European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 8, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse By Michael Kuchwara associated press a so Joan Rivers Why she Tooka Chance on Broadway an the answer comes Back in he familiar rapid fire delivery. Are you kidding she machine guns. It s the Best woman s role written in the last five years. Besides i wanted to see if i could do it at this stage in my could the Queen of 23 years of stand up comedy the woman who coined the phrase can we talk it s now a federally registered trademark and a Battle scarred Veteran of the television talk show wars become a Plain world weary Middle class Brooklyn housewife whose marriage and life Are falling apart she could and she did earning cheers from audiences and respect from the critics. The role is the Centrepiece of Neil Simon s 1940s autobiographical play Broadway bound. Linda Lavin won a Tony award when she first did it in new York nearly two years ago but Rivers has made the role her own. Her contract with the play originally for four weeks has been extended and there is talk she May Star in the London production when it opens next year. Rivers Success Caps a turbulent and tragic year that began in May 1987 when she was unceremoniously dumped from Fox broadcasting s late night talk show after Only seven months on the air. Three months later her husband Edgar Rosenberg died from an overdose of valium. Rivers was determined to get Back to work. Broadway bound has been an effective tonic. It s the first Good experience since my husband died and the Fox firing she says simply. It s been a very positive Rivers sits on a Couch in her Madison Avenue hotel suite and works on a needlepoint Sampler. Spike her tiny mop of a dog sits at her feet and Chews contentedly on a Bright Pink Slipper one of the reasons i wanted to do the play was that nobody in California thinks of me As an actress Rivers says Between stitches. They would think of me Only As talk show hostess or a stand up that s a Tough reality to face particularly for someone who says the first thought about what i was going to do with my life was that i was going to be an actress. From infancy on. No question about Simon and Gene Saks the original director of Broadway bound who came Back to the show to help her offered Strong support. Simon said we Don t want a stunt and Joan does t want it to be a stunt,1" she recalls. I came in read and they offered me the part right there. I be been acting for a lot longer than people realize. You re acting every minute when you do a stand up. I knew it was still in me. Timing. Inflection. There s so much to watch when you Are building a character. How she walks How she stands How she the role of Kate Jerome is not Rivers first venture on Broadway. She appeared in new York in 1971 in fun City a play she co wrote with her husband. It s a Joy to see my name on the marquee Rivers says. That s when i say where s my Mother where s my husband " it was Rosenberg who guided Rivers career the one person who knew immediately when something was t working on stage or in a club. He would have told me do this differently or do that differently " she says. I miss that part of it so much. He was a Brilliant editor and i had respect for who says no now no one Rivers replies quietly. Nobody wants to Rock a boat. Gene Saks was wonderful and gave me a lot of encouragement but you re really on your own out if she faces the audience alone some of them Don t recognize her when she first walks on stage a slightly stooped woman wearing no makeup and a faded House dress. There s a lot of my Mother in Kate Jerome in her strength the Brooklyn born Rivers says. And my father s patients particularly in her expressions. He was a doctor who had a Large jewish medical Rivers began rehearsals for the show at the end of May. At my age it s hard memorizing a script she laughs. I asked everybody for advice. Somebody told me it takes Alec guinness a year to memorize a script. He apparently types the whole thing out. Roddy Mcdowell says he records it and listens on a while she was working in Las vegas Rivers hired an unemployed actor and actress who fed her lines constantly when she was t on stage in a club. Her 20-year-old daughter Melissa who wants to be an actress came opening night and told her Mother i Hope my opening nights Are As Good As Melissa now a College student Calls every night phoning her Mother in her dressing room at the Broadhurst theater. In August while starring in Broadway bound Rivers will work after the show at Don t Tell mama a Small new York club near the theater District. Shell try out new material much like she does when she s in los Angeles at Carlos n Charlies another Small nightspot. Rivers has never been shy about going after a Job. Nothing has Ever fallen in my Lap she says. I be always had to go out and get it. When you re a working performer you re a gun for hire. You do what comes to reach her mass audience Rivers still has that Center Square on television s Hollywood squares the never ending game show she tapes when she has the time. I love playing the game and i like the exposure she says. There is no other exposure for me at the moment. I m Persona non grata at Carson and also at Letterman because Letterman is a Carson she says she would go Back to tonight where she reigned As Johnny Carson s leading substitute Host until becoming his rival on the Fox network. He does t want any part of me Rivers says. He s angry because i dared to leave and take my own show after my contract was up. I did nothing Rivers is Selling her Home in California and is buying a smaller House there but she s also purchased an apartment in new York. When you re single it s the Only place to be she says. In California you sit behind a big Gate and it s Home entertaining. I need friends at this Point in my life who say let s go to the movies and get a bite afterwards " will she Ever take the talk show Road again Rivers is not sure. The Fox thing was a Nightmare she recalls. The Nightmare was that i was fired for bad ratings. Now when you look Back the ratings were incredible. They never got near our ratings again. The tragedy was that the show was t Given a Chance. It takes a year to build an still the thought of another try at a talk show persists. I look at people on talk shows and i think of no. Don t ask that question. Ask this question " Rivers says. So obviously it s still very much a part of my lifestyle. But there Are enough talk shows on television now. Let s All just wait and then Well try monday augusts 1988 the stars and stripes Page 17
