Why Seldes Did It.

I'm not sure how I managed to book New World Waking, Sunday night at the Brecht Forum, and The Last Session, Wednesday night at St. Clement's, in the same week, but finding time to rehearse both casts, print scripts, arrange for sound, and get it all together at once, while rehearsing for Brigadoon at the Shubert -- which was FANTASTIC last night -- is enough to make anyone crazy.

Afterward, we were invited Sardi's and sat at a table with Marian Seldes, who caused a puzzled sensation the night before at the Tony Awards when, after receiving her Lifetime Achievement Award, looked at the microphone, struck a pose and then walked off, saucily twirling her cane.

We had to ask her about it, of course. A. J. Shively, who was sitting on my other side, and who is in the cast of La Cage, said that he was upstairs with the Cagelles, who all were screaming in delight at her "speech."

With a twinkle in her eye, she said to Jim, "They told us, keep it short, keep it short, keep it short, so I decided I would just say nothing."

And, of course, hers was the most memorable moment of the entire evening. She is, indeed, one of the great stage actresses of our time.

(I edited it to correct what I misheard Jimmy tell me and I corrected the mistyping of her first name).