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On Marie's Crisis

 Everyone knows about Marie's Crisis--the occasional celebrity cameos, the rich sense of history, the sense of solidarity, etc.--but not everyone notes MC's role as a "kingmaker."


I'm not as interested in the bar as my spouse is, but a recent visit made me more fully aware of a certain shrine. Scattered around the bar are photos of prominent divas: Bernadette, Patti, Audra, Gwen Verdon, Chita Rivera, Angela Lansbury, Julie Andrews, Carol Channing, Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli.

Here is my question. Are we celebrating musicals, or are we celebrating movie musicals?

As far as I can see, Judy Garland never appeared in a Broadway musical. Julie Andrews did two--then she turned her back on Broadway for thirty years. After thirty years, she appeared in a mediocre show, and threw a tacky, public tantrum when the show did not earn the nominations she felt it was entitled to. ("Entitled" is the key word there.)

I guess it's fine to enshrine movie legends in a piano bar, but given that NYC is the home of Broadway, I'd prefer a space that focuses solely on Broadway icons. To that end, I'd evict Judy and Julie, and I'd replace them with Sutton Foster. Ms. Foster has starred in ten Broadway musicals since the turn of the century, and she has *originated* two important roles in two major Broadway "first outings" ("Millie," Violet.") I'd also diversify the wall; it seems to me that LaChanze has done more for Broadway than Julie Andrews. How about Ruthie Ann Miles?

I won't lose sleep over this. I'm just observing that Marie's Crisis is not quite my ideal bar. It doesn't hurt to dream.











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