These are frightening times, and we all must take necessary precautions as we social distance and self-isolate. That being said, you deserve a break every now and then. Welcome to Playbill's Daily Distraction.
Day 47: Wait, Were We Not Already in the Asylum?
Today is a very special day. Today we celebrate an extraordinary actor, a captivating singer, an activist, a statement necklace stalwart, a noted subway commuter, and a friend to Meryl and homosexuals alike. Today is the birthday of Christine Baranski.
What better way to pay tribute to her than to revisit her performance tributing a fellow artist who was also at least a couple of those things? Here's Baranski singing "Welcome to the Theatre" from Applause to fellow Tony winner Lauren Bacall (of "Hearts, Not Diamonds" fame) at the Kennedy Center Honors.
"Ms. Bacall, this is your song," she says at the start, assuring, "I'm just borrowing it for this evening." Then she launches into the song, turning Margo Channing's sarcastic tantrum about the conniving politics of theatre into a sultry, buttery ode to a legend.
I like to imagine that once Broadway finally reopens and the curtain rises once more, this is what will be waiting for us: Christine Baranski, wearing a statement necklaces (obviously), proclaiming, "Welcome—to the theatre."
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