HAPPY BIRTHDAY 1984 - TRUE STORY

So, I am going out of sequence to tell you a little story. The story of my 40th birthday. Yes, this is my birthday today, but this is 28 years ago.

It was 1984 and I was the smallest I had been in 30 years, down to 250lbs. Yes. And I decided to throw a 40th birthday party for myself.

The evening began with Miss Adrienne and I attending "La Cage aux Folles" at the Palace Theatre. Walter Charles was Albin and I will never forget his performance. It's the best.

And then we went home to my apartment, which was filled with friends. (It gave the appearance of a surprise party - us arriving after everyone else.) Anyway, many friends from Broadway were there. One special friend was Jeanne Schlegel, who had been in the original company of "Guys and Dolls" and was a coaching student of mine. Remember Jeanne.

There was a wonderful birthday cake and the famous Ferncrest Punch. This is a lethal concoction which tastes exactly like Kool Aid but is pure 150-proof Vodka, Champagne, Cold Duck and Cointreau all mixed with confectioners sugar. Needless to say, two glasses and you walk into the walls.

At one point in the party we cut the cake in the dining room. We were all around the table and I could hear someone mumbling in the living room. I wandered in to see who and all I could see was the back of my large wing chair and an arm coming out holding three pussywillows. I inched around and found Jeanne Schlegel sitting in the chair carrying on a conversation with NOBODY and her wig had made one half turn on her head. I asked her, "Jeanne, how many glasses of punch did you have?" "Three" was her reply.

Honey, she was gone with the wind. I'll never forget that. She said she had brought tall pussywillows for a tall man on his birthday. But she left feet-first a very happy lady.