love -- has a graciousness that equals her grandeur, giving 110% to the audiences of Amy's View at the Ethel Barrymore and still having enough left over to work a full slate of theatrical extracurriculars: She celebrated The Bard's 435th birthday by chairing a Theatre for the New Audience gala, glad-handed at the Drama Desk nominees bash, posted the crowning figure of this year's Easter Bonnet Competition, did a benefit for The Acting Company and, whenever her own playing schedule permitted, glittered up the openings of others.
Her own wasn't exactly star-starved. A couple of co-stars in her new Tea with Mussolini flick -- LILY TOMLIN and DAME MAGGIE SMITH -- paid their respects (where's CHER's?) at the premiere party at Laura Belle's, as did ROSIE O'DONNELL, LIAM NEESON, PATTI LUPONE, VICTOR GARBER, ELAINE STRITCH, NICHOLAS HYTNER, BETTY BUCKLEY, PAUL RUDNICK, MARIN MAZZIE, JASON PRIESTLY, DANA IVEY, MICHAEL CUMPSTY, et al. When she made her party entrance all in white, the band broke into "(They say the neon lights are bright) On Broadway." The last I saw of her she was cutting a mean rug with, alternately, director RICHARD EYRE and her husband (actor MICHAEL WILLIAMS) -- betraying no visible sign of breaking, too. Now that's a dame.
thanks to Marie for sending the article to Emma and to Emma for scanning it.