From the bottom of my heart, to the top of my lungs, THANK YOU x 1 Million!!!!! ? As a 32 year old male, living on Long Island, just one hour by train, from manhattan I have been fortunate enough to spend the better half of 2 decades sitting in Broadway theaters. Seeing all the shows, my heart desired, and still desires. Glen Close, Elaine Paige, and Betty Buckley in Sunset Boulevard, Linda Eder, in Jekyll&Hyde, Lea Solongna is Miss Saigon and such memorable women in such career making shows, as Julie Andrews in Victor/Victoria, and Carol Channing in Hello Dolly( the revival OF COURSE). But none of these performances brought tears to my eyes, as Miss Beechman in Cats or Les Miz. My very first show was Cats, and when Laurie came on stage to sing Memory, I was in tears, at the sheer electricity that she brought to the stage, and once again many years later, when a very ill Laurie sang "You'll Never Walk ALnoe" at then President Clinton's Inuaguration, I believe it was her last public performance, and I cried, then too cause I knew it would be the last time I saw her No one else's voice has had that kind of impact on my heart. Even with her advanced cancer, her performance was that of a professional. Since then all I have are memories, and the amazing recordings of such songs as Home (from the Wiz) and Someday (from the Hunchback...) I wish I had chance to tell her, what an impact she had on my life, and to say thank you...
Dear Ms. Beechman, All I can say is thank you, as a little boy I sat in the front row of the balcony, of the Winter Garden theater, I remember, looking up, at you as you and "Old Duetoronomy" made your decent to the "Heavyside Layer" on a high tech tire that took you from the stage to the ceiling, from where I was sitting, I could see the panel in the ceiling open and you stepped off and into the room above, I remember exhaling, the second you stepped out of site. A short time later, maybe a few months, or a year, the time frame eludes me. I was fortunate enough to see the Broadway Production of Les Miz. I was so excited to see that you were in it, I couldn't wait to see you in another show, It was almost like seeing an old friend again. Thank you so much for 2 amazing shows, and now 32 years of memories. My words of gratitude are all I can give back.
