On May 9, 1982, Nine opened on Broadway. On May 9, 2002, Liliane Montevecchi caught her former co-star Karen Akers' cabaret at the Algonquin, "When Love Speaks To You." Both ladies (along with Anita Morris, now deceased) competed for the Tony Award - Montevecchi won.
During the evening, a program of songs from Sondheim, Rodgers and Hart and Jacques Brel, Akers left her regular program and sang Nine's "Unusual Way," dedicating it to Montevecchi.