Elaine Stritch at the Shubert from June 10th
-June 15th

Bawdy, raucous, smart and delicious, Elaine Stritch is an absolute
joy in her role of “Elaine Stritch At Liberty”.  It is hard to imagine 
where she gets all her energy for the demanding role.  I am sorry 
that we do not have publicity shots of her in her pantyhose.  Ms.
Stritch still has a great set of yams, legs of a woman in her twenties.
She is looking for another husband so if you can dance, sing, and
understand a gal in an existential quandary you might get a date.

Outside the theater I met Mr. Mark Kaplan, one of the Stars of the
Lion King.  Mr. Kaplan plays the role of Pumbaa and since the
Lion King is closed on Tuesdays he came to see Ms. Stritch
along with his lovely wife.  They are both enjoying their time
in Chicago and the Lion King is a lot of fun.  

Ms. Stritch has had, and is having a life filled with lots of action,
love, shows, and a host of interesting characters. Elaine Stritch
notes that; “the make up I hate it, I need it”.  She has done it all
and some has been done to her as well.  When she left for New
York to begin her career in acting her father gave her some advice.
He warned her that relationships (with men) were “not the same
after two martinis.”  Elaine had more than her share of two
martinis, but also remained ignorant of mens ways until the age
of thirty.   She is a fascinating gal and has had her path cross many
well known performers like, Marlon Brando, Gig Young, Ben Gazarra, and something about Rock Hudson too....
 

CHICAGO (May 22, 2003)  – “Elaine Stritch At Liberty,” winner of the 2002 Tony® Award for Special Theatrical Event, will play Chicago for 6 performances only, Tuesday, June 10 through Sunday, June 15, at The Shubert Theatre, 22 West Monroe St.

Elaine Stritch takes center stage with an evening of songs and stories from her legendary career.  She dated Brando, covered Merman and performed Coward.  From her start as an aspiring actress living in a New York City convent to her signature rendition of “The Ladies Who Lunch,” at long last, Elaine Stritch is ‘At Liberty’ to tell it and sing it like it is – and was – in the theatre, and her life.
 

“Elaine Stritch At Liberty” opened at The Public Theater on November 7, 2001 to unanimous critical raves and audience acclaim.  The show broke box office records at The Public Theater for how quickly tickets sold and was extended three times.  Following the sold-out run at The Public, “Elaine Stritch At Liberty” moved to the Neil Simon Theatre on Broadway for a smash hit limited run of 80 performances only, followed by her Olivier Award nominated run at the Old Vic Theatre in London’s West End.

“Elaine Stritch At Liberty” is directed by George C. Wolfe, constructed by John Lahr and reconstructed by Elaine Stritch.  The scenic design is by Riccardo Hernández, lighting design is by Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer, costume design is by Paul Tazewell, sound design is by Acme Sound Partners, the orchestrations are by Jonathan Tunick and music direction is by Rob Bowman.  The creative consultant is Larry Grossman.
 

Elaine Stritch began her career in musical comedy on Broadway.  She went from standing by for Ethel Merman in “Call Me Madam” to creating some of her own and Broadway’s most memorable roles.  In the musical “Angel in the Wings,” she introduced the song “Civilization.”  Next came the Broadway revivals of Richard Rodgers’ and Lorenz Hart’s “Pal Joey” and “On Your Toes” followed by her first New York dramatic appearance in “Bus Stop,” directed by Harold Clurman, and her film debut in the 1957 remake of “A Farewell to Arms.”  Her first starring role on Broadway came in “Goldilocks,” and after Noël Coward caught her performance, he specifically wrote “Sail Away” for Stritch, which she performed in both New York and London.  She then starred in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” on Broadway, following Uta Hagen in the role of Martha, and made her memorable appearance in the Stephen Sondheim/George Furth/Harold Prince musical “Company.”  That show, in which her rendition of “The Ladies Who Lunch” became legendary, brought Stritch back to London where she remained for 15 years.  On television she had a recurring role on “Law & Order,” for which she won an Emmy Award, and was nominated for an Emmy for her performance in the miniseries “An Inconvenient Woman.”  In 1995, she starred on Broadway as Parthy in Harold Prince’s revival of “Show Boat” followed in 1996 by her unforgettable performance in Edward Albee’s “A Delicate Balance,” which earned her the Drama Critic’s Award, and her fourth Tony® Award nomination.

“Elaine Stritch At Liberty” will play The Shubert Theatre from Tuesday, June 10 through Sunday, June 15, 2003.  The performance schedule will be as follows:  Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 7:00 p.m.

Tickets for “Elaine Stritch At Liberty” range in price from $42 to $77, including a $2 facility restoration fee, and are available at all Broadway In Chicago Box Offices (22 W. Monroe St., 24 W. Randolph St. and 151 W. Randolph St.), by calling the Broadway In Chicago Ticket Line at (312) 902-1400, at all Ticketmaster ticket centers (including all Carson Pirie Scott stores, Tower Records, Hot Tix, select Coconuts, Record Town, fye stores and Camelot locations) or at ticketmaster.com.  Group discounts for 20 or more are available by calling (312) 977-1710.

"Elaine Stritch At Liberty" is presented by Jam Theatricals, a Chicago-based entertainment company that presents, produces and invests in Broadway engagements throughout North America.  Founded by Arny Granat, Jerry Mickelson and Steve Traxler, Jam Theatricals manages subscription seasons in more than 30 cities.  Jam has presented notable national touring productions such as “STOMP,” “Les Misérables,” Disney's “Beauty and the Beast,” “Miss Saigon” and “Riverdance” and has produced national tours for the stage, including “Eric Idle Exploits Monty Python.”  Jam is currently producing the touring production of “Barrage” as well as the long running engagement of Second City at the Flamingo Hilton in Las Vegas.  On Broadway, Jam produced the hit revival of “Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune” and the highly successful “Jackie Mason: Much Ado About Everything.”  Jam's Broadway and Off-Broadway investments have included “Dame Edna: The Royal Tour” and “Victor/Victoria” starring Julie Andrews, and the currently running Baz Luhrman's “La Boheme,” “Man of La Mancha,” “De La Guarda” and “Rent.”