A Chorus Line No. 26 - Alyce Gilbert
- Lauryn Johnson
- Jul 15
- 2 min read
MICHAEL BENNETT, acknowledging the creative team and key staff members to the audience, following the Gala 3389th Performance: There is a mother of A CHORUS LINE and her name is Alyce Gilbert.
THEONI ALDREDGE: Alyce always made new kids feel welcome, there was always a gift waiting for them. She never forgot birthdays or holidays. Mother Hen ... Alyce was A CHORUS LINE.
MITCHELL WEISS [Company Manager]:
If I could move that woman into my apartment as my best-friend-aunt, I would do it in a second. She is beyond talented. I don't know how she ever kept her temper sometimes; she just never seemed to lose it. I guess that is why Michael liked her so much.
RON STAFFORD [Assistant Stage Manager]: Alyce was amazing. To go down to that room was like being in a department store. It was so well organized — a drawer for every character.
JUSTIN ROSS: Alyce was always calm, prepared, and she made you feel totally safe and taken care of. And that was such an enormous gift to everyone who ever passed through that basement because there was never a time, regardless of what kind of catastrophe was happening, when Alyce wasn't on top of it.
KATE WRIGHT: I adored Alyce. She was so good to me and good to her girls. She saw us through all our nervous break-downs, our broken love affairs. We went through tons with six single girls sharing the dressing room behind her. Could you imagine?
PATTI D'BECK [Assistant Dance Captain;
Understudy]: Alyce was always trying to fix me because I was constantly going on stage with my costumes inside out.
WAYNE MELEDANDRI [Pau]l: You knew that Alyce would always be available and there for you. She was the anchor.
KAREN ZIEMBA: She was the most organized woman and she just lived at that theater, it meant so much to her. She ran it so smoothly, every bead on every costume was put back on when it would come off.
WANDA RICHERT: Alyce was my pal. I would be amazed just watching her walk around that wardrobe room. She was wonderful.
DEBORAH HENRY: She was maternal with me, always making sure my skirt had not one wrinkle in it.
Alyce extended herself and you could see it through her work.
MICHAEL GRUBER [Final Mike]: She was the best. She kept every thing impeccable. If the shoes started to go, we had new shoes. Not even a question.
LOIDA SANTOS [Diana]: She was a wonderful, gentle soul. There was this warmth and sincerity about her, she accommodated you as much as she possibly could.
KEVIN McCREADY [Final Larry]:
Alyce is the most extraordinary, wonderful woman. I think everyone feels the same way.
--The Longest Line by Gary Stevens and Alan George
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