Nostalgia Ain't What it Used To Be

My childhood was riddled with emotional bullet holes. The enemy? My schoolmates. My youth was spent plotting paths of least resistance, avoiding obstacles and ducking snipers. I don't recall how, but I found out about a theatre group at our (then) new community center. It seemed the perfect "hiding place", especially since I so wanted to be Loretta Young. The director of this goofy venture is the reason why I write. You think I'm Norma Desmond? Elaine Sack was Norma Desmond. Ebony hair, heavily coaled eyes (with a nod to Cleopatra) and only dramatic blood in her veins; she made her entrance and I was entranced. I don't know if any of my fellow performers thought of her quite as I did. Sure, we probably giggled a bit, but I was awed. I didn't realize it then, but I was gazing at a role model.

Our first "season" (HA!) together, we did "scenes" from things. I don't recall everything, but I know we did a little bit from Bells are Ringing. Another scene was from Neil Simon...maybe it was Come Blow Your Horn, I'm not sure. There was a little snippet of The Odd Couple and maybe a drop of Auntie Mame. Last October, I sifted through my hometown's newspaper's microfiche at the public library and presented here is what was the highly anticipated "Season II." A whole play! As you can see, we did Six Flights Up. Never heard of it you say? Ah, but you have.

I have no memory as to how Elaine began this group. I know that she got no money from the community center, bupkis. So, what does a lady, with drama in her blood and not a penny do when money is supposed to be paid to the Samuel French Company when Neil Simon's, Barefoot in the Park is performed? Why, she simply changes the name! Yes, I was Paul Bratter, Nancy was Corey & David was Victor, who lived upstairs. In our show, he lived on the ladder. The saddest part of the whole thing is that we had no stage. What we had was a very large room, huge in fact. I think the building had been a hotel at the turn of the century and we must've been in the main dining room. What we were given were risers, like what an orchestra might use. They must've been 5 or 6 inches off of the floor. This was our stage. There were no walls behind or beside us. We weren't theater-in-the-round, we were theater-in-the-whatever. The audience (ahem) had folding chairs to sit on. There were swinging doors that must've gone into the kitchen, so the risers were close to these doors. This was our back stage. We did have some furniture because I begged my parents to loan us something from their store. I think the furniture was the best part, it certainly was the most real part. It was sad.

I don't know why she gave me the male lead. Back then, I was so limp, so nelly, I imagine the girl who played my wife was butcher than me. I guess she saw something. Or maybe the other two boys wouldn't take on the role, I don't know. As you might imagine, the audience was made up of our families, I don't think that front page story and advertisement packed the house. What I do know is that Elaine Sack was a wonderful lady who gave us a lot of her time, because she wanted to. I know I was awful at memorizing my lines and blocking and she pushed me and dammit, I did it. I'd always hoped that I would run into her somewhere or get a chance to look her up. It was earlier this year that my sister connected with Elaine's daughter and I found out that Elaine is gone. The information was sketchy, some sort of cancer, and there was also a fire at some point, so photos of Elaine are rare. I asked for a copy of anything and her daughter sent me this, instructing me to keep it. She seemed so happy that someone was remembering her mother. Remember her? I could never forget her.