I'n Memorial To Larie Beechman

IN MEMORIAL TO LARIE BEECHMAN (1954-1998) ABOUT Mrs. BEECHMAN Trouper'S last battle Cancer claims musical theater's Laurie Beechman by Renee Lucas Wayne Daily News Staff Writer Native Philadelphian Laurie Beechman had a great big voice, and an equally big heart. After battling ovarian cancer for nine years, the 44-year-old veteran of the musical theater -- who made her Broadway debut as "Star to Be" in the original cast of "Annie" in 1977, and went on to become the longest-running Grizabella in Broadway's longest-running hit, "Cats," -- died Sunday, ending a career that extended far beyond her local roots. "She would have been a star anywhere she was, Philadelphia or New York or London," said Bernard Havard, producing artistic director of the Walnut Street Theater, a venue where Beechman performed on numerous occasions. "She's a testament to the fact that God gives talent on a per-capita basis. "She was an extraordinary performer and entertainer who just lit up the stage and had a wonderful rapport with the audience." "Right now, there's just a great gap in our hearts," Havard added. "She was dedicated, highly disciplined and truly loved what she did. She was a joy to work with and she will be sadly missed." Beechman's last appearance on the Walnut stage was last March during a benefit concert for Doug Wing, an actor and friend who had also been stricken with cancer. Wing died last year. In 1990, Beechman had starred as Wing's daughter, her first non-singing role, in the Walnut Street production of the comedy "Show-Off." "The concert for Doug is my most inspiring memory of her," Havard said. "I don't think there was a dry eye in the house. It was an example of great courage." Beechman's life was full of such pluck. Her first major success on Broadway came in 1981 when she won the role of the Narrator in Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." She was the first woman to play the part, and it earned her Tony and Drama Desk nominations for best featured actress in a musical. In 1983, Beechman became Grizabella in the first touring company of "Cats." Four months later, after the departure of Betty Buckley, she stepped into the role on Broadway. She continued to bring down the house with her emotive rendition of "Memory" until 1988. A year later, despite her cancer, she joined the national touring company of "Les Miserables" in the role of Fantine, as well as the touring company of "The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber: The Sunset Edition." Last April, Beechman was the honoree at the Walnut's annual gala. The theater awarded her its Edward Forrest Award for Life Achievement. It is likely that she will be paid tribute at this year's event, which is set for April 4. "I think she had an indomitable spirit. Her feelings and emotions were bigger than her physical self," said Havard. "I never heard her once complain and she was battling this disease for nine years. "She never was self-pitying. She just charged ahead like she could just push this thing aside. There was a major spirit inside that person that was very, very strong." Sam Bushman, a family friend and local press agent who worked with the actress on various projects, agreed. "I know she suffered a lot with the cancer, but you'd never know how much she suffered when she was on stage. "She was just wonderful." OBITUARIES Laurie Beechman; Phila. to Broadway By Andy Wallace INQUIRER STAFF WRITER Laurie Beechman, 44, a diminutive singer and actress whose immense talent, energy and heart took her from the stage at Haddon Township High School all the way to Broadway, died Sunday of ovarian cancer at home in White Plains, N.Y. Miss Beechman had been living -- and acting -- with the pain and complications of treatment since 1989, when she learned she had the disease. At the time, she was rehearsing the role of Fantine, a tragic figure in Les Miserables. In the years since, she underwent surgery and several long periods of chemotherapy, and after each she returned to the stage. In 1996, she again took on the role of Fantine in the Philadelphia production of Les Miz. "For me, personally, it was a triumph," she said of the show. "I never felt I'd be in a show again. I thought people wouldn't hire me." Then, last July, she was back on Broadway in Cats, as the outcast cat named Grizabella, a role that was all the more meaningful because of her cancer. "I don't think there is any role in a Broadway musical that could fulfill me at this time like Grizabella can," Beechman said then. Born in Philadelphia, Miss Beechman grew up in Westmont in a theatrical family. Her mother, Dolly Beechman Schnall, was an actor and director in community theater. Her father, Eugene, was a singer who often entertained his customers with arias and Broadway tunes when he ran Gino's, a restaurant on Walnut Street. At home, he sang with Laurie and her two sisters. She took singing lessons, studying classical music, then show tunes, then rock-and-roll. She polished her acting talent in school plays and local theater before heading for New York City when she was in her early 20s. She made her Broadway debut in 1977, playing several small roles in Annie. After that, she had a singing part in Hair, then made a rock album and spent a short time on the road with the band (Laurie and the Sighs) to promote it. When she returned to New York, she sang advertising jingles and auditioned for parts. In a Broadway performance of the Pirates of Penzance, she was a "swing," a multiple understudy who stood offstage during the performances and sang along with the female voices on stage. Her big success came when she won the role of the Narrator in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, which opened on Broadway in November 1981. She was the first woman to play that part and it earned her a Tony nomination. The critics were impressed. One called her "an imp with an outsized voice." And Variety said, "The entire cast is excellent, especially Laurie Beechman, who narrates the piece. She has a belting singing voice whose range seems to reach infinity." She became Grizabella in the first touring company of Cats in 1983. After playing the part in Boston for four months, she was moved to the Broadway production, where she stayed until 1988. After playing Fantine in Les Miz for six months in 1990, she took on her first nonsinging role in the Show-Off at the Walnut Street Theatre here. When her cancer reappeared, she dropped out and underwent a year of chemotherapy. About that time, she began dating and, in October 1992, married Neil Mazzella, a theatrical-scene builder. "My marriage to Neil has prolonged my life," Miss Beechman said. "Things are much, much easier with him. . . . He's not afraid, and that gives me courage." She suffered another relapse -- and more surgery and chemotherapy -- in 1994, but she continued to work at acting and singing. She also began to expand into new areas of entertainment. She often returned to Philadelphia, where she sang with Peter Nero and the Philly Pops and performed in cabaret settings. In January 1997, backed by a full orchestra and a 100-voice gospel choir, she sang "You'll Never Walk Alone" at President Clinton's second Inaugural Gala -- and then got to introduce the President. Several months later, she released her fifth album (No One Is Alone), a collection of inspirational songs such as "Climb Every Mountain" and "If You Believe." Last year, she sang some of those songs at a benefit for another cancer patient. She also worked up a humorous talk about people's reactions to her cancer that she performed for cancer patients. She got such an overwhelming response that she considered turning the talk into a one-woman show. Miss Beechman admitted in an interview last July that her eight-year fight with cancer sometimes left her depressed. "Just this past week it's been heavily on my mind," she said. "I was losing my perspective about it. I was feeling cheated, that it was terribly unfair, that . . . I had this talent, this God-given thing, and hadn't been able to fully use it." Last year, Haddon Township made her the first inductee into the Haddon Township Cultural Hall of Fame. There were many other awards: The Boston Critics Circle voted her the outstanding performer in a musical (for Cats). She won the Theater World Award for her performance in Joseph, and the Walnut Street Theater gave her its Edward Forrest Award for her contributions to the American Theater. Besides her husband and her mother, she is survived by two sisters; her stepfather, Nathan Schnall; and two stepsisters. Services will be at 11 a.m. tomorrow at Joseph Levine & Sons, 7112 N. Broad St. Burial will be at Montefiore Cemetery, Jenkintown. Contributions in her memory may be sent to the Actors' Fund of America, 1501 Broadway, Suite 518, New York 10036-5797. "THE NEW YORK TIMES" Laurie Beechman, the throbbing-voiced singer and actress who played Grizabella in the Broadway musical "Cats" for more than five years, died on Sunday at her home in White Plains, N.Y. She was 44. The cause was complications from ovarian cancer, said her agent and friend, Jim Wilhelm. An emotive belter in the tradition of Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand, both of whom were her idols when she was growing up, Ms. Beechman brought a waifish pathos and a piercing vocal power to her character's signature song, "Memory." Whether on Broadway, on a concert stage or in a cabaret, Ms. Beechman conveyed a strong involvement with her material, delivering the climaxes of big ballads with a full-throated, sobbing intensity. Ms. Beechman was born in Philadelphia, attended New York University and made her Broadway debut in 1977 in the ensemble of "Annie," in which she played five roles, most notably a Depression-era character named Sophie the Kettle. After "Annie" came a bit part in "The Pirates of Penzance." Venturing into the pop arena, she made an album, "Laurie and the Sighs" (Atlantic), that presented her as a rock belter in the mode of Pat Benatar. When the album sold poorly, she decided to stick to the worlds of theater and cabaret and returned to Broadway as the narrator in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." Her performance in that show won her Tony and Drama Desk nominations for best featured actress in a musical. In 1983 she took the role of Grizabella in the national touring company of "Cats" with the proviso that she step into the part on Broadway when Betty Buckley departed. The chance came four months later, and Ms. Beechman remained in the cast for more than five years. In the late 1980s and 90s, Ms. Beechman became a cabaret and concert performer with high-energy shows that often blended popular standards and theater songs with light rock-and-roll. She also recorded four more albums. Ovarian cancer was diagnosed in 1989. Despite her illness, she joined the national touring company of "Les Miserables" in the role of Fantine, performing in the touring production of "The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber: The Sunset Edition," and singing "You'll Never Walk Alone" at President Clinton's 1997 inaugural gala. Last spring she rejoined "Cats" in time to be playing Grizabella when the show surpassed "A Chorus Line" as Broadway's longest-running hit. She is survived by her husband, Neil Mazzella; her parents, Dr. Nathan and Dolly Beechman Schnall of Philadelphia, and two sisters, Jane Segal and Claudia Cohen, both of Philadelphia. A funeral will be held Wednesday at 11 a.m. at J. Levine and Sons Memorial Chapel, 7112 North Broad Street, Philadelphia. Ms. Beechman went public with her illness three years after her diagnosis and became a role model for people with cancer. "The perception people have of cancer," she told The New York Times, "is that you're cured or you die, and that's not necessarily how it works. It can be more like diabetes, a part of life." Tuesday, March 10, 1998 Copyright 1998 The New York Times Ms. Beechman as "Grizabella" in Broadways "CATS"pic. from ANNIE some of her other roles were - "The Narrator" in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and "Fantine" in "Les Miserables"

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