Looking back, I think my first exposure to absolute comic genius came from watching Mike Nichols and Elaine May sketches on variety shows when I was a kid, although I really didnt appreciate their true genius until I was much older. Both are heroes of mine -- Ive seen Elaine May on stage with Alan Arkin -- individually and collectively. Neil Simon had some fascinating insights in his memoir, talking about trusting so many of his early works to Mike to direct on Broadway. Being about as far away from Broadway as you can get in this country, its difficult to fully appreciate that side of his career. His film work, on the other hand, is inspirational. Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf was too intense when I first tried to watch it as a pre-teen. But The Graduate is iconic. I was thrilled when Mike and Elaine got back together to film The Birdcage. As incredible as Mike was as a director, Elaine was just as good as a screen writer. Together they produced magic -- the scene with Robin Williams giving the history of dance? Perfection!. Some of our genius was lost when MIke Nichols passed away today. But he will continue to inspire others through his incredible work.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 19:04:22 +0000
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