On the eve of the first Roger Rees Awards ceremony Roger is remembered by Rick Elice, Chita Rivera and Alex Timbers on Playbill.com.
Rick Elice writes:
“Where is Rog now? In a theater, I’m positive. Those sacred rooms where families are made every time the lights go down; where something might happen that’ll make you thank God for the day you were born. Theater was always home to Rog. He was frequently in the spotlight, but he was never a lone star; he delighted in helping others to step forward and shine. His easy, generous joy of theater – every aspect of it – was infectious and irresistible, tangible and real and right. Sharing his vast knowledge of plays and players, the insights from a fifty-year career - this was like breathing for him. And his support and enthusiasm for young talent was unconditional. He showed up everywhere, saw everything, encouraged everybody. He lived and moved beautifully in our theater world, and he made that world a wonderful home and a joyful place to work.
"Work was everything to Rog. He loved to tell students that to himself, William Shakespeare wasn’t ‘the Bard of Avon.’ He was just a guy, wearing the equivalent of jeans and sneakers, working day and night to get the right words in the right order, and maybe nudge the world a little. Dickens or Chekhov, Sondheim or Miranda, Ruhl or Vogel, Kushner or Karam – take all the fandom away, and they’re just people who work. Hard. Every day. ‘Why be finished?’ Rog would say. ‘Where’s the fun in that? Great cities are never finished. Nothing sits still, except your dog – and look how anxious he is to get on with things.’
"To Rog, perfection was a moving point, and he loved the pursuit of that point. He sprinted after it every day till the day he ran out of breath. His natural artistry, his natural humanity were utterly inspiring. As a result, he inspired whole legions of us – actors, writers, designers, directors, students, teachers – all of us raised up by Roger’s rare and great spirit. No one more than me. I have many thank you’s to make in my life, but my deepest will always be to this kind and gentle man, my beautiful husband, Roger Rees.”
Full story at playbill.com.
A list of the award winners is at Broadwayworld.com.
