Yet Another Birthday
Thu., June 4, 10:24 AM
In case I missed anyone, thank you so much for remembering my birthday. It’s always nice to receive a greeting that is neither a bill nor a sales pitch. I had a nice quiet birthday, and I was reminded (because I’m always making comparisons) of an unusual birthday gift that was never exactly on my birthday.
When I was a child, my two unmarried aunts, who remained in New York after all their siblings had married and moved elsewhere, generally brought us nice birthday gifts. For me — I don’t remember what the other kids got — it was usually books or clothing, which I appreciated. Almost no one ever gave me toys; I wasn’t a toys kind of kid.
One year — my early teens — they offered me instead a series of trips to Broadway. It was fairly flexible. The exact number of trips, as well as the time span, was never specified. A couple of the performances I saw were not actually Broadway shows, though very good in their own way. My brother was invited to accompany us when we saw “Damn Yankees,” because it was about baseball.
My introduction to Broadway was a comedy called “Anniversary Waltz,” starring Kitty Carlisle and Macdonald Carey. I mention this not because it was such an outstanding play but because, if you recognize those names as television stars, you may realize how long ago this was!
I saw serious plays, like “The Diary of Anne Frank,” and “Inherit the Wind,” with Paul Muni in the role of the defense attorney. By that time Muni was near the end of his career, but he had been a highly respected actor for decades, and his performance was brilliant.
Along with “Damn Yankees,” we saw musicals like “The Most Happy Fella” and the Greenwich Village production of “The Threepenny Opera,” which was eventually moved to Broadway. Lotte Lenya, a real actress who somehow got moved into the lyrics of “Mack the Knife,” was in that show. “The Most Happy Fella” remains one of my favorite musicals, although I have never seen it again. (Somehow I even missed the television version.) I believe it is a difficult musical to produce, as it is more an opera than just a story with a few songs. At a time when original cast albums sold for $5 or $6, the full album of “The Most Happy Fella” cost an unheard-of $15.
It is only now, as I wish that I could pass along these experiences to other young people, that I realize that this gift was truly unique. Circumstances were just right; they’ll probably never be as good. New York theater was still healthy, and really good new shows arrived with every season. Living in New York, my aunts went fairly often. We lived in Connecticut, about an hour away by train.
Most amazing, perhaps, theater was still affordable. My aunts usually bought the less expensive tickets (in seventh heaven, as my mother said). But I remember when my sister and I bought my parents orchestra seats for “Fiddler on the Roof,” and they were about $15 each. It costs more to go to your local movie now than it did to go to live theater then.
My aunts planted a lifelong appreciation of the theater, and I hope the day will come when I can consider going again. (I haven’t been to real theater since I visited London in 1992.) Husband didn’t much care for that sort of thing. But there is good theater in this area; the much-heralded play of this season is Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie” starring Judith Ivey.
This gift was more than just a bunch of field trips; it added a whole layer of experience for me. As I have said before — more often than you want to hear — nothing you ever learn is wasted.
On Tuesday afternoon, U.D. phoned to say she had “detoured into New Haven.” Just accidentally, y’know. “I’m parked in front of Royal Palace. What do you want for supper?” Smile — I had hot and sour seafood. And a most remarkable cookie fortune, which I am saving in case it really does come true in the coming year. If it does, I fully intend to share it.
