"The woman is absolutely riveting. I can't. She's so brilliant." -humbug
September 19, 2021 7:54 AM Subscribe
I saw the Documentary Now spoof Original Cast Album: Co-Op (S3E3) before I saw the doc it spoofed, Original Cast Album: Company. The spoof was one of the most hilarious of the DN eps, so I was keen to see the original—and went in expecting the character that Paula Pell plays to be a batshit insane diva who throws an epic tantrum as she's asked to sing the same song over and over and over again.
Imagine my surprise when watching the Company doc (absolutely brilliant, see it now if you haven't, see it again if you have) when Elaine Stritch's expected meltdown approaches. (Even the NYT calls it a meltdown, btw.) Imagine my surprise when, instead of losing her mind, Stritch acts like a complete professional who yes, is tired, but knows they need to nail the take and she'll do it again no matter the hour in order to get it right. To call it a meltdown is uncharitable at best, downright misogynistic at worst.
Now, of course it's funny that the moment is played up for exagerrated laughs in the parody, sure. But make no mistake: Stritch is no petulant diva, no whiny acting brat, but rather a hard-nosed pro with killer instinct and incredible talent. I think that dissonance between parody and reality has made me a fan for life.
Looking forward to sitting down for two+ hours with this legend.
posted by Ten Cold Hot Dogs at 12:18 PM on September 19, 2021 [9 favorites]
Imagine my surprise when watching the Company doc (absolutely brilliant, see it now if you haven't, see it again if you have) when Elaine Stritch's expected meltdown approaches. (Even the NYT calls it a meltdown, btw.) Imagine my surprise when, instead of losing her mind, Stritch acts like a complete professional who yes, is tired, but knows they need to nail the take and she'll do it again no matter the hour in order to get it right. To call it a meltdown is uncharitable at best, downright misogynistic at worst.
Now, of course it's funny that the moment is played up for exagerrated laughs in the parody, sure. But make no mistake: Stritch is no petulant diva, no whiny acting brat, but rather a hard-nosed pro with killer instinct and incredible talent. I think that dissonance between parody and reality has made me a fan for life.
Looking forward to sitting down for two+ hours with this legend.
posted by Ten Cold Hot Dogs at 12:18 PM on September 19, 2021 [9 favorites]
rad i haven't watched the linked video yet but based on Ten Cold Hot Dogs post i watched the original documentary and the Documentary Now episode and they were both really enjoyable and i'm super stoked to watch the actual link. (i had no freakin idea what this post was about but i'm glad i took 5 minutes to find out)
posted by capnsue at 4:17 PM on September 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by capnsue at 4:17 PM on September 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
The comment that inspired this post.
posted by hippybear at 4:34 PM on September 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by hippybear at 4:34 PM on September 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
She was so, so talented and so wonderful. This is one of my favorites, thank you for sharing it!
posted by fairlynearlyready at 12:27 PM on September 20, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by fairlynearlyready at 12:27 PM on September 20, 2021 [2 favorites]
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posted by humbug at 9:49 AM on September 19, 2021 [3 favorites]