Elaine Stritch: Ladies Who Lunch (Company) - AMAZING VERSION
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- Опубликовано: 4 окт 2024
- My spirit animal Elaine Stritch BLOWS The Ladies Who Lunch out of the stratosphere in what is possibly her finest live version of this classic song. Singing directly into the camera, giving you all the original Michael Bennett Choreography. This is spectacular. RISE!!! info.piecesbar....
The self hatred in her voice when she’s talking about the ‘girls who just watch,’ realizing her ‘type’ is just as ridiculous as the others, at least in her mind. Elaine Stritch was a treasure. I’m so glad a few of her performances are available to us for posterity. We’re so incredibly lucky.
this is something that I don't think most people get about how Joanne was written, she never did the polite society things and is rather bitter about it. She has her vodka stingers to keep her company, really a song by a bitter alcoholic. In that society has changed drastically since 1970 most people don't get that middle class housewives would do all these things, go shopping and have lunch, take in symphonies and theater, take art lessons, go to PTA, etc. I think people often think she is one of the ladies who lunch, and that is missing the meaning.
Elaine Stritch is American Musical Genius!
I think there is a lot of self hatred in her voice too because she, being an alcoholic in real life, sees herself in Joanne.
@@Gee-xb7rt I do think she’s meant to be one of the ladies who lunch in a way, she realises within the song that she fits in that world in the last type she describes, the one who watches and snarks, with a drink in her hand (which she incidentally has in the scene).
Suddenly, she may still hate that world but she opts to defend it. “everybody tries”, “the dinosaurs surviving the crunch”.
@@raulguardans Nah, she has a lot of unresolved trauma issues, and I don't know how to explain that very well, but they keep you from being present, you use the past to shape a miserable future. Elaine Stritch did it with a cigarette, not a drink, the drink was added later and they got it wrong, a vodka stinger is made with white creme de menthe and they used the green. when you see Patti doing it with a green drink in a martini glass it makes me kind of sick. The fur and excessive luxury is later too, if you dig you can find pics of the original cast and costuming.
Wow! You had to be a woman in the 70's to understand just how confusing finding an identity was if you didn't have a strong sense of self to begin with. This song captures the misogynistic quality that so many woman had internalized. Elaine's character both mocks women and feels some empathy for them. "The dinosaur surviving the crunch"-not a very flattering picture or is it? You can see her conflict in the song as she mocks women and yet feels sorry for their struggle. I love how she doesn't miss an interpretative beat. With this kind of song, it's not about musicality. Her interpretation made me cry because of my own resilience finding my way. I wonder though if it has the same impact on women today?
Thank you for that comment, Margaret!
Yes thank you Margaret. I grew up in the seventies and Elaine's discription fit most of our role models. So RIP Elaine you will be missed.
Give me a break. Feminism is the closest sister to fascism. And with each pole since the fifties, women are unhappier and unhappier. So what gives?
Miss Stritch knew who she was and fit her skin perfectly. Her flame will continue to burn brightly as an inspiration to all thinking beings.
Perfectly said, Margaret. I came up in the 70s and the entire show "Company" might be the best distillation of what it was like.
***** Robert, I'm sure that you have your music that really speaks to you. Every generation has their music which is an expression of the time. Some music really transcends time and appeals to many. This may not be one of those songs. Time will tell.
To the people that think it is too "growly" I think you are losing the meaning of being a person. This song is written to show emotion, not to be beautiful. Her growl makes it real and emotional. Music is still music, even if it isn't "pretty". And besides Elaine is just fabulous.
You are SO right. it is perhaps one of the angriest/bitter songs I've ever heard and she delivers all of the nuance of life, booze, disappointments, and anger.
thwe way she said "to them" at 2:51 💔
She is awesome
Right! This is the pre-Disneyfied Broadway, before everyone sounded like they were in "Aladdin". This is real!
Agree. But you have to have a sensitive pianist to wait for Elaine to hit the next beat. #musicaldirectorproblems
I'd like to propose a toast to the loss of one of Broadway's greats.
RIP Ms. Stritch
i'll drink to that!
That smile that shows up right after she says "Does anyone still wear a hat," blows me away.
This song would have been perfect for Nell Carter. A true Broadway, Legend singer,and Icon.
Right? For me it was chilling, but I couldn’t help thinking it was lovely at the same time 😅
@@cfgmedia6096 I love Nell Carter but this song is not at all suitable for her voice! She can actually sing. This was written to accommodate a less than perfect voice. Sondheim was a genius at writing amazing songs for people whose singing voices were less than great.
@@pen64 You are correct! Nell Carter wouldn't have been able to perform this song. I meant to say Bea Arthur. My apologies.
I love that knowing smile, since she was often seen in hats.
Holy mackerel. THAT is the definitive interpretation of this song. Simply jaw-dropping, and a performance that drives home the sheer brilliance of Sondheim's songwriting here. RIP to both of these great artists.
A perfect pairing. We will miss them both immensely.
This version, stripped down to just her and the piano, is raw and visceral. It moves me every time.
Punk jazz.❤
That’s how it’s done!!! Perfection! This isn’t a “singer’s song” it’s an actor’s song, really a “feeler’s song” and no one has felt it with such gravitas as Elaine Stritch. All the other Broadway Joanne’s might as well have been in a college production compared to her!! Bravo! and here’s to you Elaine!!!
did you know that you can compliment an actresses performance without putting down others?
1) Let's not forget Patti LuPone. 2) You're exactly right about singing/acting/feeling. *This* is the perfect song for William Shatner, not "Rocket Man."
I don't understand the people who say she wasn't good looking. She was amazing looking. And those who don't understand that singing a song is telling a story and that one has to know how to act and play a character: all I can say is that I pity your ignorance of performance art and your inability to appreciate real genius when it's right in front of you.
It's alleged that she was arrested when she was younger for taking her shirt off in public and sitting in her halter top and shorts. They told her “A beautiful girl like you could cause a small riot and cause a large crowd to collect by removing your shirt.” I haven't been able to find confirmation of it, but it wouldn't surprise me. And even if it is fake, it goes to prove that someone thought she was beautiful enough to cause a stir lol. And she is an amazing singer. She plays the part perfectly.
Thanks for that story!
Zedwoman she seems like a very , I guess what I'm old cell , handsome woman. She kind of reminds me at moments of Lucille ball in her later years. And Lucy was a dish when she was young, so id imagine Elaine stritch was a looker, too.
But, then, how often does show business allow less then gorgeous women into the club, talent or not
Hey, I found you here. Andre...Riki...Bum Rap. May 2019
Though a man that lived through the 70s, , it captures the time so wonderfully. If you don't get this you didn't live it.
RT: Keep in mind she was first and foremost a live actress, not a singing in the studio kind of star. She had understudied Merman, so she knew how to deliver a song in the BIGGEST way possible, with no microphone. This might help you deal with what may now seem like a lack of subtlety or proportion in her delivery. (In person, in a theater, she was devastatingly effective, especially playing characters who were unpleasant, uncharitable and/or contrary. Does that help explain what made her a special favorite to LGBT people during the years when too many of us were trying to remain invisible, or to "make nice" in the hope that a hostile world might leave us alone?) It may well be that you'll never reconcile yourself to her (in the same way that some folks never "get" Merman or Carol Channing or even Alan Cumming, or feel comfortable around drag artists -- there's enough room in the rainbow for diversity of opinion, too). Just know that she was worth all the love and admiration that was thrown at her, because there was no self-pity in her makeup, only the drive to do more, and move forward, and to try to deliver a knockout performance to the best of her ability (which was truly prodigious).
Thanks for sharing your thoughtful and perceptive comment! :-)
I saw her at The Old Vic in London in her one woman show. She was phenomenal. John
unkadoe so true. She owns this song.
@@TheJohnpandy I saw it in NYC & she WAS incredible.
Beautifully written. It's always interesting to me people who knock someone who has had a great career. It happens all the time.
I agree with every word you so beautifully wrote.
Thank you. 👋
Holy shit, that is just incredible. The last couple of verses, when she seems to be singing about herself and realizes she's singing about herself and STILL has anger and empathy and sadness for the women she's singing about is just amazing.
An ultimate actress!
When you look for "performance" on the dictionary.
fucking A my guy
Oh, my God. I am crying. The ferocity, the iron core, the huge heart of this actor. Elaine Stritch gives us her absolute all in this performance. She hurls it at us with deadly aim like a plate at a window.
+Sarah Bickley
I saw Elaine singing this in Company in London years ago. She remained fabulous. I was also on the tube in London when I saw Donald Sinden as he was getting on a train and somebody called out, "Roooooberrrrt!!!" which was fabulous.
She hurls CONDEMNATION AND JUDGMENT at us with deadly aim. Like an executioner's gun in our face. She is the angry judge. We are the innocent victims.
Beautifully articulated - spot on!!!
Until you understand what Stephen Sondheim is all about, until you stop listening to things like "pleasing vocal quality" and start focusing on the intent of this song and how brilliantly it is interpreted by Stritch, you will not be able to appreciate what an important contribution she has made to broadway. W/O Stritch, no one would be taking risks with their voices and their emotions, allowing us, the audience, to feel more, too. You may be quite young (under 40) which may have a lot to do with why you don't quite get it yet. But you will, especially if you love Sondheim, the most disturbingly real hurricane of a talent of our time.
@Christopher Gilbert keep in mind it was literally 2am and they had been giving it their all for 14+ hours and elaine wasnt bein incredibly cooperative at that hour, but when they came back the next day to record it on top of a prerecorded orchestra everything went great
Omg love how patronizing this is
God you love yourself don’t you
@@reasonrestored9116 It's not patronizing, as the poster above you said, nor is it narcissistic when someone makes a valid and insightful comment like that. It's spot on actually.
Hessel Bouma what does that even mean?
This is for film, not theater. She doesn’t break eye contact with her audience…you! On the other side of the lens. Brilliant.
When people refer to a National Treasure, Ms Stritch is the benchmark to whom they should aspire. She was unique.
Stritch.
There is nothing more to be said.
I'm heartbroken. I honestly can't remember the last celebrity death I cried over, but this one really got me in the heart. This lady is a true legend, and she WILL live forever!
+Eric Adams awwww
Eric, it got me too. I remember seeing her one woman show in New York and it was so inspiring that she put that show together and performed it as an older actress. She was quite candid about her life as well. It takes courage to put it all out there.
RIP to a true theatrical legend and a star all around. You were, and forever will be, my inspiration through and through. Here's to the lady who lunched... x
A true Broadway legend - Everybody Rise! You will be missed but never forgotten.
Martin Dunn
very well put.
I never knew who she was until 30 Rock. What a dynamo! This is the first time I have seen her perform outside of that show. Wow.
amazing
qt
Love your channel
you're in every Sondhiem video :3
This is how it’s done kids. Still sounds hip and modern
Amen!
Sondheim berated her until she got it exactly like it is heard here! He was very specific and Elaine Nailed IT!!!
Saw the video of that. I have never felt second hand embarrassment so painfully, the rest of the cast couldn't even look at her. Then she came back and nailed it, Sondheim was right. 😊
Brilliant brilliant brilliant !!!
If you don't get it then you just don't get it. Beautiful 🥰🥰🥰
RIP Miss Stritch! Everybody rise!
Absolutely hair raising. This is Art
When Elaine is in the house - no one goes unscathed. 💔 Authentic and fierce. Uncompromising, unsparing even herself. What guts!!
I’ll drink to that. 🍸 🍸
Who’s here after watching Christine Baranski, Meryl Streep and Audra McDonald???
Yes, I've been looking up songs from that Sondheim 90th Birthday special, and of course the LADIES WHO LUNCH trio was a true highlight, which I've rewatched several times. Then I remembered that I saw COMPANY on Broadway in the early '70s, so I probably saw Stritch perform this song then. Sadly, the other 3 people with whom I went to theater that night are all dead now. I sure wish I could show them this old video plus the new performance. Stellar.
Gary Arlen I’m glad you enjoyed it as much as I did too I watch the trio more than 100 times too. Sorry you can’t share it with whom you when to the theater with
Caught her fabulous one woman show 'At Liberty' in Toronto a few years before she died and got to meet her at the backstage door [she had on a hat - does anyone still where a hat]…..i'll drink to that.
Guilty
Nando Leonet I am, and I didn’t realize she spoke the song as much as sang it. I enjoyed the Christine, Meryl and Audra version much better. This is such a great song. Sondheim is the best.
There are no societal arbiters for opinions on this performance; it's all just opinion. My opinion: Elaine Stritch is the first and best interpreter of this song. Look at all her recorded performances of the piece, both audio and visual, and you see someone immersed in the role, somewhat different every time. Emotion--sarcasm, anger, loss, ironic sadness--explode from inside where it has been compressed. I don't need to convince anyone else. For me, Elaine is the epitome of the Broadway broad who rasps and growls right into our hearts, making us vibrate to her tune. Ladies or gents, we can feel the heat because we're all of us out to lunch in some way or other, and Elaine makes us empathize with that. Lupone is great as well and I love her as an actress/singer, but for me her anger is more surface; with Stritch, I go deep. Just my opinion.
I adore Patti's version, but Elaine will always be the best because she created it. Brilliant.
Actually didn't Yvonne DeCarlo first play the part?
@@bobs2272 I can't find that she played Joanne in any of the Broadway or West End productions. She could have been prior if it was in workshop, but Stritch was the first on Broadway
GarthsWorld Yvonne DeCarlo was Joanne in workshop but Sondheim changed the character to a drunk and she refused to play it.
@@KirkLinnDeGrassi omg I wish I could hear/see her take on Joanne!
A blistering rendition, just earth shattering. She delivers a slow gradual crescendo from conversational to ever more melodic. Then virtually gargles that one phrase. What a pity I never knew her beyond 30 Rock as Jack Donaghy's mother. Thanks for posting this great tribute to a huge talent.
I saw patti lupones cover of this with elaine RIGHT THERE and I had NO IDEA THIS WAS ELAINES
IMO, this is one of the top ten of RUclips. Doesn't get better.
RIP Elaine. Here's to the lady.
Who the hell is disliking this??!?!
grantage1991 Only Idiots!
I tried to dislike it but Elaine's ghost came down and slapped my thumb away then she bit it.
RIP Elaine Stritch. The Company will never be quite the same without you.
Easily, one of the best Broadway performances of the 20th Century. Period.
She was a Genius ... One of kind and we will never have another...
She was, but she had some help here from Sondheim.
Oh my word. I had forgotten how magnificent Julia is in singing this epic. Utterly beautiful.
do you mean Joanne?
How did i never know that this existed. She truly was a legend.
Here's to "THE LADY": What an incredible, indomitable, irreplaceable force-of-artistic-nature she was...Rest in Peace, Madame Stritch...Broadway just won't be as bright without you, my dear ;)
Thanks for posting. This performance is sheer perfection. The emotional arc is so moving, it brings me to tears on every viewing as her artistry is so powerful. She has such a masterful command of her talent that it's always a pleasure to behold. And this is just such a great song, the melody and piano arrangement is delightful. ❤☮🌎
The ending is pretty incredible. So many different emotions blended together. And the way she raises her arms goes from conductorial to almost Biblical.
And she doesn't leave her stool until the final "RISE." Which is perfect.
Brava! Her version put this song into some serious perspective.
RIP to the Queen of Broadway!
A great example of a terrific performer boxed in. She's much bigger than the camera allows her to be. Thanks for sharing the rare clip though.
She delivers the lyrics like she wrote them herself. Incredible
This woman embodies the character SO MUCH. Notwithstanding Sondheim's take on her performance, and also taking into account Ms. Stritch's raw, REAL take on the character, her performance is THE ultimate personification of Joanne. Brava!
This is the first time I have really UNDERSTOOD this song! My mother (a housewife in the 1970's) loved it: as a teenager at the time, I didn't understand why. The song seemed stupid; it didn't make any sense. When I saw other performances later, as an adult, it still didn't do much for me. Carole Burnett plays it as a much boozier/loose drunk. The older Elaine Stritch didn't say anything to me. But THIS.... Wow. That tight, bitter, angry smile at 1:18 suddenly connected--and I "got" what the song is about! Thank you for posting this.
Her performance on the original cast album is the absolute BEST version of all.
My God! I am weeping like a child. Some things transcend art and brilliance. This is one of those rare things. Thank you so much for posting this.
This here is HONEST. So many ballads seem over-performative or ostentatious; pre-occupied with sounding polished and precise. But this performance is in full service of the character. There isn't even an ounce of vibrato, which is so refreshing. There's so much pandering in musical theatre, but thank God we have Elaine Stritch to show us what a real fucking human being sounds like.
I saw ELAINE STRITCH AT LIBERTY at LONDON's OLD VIC THEATRE many years ago . Magical performance RIP X
It’s as relevant today as it was 1970. This is vintage torch song
Elaine Stritch is sensational. As a child I first met her in the TV show 'Two's Company'. I love her. What a superb voice.
Everybody rise! Let's hear for this amazing lady who lunched! RIP
Sing it, Elaine. You were the best.
She was a wonderful entertainer ...she brought smiles and entertainment to millions ..
May she rest in peace ...
Freaking Amazing. That's talent. I'm 16 and my generation knows nothing about good music.
My all-time favorite Broadway song. Thank you, Stephen Sondheim and Elaine Stritch.
I've always LOVED, Elaine Stritch!❤️
RIP Sondheim. Sorely missed.
I was blessed to see one of her one woman shows at the Winter Gardens in Toronto in the early 2000’s. It was an unforgettable performance! She had the audience in stritches...I mean stitches, lol. Just totally fell in love with her!
Genius performance. I can see eons of women in her eyes. Rise.
Elaine Stritch is an American Master.
Love this song- no one could do the song like Elaine!
I could listen to this on repeat, forever.
This song, this Lady.......my favorite moment in song of all time. Perfection.
Thank you Elaine Stritch for bringing a luminous light into the world with your talent. R.I.P Elaine Stritch. You are tops in taps. Thank you for saving my life.
I saw this as it was originally broadcast, on "The Great American Dream Machine," and it was transformative.
RIP Brilliant lady. There will never be another like you.
Elaine Stritch is amazing, the song goes under my skin.
I saw a video of her performing this during a rehearsal, the look of absolute delight on Sondheim's face said it all...Stritch made his vision reality, I suppose Ethel Merman did the same for Gershwin and Porter
Brilliant! And to think he wrote this song with a bossa nova beat about his mother Foxy. This is perfect cause it's as close to a document of Strich's performance in that groundbreaking show as we will ever get. Thank you VodKaStinger!
Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii'll drink to that! 😂😂😂 that was so gritty.
They don’t make them like her anymore. One of the true greats.
God damn! You are so right. She breathes life into this.
I'll miss her. I'm tearing up and smiling at the same time while watching this. RIP Elaine.
Still can't quite believe she's gone. Exceptional woman.
This woman had such heart, pathos, experience resonating in this performance...it's the ultimate artistic expression of a song....omg..the best
OMG…this is phenomenal.
Amazing. No one even comes close, not even Elaine on the OCR. This is truly an example of the stars being perfectly aligned for nearly five minutes.
I am wrecked every. single. time I hear her sing this. Love her.
This must be so hard to perform. What an incredible performance! Unreal and so real.
Great find, never has gravel sounded so good...simply marvelous! Thanks...
Makes me cry each time I watch. This would be & & is an Oscar performance. She has nailed the brief & performed like she is at her mothers funeral. RIP Elaine.
I love this song. I listen to it often.
Everybody rise! Here's to the ultimate lady who lunched, rest in peace Elaine. Also I'd like to admire the brilliant music and lyrics, way to go Sondheim, this is fantastic and she was fantastic too!
A wonderful ORIGINAL...such interpretation!
Saw her perform this live in COMPANY as a teenager. Brilliant. She nailed this song. RIP - you were one of the Greats ~
this is musical theater!
I adore this woman. Greatest performance ever.
Eric Adams
4 years ago
I'm heartbroken. I honestly can't remember the last celebrity death I cried over, but this one really got me in the heart. This lady is a true legend, and she WILL live forever!
My tears won't stop. She's amazing.
I love this! I love all her versions, but I think this my favorite. It's harsh and comes from a hardened character. Love it.
How did someone with a voice like Elaine Stritch make it in musicals? I don't know but I am so glad she did!
…
Truly a great artist, love her brash honesty and sassiness.
Alejandra Sandoval Julie andrews
Oh. HELL! Yeah. She's AMAZING!
This was, and still is, an extremely edgy performance. Sondheim’s genius is the kind that can see that choosing this phenom of a performer would never be equalled. It’s a masterstroke identifying an opportunity to question the conventions of aural conformism. Great artists question and push boundaries, almost like a conscious overton window shift. I’m in awe.
It takes a lot of bravery as a singer to go out there knowing a certain percentage won't get it and will be turned off. Without this sort of bravery, nothing memorable occurs.
Wow. Superb performance.
There will never be another Elaine.