Richardson in Cabaret

Natasha Richardson took risks. A different kind of actor, and a different kind of woman, might have gone in for mere glamour, trading on the strength of her dynastic status and the idiosyncratic loveliness of her face—elfin with a glint of steel. But her elegance had substance, and on stage she never coasted. She took big, tough roles on Broadway, starting with the hardened waterfront prostitute in 1994’s Anna Christie. Sometimes they were roles to which she might have seemed unsuited. But she worked on them, and she made them work.

When Richardson played the showbiz-bedazzled singer Sally Bowles in Sam Mendes and Rob Marshall’s 1998 revival of Cabaret, I went back to see her three times in a single month. She was heartrending in the part. Richardson was not a great singer—not like Liza Minnelli in the movie (not that Sally needs to be)—but she understood and played the brittleness of Sally’s delusions. In her final number, the musical’s title song, she lashed out in a frenzy of ferociously nervous refusal; watching her was like watching a mirror shatter.

Richardson made no effort to imitate the ethereal style of her mother, or the earthy wit of her aunt. She carved out her own space in the Redgrave theater legend. In memoriam, here are brief selections from TONY’s reviews of Richardson’s last three Broadway appearances. They testify to the variety, guts and excellence of an actor who will be keenly missed.

Cabaret: “As the desperate British floozy, Richardson may not croon the show’s legendary numbers with the voice of a goddess, but she is heavenly in every other way. Her heartbreaking, indelible performance makes one want more from the rest of the show.”—Sam Whitehead, TONY 131 [March 26–April 2, 1998]

Closer: “Actually, everyone proves to be a libidinous beast, including Anna (Natasha Richardson), a curvy photographer who, at one point, coolly emasculates her jilted man.… Fiercely directed by the playwright, all four actors are simply wonderful, a real ensemble of theatrical experts who aren’t afraid to be true shits.”—Sam Whitehead, TONY 184 [April 1-9, 1999]

A Streetcar Named Desire: “[John C.] Reilly is matched by Natasha Richardson in another daunting role, that of Blanche DuBois, the deluded and penniless Southern ex-belle.… Richardson goes on a remarkably affecting journey, devolving from wily coquette to caged, beaten animal by the play’s devastating close.”—David Cote, TONY 501 [May 5–11, 2005]