenn Close was the weakest link in the cast. And I LOVE Glenn Close. They also did a tribute to John Kander with Debra Monk, Raul Esparza, Chita Rivera, and a dozen of theater's best singers performing his and Fred Ebb's songs. I got to see Chita sing "All that Jazz." Magic.

So naturally I snagged tickets for their latest benefit, Angela Lansbury and Friends Salute Terrence McNally. Well, maybe not so naturally. If I'm being totally honest, he's not a favorite of mine. Love, Valour, Compassion is a wonderful play that veers into cheap sentiment here and there. The Lisbon Traviata is hysterical, but it depends on a lot of in jokes that make it feel rather small. And his work on musicals is uneven. He wrote the book for Ragtime, one of my all-time favorites. But it's worth mentioning that I always felt the book was the weakest link. And his work on this season's Catch Me If You Can? I'll summarize in one word: ugh. But spending an evening watching excerpts of his work performed by a stellar group of individuals, I couldn't help but think that while I do have problems with his works on the whole, there are moments throughout that are beautiful, heartbursting moments of joy and compassion. If one thing is more clear from his work than anything else, it's that he seems to be a man who loves people. Flawed or troubled or bitchy or cruel, he still affords them moments of great sincerity and love.

Let's start with my arrival at the theater. I nearly knocked over Angela Lansbury. Thinking I was late to meet my friend, I started to charge into the crowd at the doors, then changed my mind, grabbed my phone, and made an about face...into a national treasure. If I had knocked over Angela Lansbury in front of a Broadway theater, I would have been lynched. I would have lynched myself! What can you say about the woman? She's 85 and she's stunning. She's 85 and still working. She's 85 and she still showed up at a benefit despite the fact that she was sick. The woman practically sparkles. And I almost took her out. Sigh.

Rather than give you the full recap of the night (there were a lot of people), I'll focus on the highlights. Bobby Steggert read a piece very near the beginning that very promptly brought a tear to my eye. I haven't been able to track it down yet (Google, you let me down!), but if I do, I'll post a link to it here. Summarized: life is lovely. And if we live in a world that could create a Shakespeare or Florence, Italy...isn't that a place worth living? The beauty of art, beautifully captured. Okay, there wasn't a tear in my eye. There were about 20 tears, and they were all over my face. I cry easily. It happens.

Alexandra Silber (who once thanked me in the comments here after I said nice things about her in Hello Again--which I'm seeing again on Friday!) performed an aria that I believe she will also perform in the play Master Class this summer. I do not know opera. I cannot comment on technicality or general skill. I CAN say that it was lovely. And that as ever, I adore hearing an unmic'ed voice. There was also a story about her finding herself licked in a closet at the audition for Master Class. I can see myself in this position ALL too easily. I'm also seeing the show in July and looking forward to seeing this performer I didn't know a month ago yet another time!

Speaking of people performing without microphones, John Glover went balls out and performed two pieces without the benefit of amplification. The first was from The Lisbon Traviata, and it was hysterical and wonderful. The second was from Love! Valour! Compassion!, and it was a great thrill to see him recreate part of his Tony winning performance--even if it's one of those sugary scenes of McNally's that I don't quiiiiiite love. On a side note, when I first read about that play, I thought it was Love! Velour! Compassion! As I was deep in my thrift store phase and wearing LOTS of velour from the 70s, I thought it sounded wonderful. I digress.

And speak of opera and no microphones: again, I don't know enough to really dissect anything she did, but Denise DiDonato popped on to do an aria of Rossini's and tore that shit up (that's a technical opera term). It was a pretty showy piece. And she showed it. She also gave a wonderfully charming introduction about why she picked it, what was different about opera and musical theater, and blah blah blah. Point is: she was super cute.

Tyne Daly was ridiculously wonderful doing a comedic song about embracing being fat. It was, I think, a Sophie Tucker number. And she slaughtered it. What else would you expect from Cagney. OR...was it Lacey. Oh, let's be honest: I just think of her as one of the titans of the stage who played Mama Rose. Along with Angela Lansbury! Where are Patti LuPone, Bernadette Peters, Linda Lavin, and the ghost of Ethel Merman when you need them? And why can I name all of Broadway's Mama Roses? Don't answer that. She also read a small piece from Master Class. Luhv. Huhr.

Holy shit, this is getting long. I'm cutting too many people out! I'm not talking about Raul Esparza, Edie Falco, Jason Danieley, Barbara Walsh, or even Emily fucking Skinner! Emily you've-adored-me-since-I-played-a-Siamese-twin-in-underrated-but-brilliant-musical-Side-Show Skinner! She was great! They were all great! But best in show goes to:

Marin Mazzie and Brian Stokes Mitchell. Ragtime's original Mother and Coalhouse performing incredible songs from the roles they created--"Back to Before" and "Wheels of a Dream." It felt bizarre to see recreations of performances that I had actually seen. It's only been 13 years. I was 17! Aren't I too young for this sort of theatrical nostalgia? Who the hell cares? They blew the songs away. If Audra McDonald had come out and sung "Your Daddy's Hands," I would have just died. Mazzie and Mitchell clearly were both reveling in the moment and went whole hog on the vocals going for power over subtlety. And you know that? It was the perfect night for it. They killed, gutted, and buried those songs. They were fabulous.

The whole thing was fabulous. It was a really lovely evening. Am I McNally's biggest fan? No. Was I more than happy and enthusiastic to take some small part in a night celebrating him? Absotutley. When he's on, he's amazing. And his Cliff's Notes version of his career made me want to learn more about the plays I don't know as well. That can only be a good sign.