There may not be any formal decision to attempt to approach immortality when someone sets off for a life in the theatre, but it’s something that underlies every part of it. For the performer, getting an immediate emotional response from a large number of people is better than getting paid. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons why so many people are willing to take advantage of actors, and why they’re among the worst paid and hardest working people in the entertainment world. It’s a very tough life, but it’s also tough in the afterlife, unless you’ve got connections.
When planning a trip to New York, Broadway tickets are almost as necessary as the plane or bus ticket. The world of live theatre is still very much alive and well, despite all the premature news about its death, or immanent demise, and there are always opportunities here to see some of the best performances in the world. There are reasons why Broadway is an icon, and why it remains an elusive dream for so many struggling artists in the city, and the rest of the world. There is always the possibility that someone will remember something that you did on stage, and they might remember it for the rest of their days. If you’re like Olive Thomas, there are also ways to make sure it continues even after death.
She was everybody’s sweetheart, and decidedly the most promising and most beautiful talent to grace Broadway in her generation. At age 25, she swallowed a bottle of mercury bichloride pills, and her death was ruled as accidental. At the New Amsterdam, however, she continues to make her presence known, in one of the most popular legends of theatrical ghosts in history. By all accounts, her otherworld activities are as amusing and temperamental, and also charming, as they were in life. It’s interesting to consider that the appeal of the footlights is so great that some carry the desire beyond their years on the earth, and still seem to delight that someone is still paying attention.