Ladies Who Punch

Elaine Stritch evokes laughter that does just the opposite. There's not a moment of mean-spiritedness in even her most bitter memories. But there's plenty of humorous self-criticism. As a young up-and-comer, she dumps Ben Gazzara for Rock Hudson: "We all know what a bum decision that turned out to be," she says, banging her head against a chair.

photo: Joan Marcus

The Women: director Scott Elliott’s misogynist cartoon

Details

Elaine Stritch at Liberty
By Elaine Stritch and John Lahr
Joseph Papp Public Theater
425 Lafayette Street
212-239-6200

The Women
By Clare Boothe Luce
Roundabout Theatre Company
227 West 42nd Street
212-719-1300

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More About

• Elaine Stritch
• Clare Boothe Luce
• Scott Elliott
• Gloria Swanson
• Marge Champion

Stritch speaks frankly about her drinking habit: "I was knocking 'em dead in the U.K. I was also, a little more frequently, knockin' 'em back." Though the narrative spirals into Oprah territory, Stritch's full-out renditions of some of her signature songs—"Zip," "Ladies Who Lunch," and even a wonderfully tan-trumy take on "I'm Still Here"—keep the focus on her success. Overall, Stritch's pure love of show business and her magisterial command onstage offer the theater as a place of deep humanity and grace. In these grievous times, that's an especially precious gift.