We've come back-to-the-City, just for a visit. Boy do I miss it. Every. Single. Day.
We've been here for a few nights. A couple of events top our agenda.
First, we attended a memorial service celebration for our dear friend, Anne Kaufman. It was held in a fourth floor function room at Sardi's, a restaurant in the theatre district. The photo shown here was shot out the restaurant's window.
Anne died this past March at the age of 99—just 102 days short of her 100th birthday! Anne was the daughter of the American playwright George S. Kaufman. She was full of stories: about her colorful girlhood, about her father's colorful affairs, about the colorful stars and artists she knew from living in the world of theatre. But she also was full of stories about other aspects of life, including her love of Art Nouveau art, furniture and decor (and her adventures getting her treasures back to America after numerous European holidays with her long-suffering husband, Irving). She loved my store and she loved me. She was a treasured friend.
Anne was always at the top of our "call list" when planning, well, anything. On several occasions we met in London (I would be on a buying trip for the store and she would take me to the theatre—and backstage—in the evening). One night in London, she took me to the National Theatre where they were mounting a revival of Once in a Lifetime, written by her father. She was participating in a "talk back" Q&A for patrons, before the performance began. After the show, she took me backstage to meet the leading man, her friend, David Suchet. We chatted as he walked us, along the Thames, over to the Tube Station. My mother was thrilled upon hearing this story; she loved David Suchet as Inspector Poirot.
Anne also joined us at two of my husband, Bob's, opening nights at the Metropolitan Opera. And she and I took the Acela train down to Washington, DC—at least three times—to see one of Bob's premieres at the Signature or Shakespeare Theatre. (She always seemed to know as many of the cast members as Bob did.) On one memorable evening, we went to see Merrily We Roll Along, which Stephen Sondheim and Hal Prince had adapted from one of her father's earlier plays. (She loved the production.) And, many times, Anne would just come down to our apartment in Chelsea to eat Chinese takeaway. She always took the subway. When some kind person would offer her his seat, Anne would respond, "No thank you! How old do you think I am?" Her "tough broad" exterior belied a loving heart of gold.
Above, Anne at the 2014 Irene Sharaff Awards with Kimo and Bob.
Sad as I am, I don't view Anne's passing, at 99 years of age, as a tragedy. We had so many wonderful times together. We spoke on the phone several times a week. And she'll always be with me; I'll be repeating her stories for the rest of my life.
My only regret is the fact that we never got Anne over to our house in Pittsburgh (after moving there in 2017). Her father was born in Pittsburgh (in 1889) and I had planned to take her on a driving tour of some of his old haunts. I also wanted her to see our old house, built in 1907, which I know she would have loved. Settling-in took us a couple of years. Then Covid came. After that, she became increasing frail, making the 400 mile journey improbable. And then it became too late. We had run-out of time.
The memorial event was very nice. We caught up with several old friends-in-common. We made a few new friends. And we did see a handful of actors who had called Anne a friend—including Rosemary Harris, looking wonderful at 97. Harris, and her then-husband, Ellis Raab, were instrumental in the movement to revive Kaufman's plays starting in the 1960's. From that point forward, Kaufman's plays have remained a staple of the American theatre's comedic repertoire.
Farewell, Anne, dear friend! We'll see you some day—in that bustling Green Room in the sky.
Tomorrow we'll share the second item on our NYC agenda.
Though our Greenwich Village store is now permanently closed, LEO Design is still alive and well! Please visit our on-line store where we continue to sell Handsome Gifts (www.LEOdesignNYC.com).
To arrange a visit our Pittsburgh showroom (by private appointment only), please call 917-446-4248.