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Stritch brings 'Liberty' to the Carlyle

By Matt Windman

1:11 PM EST, January 3, 2008

At the top of her Tony-winning bio show "Elaine Stritch at Liberty" in 2002, Stritch entered while hauling an oversized stool on and offstage, as if to demonstrate the hustle and bustle of being a Broadway diva.

But at the intimate Café Carlyle, where Stritch is now reviving "At Liberty" in its glorious two-and-a-half hour entirety, she has no room to move the stool. Instead, Stritch must push and shove her way through the tightly packed audience in order to make it to the small podium.

But no matter how she gets there, no matter where she performs it, Elaine Stritch's "At Liberty" is an absolute tour-de-force of energy. Stritch is considered the "resident leading leady" of the Carlyle in that she also lives there. This reprise of "At Liberty" follows two new cabarets that Stritch premiered there.

"At Liberty" traces her career in shows like "Company," "Bus Stop" and "Sail Away." Mixed in are signature songs like "The Ladies Who Lunch," "Broadway Baby," "Zip" and "Why Do the Wrong People Travel." Though scripted, it often feels like Stritch is just stumbling along spontaneously through her memoirs.

It is presented as a collage of free association where memories and anecdotes throughout her life collide: her date with Marlon Brando, the first time she discovered alcohol, standing by for Ethel Merman in "Call Me Madam," drinking with Judy Garland, her botched audition for "The Golden Girls," the network interruption of her Tony acceptance speech, and so on.

But more than offering a master class in musical theater history, what is it about this 82-year-old actress that is so damn captivating? Not just sour instead of sweet, Stritch is fierce an absolutely intense presence to reckon with. "At Liberty" is already available on both audio and film, but nothing can compare with experiencing this self-proclaimed "existential problem in heels" in person.

Café Carlyle, 35 East 76th St, 212-744-1600, price varies. Tues-Sat 8pm. Thru Jan 19.