JOE LEBERMAN…NY City ... 1958

Recently I’ve been reminiscing about my years spent in NY City. Two of my blogger friends have written recently about their days there (Bud, of “Paradise is Pinehurst” and Naomi of “Old, Old Lady of the Hills”) and it has sparked my memories. I was single at the time and had just been hired on at WABC writing promotional material for their “Live and Lively” radio shows.

A fellow writer had lived in the city for years and he introduced me to some of his friends. Among them was an actor by the name of Joe Leberman. He was much older than I but we often attended the same affairs and we enjoyed each other’s company. Joe was very excited because he had just been given the role of the station master in the play “The Visit”.

The play was to open at the Lunt-Fontanne theater in May in NY City and was set to preview in Boston. With Joe’s help I was able to get two tickets for the out-of-town performance for my parents and they were thrilled.

My Dad worked in Boston but a night at the Shubert theater was a rare treat for them both. Their seats were second row center in the orchestra and Dad said they were almost blinded by all the diamonds “aglitter on the bosoms of all those Boston blue bloods” who surrounded them.

After the performance my folks were invited backstage where they met Joe. They had a good chat and Joe told them he had been a character actor since the age of 21. He also introduced them to the other performers, including the stars of the play, Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne.

“The Visit”, a play in 3 acts, is written by Swiss playwright Friedrich Durrenmatt. I attended the Broadway opening in May and it was fun to see a friend on stage although the play was a bit too dark for my taste. However, the reviews were laudatory, the play had a successful run and I was happy for Joe.