Cloris Leachman will perform a new one-woman show, Cloris, about her life and years in show business. The play is written and directed by George Englund, who will visit Athens on March 19 (see story, below). In it, audiences will not only encounter Leachman’s renowned acting and comic talents in the flesh, but also discover her lesser known but equally impressive talents as a singer and pianist.
Leachman, who is probably most famous for her role as Phyllis on the Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spinoff, Phyllis, won an unprecedented nine Emmy awards for her many television roles, including her frequent appearances as Grandma Ida on Malcolm in the Middle, for which she won two. She also has appeared in numerous films, including Young Frankenstein and The Last Picture Show, for which she won an Oscar as best supporting actress. Her Broadway career includes the original productions of South Pacific and Arthur Miller’s The Crucible.
After such an illustrious career, Leachman shows no signs of slowing down. At age 71, she appeared nude, in body paint, on the cover of Alternative Medicine magazine. 2008 alone will see her appearance in two films: American Cowslip and The Women.
Leachman will give a lecture at 12:20 p.m. March 24 in the Balcony Theatre at the Fine Arts Building, located on the corner of Baldwin and Lumpkin streets. The lecture is free and open to the public.
On March 22, Cloris will be performed at 2:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., in the Ramsey Concert Hall at the Performing Arts Center.
Regular admission is $15; admission for UGA students with a valid ID is $12. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Performing Arts Center box office at (706) 542-4400 or toll free at (888) 289-8497 (BUY-TIXS).