PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today in Theatre History: SEPTEMBER 10

By Robert Viagas
and Ernio Hernandez and Sam Maher
September 10, 2012

1915 Fanny Brice is reviewed in Variety for her performance at the Palace. Variety says that when she "learns to refrain from starting to disrobe before she is out of sight of the audience, her new act will be a step -- several of them, in fact -- in the right direction. "

1942 Janie begins a 642-performance run today at Henry Miller's Theatre.

1959 The Crooked Mile opens at London's Cambridge Theater. There are 164 performances of this musical by Peter Wildblood. This tale of about two SoHo street gangs starred Millicent Martin and Elisabeth Welch.

2000 Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats closes after nearly 18 years and 7,485 performances. The final performance, held at 6 PM was for an invitation-only audience. It will keep its position as the longest-running show in Broadway history for just six years, before being overtaken by another Lloyd Webber show, The Phantom of the Opera.

2001 Mandy Patinkin kicks off his Kidults concert tour at the Neil Simon Theatre on Broadway.

2002 The first national tour of The Producers launches in Pittsburgh, starring Lewis J. Stadlen and Don Stephenson as Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom.

Today's Birthdays: Thomas Jefferson 1856. Adele Astaire 1896. Brian Murray 1937. Harry Groener 1951. Amy Irving 1953. Kate Burton 1957.