spectacle, show, play ran for 42 years, closed in 2002 after more than 17,000 performances, then reopened in 2006 and operated until 2017. Mr. Gardner only stayed until the end of 1960.) But she was on the show long enough to record her original cast album.
In a 2001 interview with Florida’s Bradenton Herald, Gardner recalled being in the audience for the first time in a production of “Fantastics” about ten years ago.
“I didn’t know I was in such a good place,” she said.
She was in Bradenton doing a revue titled “Try to Remember: A Look at Off Broadway.” There she sang “Fantastics” and other songs from the show and told stories. A few months earlier, she was playing a show at the Sullivan Street Playhouse, the same theater where she played the part in “Fantastics” 40 years earlier. There, her performance started at 10pm. Because “Fantastics” was still playing in the theater’s main night slots.
Rita Schier was born on October 23, 1934 in Brooklyn to Nathan and Tillie (Hack) Schier. She studied opera and dance, and she sang in a close-knit harmony group called The Bees. In the late 1950s, she appeared in a revue called “Nightcap”, featuring songs by then-unknown Jerry Herman. In 1957, she married playwright Herb Gardner, who would later become known for “A Thousand Clowns.” Their marriage ended in divorce, as did her marriage to Peter Seregetti. After her death, she married her sole survivor, Robert Sevra.
Ms. Gardner left “Fantastics” to appear in the film “One Plus One” (1961) and has since appeared in other films. She also appeared on television, including several episodes of the show Law & Order, which helped make Mr. Orbach an instantly recognizable star. She appeared in shows such as Broadway’s ‘A Family Affair’ (1962) and the revival of ‘Pal Joey’ in 1963.
She performed frequently on the cabaret circuit, where she not only had a great singing voice, but also a goofy sense of humor. On her show, Try to Remember, she talked about her life beyond the bright lights of Broadway.
“Off Broadway isn’t just a place, it’s a definition,” she said. “Her definition of equity for Actors is her less than 300-seat theater, but growing up Off-Broadway, my definition was a little different: less than 300-seat theaters, mostly broken.”