Death of Pinter and Kitt

[ship]

Ertha Kitt and Harold Pinter Deaths this past week.

Pinter, studied his Absurdist “Caretaker” and a few others like “Old Times” in depth during college and will have loved to study and design his I think memorable plays further but never got the chance. World has lost a great play write and I would hope in coming seasons many read, and do honor to his plays by studying and producing them in the coming years. A master of the play in a unique style for his generation. Study and do his works, they are important to understand what they say as much as Shephard.

Kitt, an actress and singer I did meet in short introduction as the replacement light board operator for her show “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill” at the Athanaeum Theater (c.about 1996) during mid-run of the pre-Broadway prep for it’s move which never happened and is a shame. I’m very sorry to hear of her death, this given the constant perfect performance she gave on stage in becoming a singer of note I now very much also love and wish I had a recording of. Her portrait of Billie Holiday in this shorter than it should have been play that was a sort of history time line or her friend’s career never can be repeated as play. It was something that was huge for me in the best play I have ever seen or heard, much less had the honor to work on. Granted, she tended to skip about a bit in the script which caused pandemonium with the stage manager and myself in trying to figure out which scene she was onto now, but every night no matter what scene she skipped to next, or went back to, with her singing and performance it never mattered in always being a class act - on her knees taping down cables opening night - a performer - old school without pretense, or always giving it all to the audience. Audience, even if she skipped a scene or two at times than went back to them during the show, the audience would never be able to tell, instead they were always captured by the beautiful music and portrait.

If available, the above play and if one has access to a great singer - perhaps Norah Jones, this play would be great to attempt to produce again in capturing both the singer the play was about and the performer I saw night after night, otherwise one has to just trust me, something in a play that lived every night and can never live again and a shame. Never really associated with her much, while she was personable enough and I think I remember walking her dogs once for her, mostly her back stage time was spent in prepping for her role which didn’t allow for palling about as it were. A shame, so much one could have learned in knowing her better rather than a hand shake or two and waves of the hand. Nice woman, great performer - best I ever met.

[What Rigger?]

Never cared much for Pinter. Never met the man either.

But d@mn! Eartha Kitt was the ONLY Catwoman that mattered!

[ruinexplorer]

I only met Ms. Kitt when she was the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella. Man was she a cranky lady. Now Jamie Lynn Siegler who was playing Cinderella was not only easy on the eyes, she was a doll to talk to.

No hard feelings for Ms. Kitt. Her disregard of the no smoking policy got me OT for repainting and cleaning her dressing room.