Anita Hollander, Broadway star, first took to the stage at the age of 4. Unstoppable; she was not even on the program but walked right up on to the stage and gave the audience a performance from “Guys and Dolls”. Yes, she walked up as if she belonged there. Which, of course, she did.
She always knew she was meant for the stage, and when she lost her leg to cancer in 1977, she was right back on that stage in 4 weeks. Hard to believe, but being born in a trunk is an inescapable legacy. And, because I am fighting the urge to be a spoiler and tell you who her parents and grandparents were in the world of musical performance, it is best that you listen to Anita’s story and musical legacy as she tells it in her own words and voice. Suffice it to say that Anita might be the re-incarnation of her grandmother.
I will tell you that Anita has entertained all over the world, performed in Damn Yankees, Oklahoma, Cabaret, Fiddler on the Roof, Cats and much more, She wrote her very funny and moving one-woman show, Still Standing, which is her story from the diagnosis of her cancer to her return to her successful stage career.
And, on the topic of “unstoppable” as if this is not all enough, in addition to marriage and motherhood, she is National Chair of SAG-AFTRA Performers With Disabilities Committee, and too much more to list here but you can click to see it all.
For the added joy of seeing Anita tell this story, take a look at the Newclevelandradio Youtube of her Love Letters Live episode. Her visible energy tells part of the story.
