Elaine May

I saw “The Waverly Gallery” in previews last night. Elaine May’s return to Broadway after 50 years is beyond wonderful.

I am grateful my parents taught me that people who see and say it hilariously, satirically, humanly, and poignantly reign supreme. I am grateful for Mike Nichols and Elaine May.

My LP of Mike Nichols-Elaine May sketches is one of the few vinyl records I saved and still have. In the early 1980s in my early 30s, when I was newly separated, I listened to Nichols and May. Alone. At night. Often on Saturday nights. They filled me up. I didn’t feel lonely. I was exhilarated. Inspired. My pen moved. I wrote sketches. I performed, one with my friend, Michael, at the Improvisation.

In 1986, I had a magazine piece published called “My Career as a Comedienne.” That career lasted one night.

If you want a true treat, watch Elaine May on YouTube with Mike Nichols in their $65 funeral sketch and then watch her salute when he received the American Film Institute Lifetime Achievement Award. Brilliant!