WAIT UNTIL DARK
WAIT UNTIL DARK
Lee Remick loved being a mother and wife, but her career was important to her too. She said, "I couldn't just be Mrs. Colleran, housewife. I'd go crazy if I sat at home playing mama and fixing dinner."
So Lee tried to find a balance between home and career and decided that a long-running New York play would be the answer. She wouldn't have to report to the theater until 8:00 and would be home by 11:30, giving her most of the day to be with her family.
And so, in 1965, at a time when she was in great demand as a film actress, Lee turned her back on as much as $400,000 in potential film roles to appear on Broadway in Frederick Knot's suspenseful play "Wait Until Dark."
In preparation for the role, Lee spent a month working with the people at the Lighthouse Foundation for the Blind. And on February 2, 1966, "Wait Until Dark" opened at the Ethel Barrymore theater to a sellout audience. Reviews were overwhelmingly favorable for Lee and "Wait Until Dark" became the sleeper hit of the 1965-1966 season. It ran for 374 performances.
At first, Lee said that she found the year-long run challenging, with each performance being a unique experience. But as the year wore on, she changed her tune saying, "I played it for almost a year, which was about six months too long. As the months went by I felt on occasion that I would rather die than go back into that theatre one more night and play it yet again. It was possible to do it finally while thinking of other things. I found I was able to carry on great long speeches and at the same time I'd be reminding myself to buy my son's school blazer the next day and to be sure to get to the dentist by four o'clock; and all the time chattering away on the stage. It was quite extraordinary."
Despite her eventual lack of interest, Lee was nominated for a Tony for Best Dramatic Actress, but lost to Rosemary Harris for her performance in "Lion In Winter."
Though she lost the Tony, she felt she had won where her family was concerned. Talking about juggling career and family she said, "It's difficult to keep your balance. And I can't offer any formulas. You make the best of a strange way of life and always put your family first."
Resourses: New York World Telegram and Sun – "Two Worlds Of Lee Remick," Films and Filming - "Cool It – Lee Remick" by Gordon Gow, and "Lee Remick," by Barry Rivadue.
-- by Allison