A Decade of Memories

Fans Marty Eaton and Betty Greenawalt with Linda in 1995

Eleven years ago I was a happy employee of The Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center in York, Pennsylvania. I worked in the box office and was partially responsible for selling tickets. I had a wonderful client base to work from and thoroughly enjoyed my job. One of the perks of the job was being able to experience different artists, from singers to comedians. I saw a lot of "stars" come through that stage door-- some talented, some not-- and luckily I was able to meet quite a few of them.

I will never forget November 20, 1998. That was the first time Linda Eder appeared at The Strand and what a night it was! It was quite a journey to bring her to The Strand but with the help of my friend, Marty Eaton, we successfully accomplished that goal.

The journey that culminated in that amazing night began on New Year's Eve 1994. I had some friends over for dinner and one of my guests, Marty, handed me a CD and said, "Betty, this singer is incredible! You've got to hear her."

Reluctantly, I played the CD and have to admit we ended up listening to it all night. We talked about what a beautiful voice Linda had and hoped we would hear more about her in the future. Little did we know we would see her six weeks later at a performance of JEKYLL & HYDE in Hershey, Pennsylvania. What a surprise! We were so hooked we ended up seeing the show several times over the next couple of months in both the Pennsylvania and Baltimore areas.

After one of the Baltimore shows we met Linda at the backstage door and not only were we enamored with her voice, but we also discovered what a wonderful person she was. While talking to us, she mentioned that she and the rest of the cast would be doing a benefit concert at a local after-hours club the following week. We were able to secure tickets and were lucky enough to sit at a front row table. It was wonderful! The cast sang their respective songs from the show and since it was an informal setting, we had a chance to talk with Linda during breaks. She told us about her upcoming concerts that summer, before JEKYLL & HYDE went to Broadway. That night she nicknamed me "the lady in the front row."

Following a matinee performance of JEKYLL & HYDE on Broadway, Linda surprises Betty's bus tour group with a special visit!

During the summer of 1995, we traveled to three different venues to see Linda perform. Again we were fortunate to sit in the front row center. After one of the shows we attended a meet and greet. I told her I worked at The Strand and once a year we put together a bus trip to New York. We were planning to see JEKYLL & HYDE the following spring. I asked her if she would say hello to the group. She said, "Just come to the stage door and tell them 'the lady in the front row is here.'"

Next spring, we made the bus trip to New York and Linda didn't disappoint us! We didn't tell the 47 passengers on the bus what was going to happen after the show. How surprised and thrilled we all were when Linda came on the bus to say hello! When they first saw her, there was complete silence until they realized they weren't dreaming! What a weekend!

The first concert we attended that summer was at Shriver Hall at Johns Hopkins University. It was phenomenal! This was another memorable night for me, because it was the start of my quest to bring Linda to the Strand Capital Theatre. I knew she was special after seeing her in JEKYLL & HYDE, but after seeing her in concert I knew she would be a perfect match to sing in our theatre. After the show I met her booking agent, David Hart, and told him how much I would love to see Linda come to the Strand. I'll never forget his comment, "We'd really like to get in there." Well, that was all I needed to hear. From then on I was on a mission. I wondered how I could convince the Director and Board Members of the Strand to book someone they had never heard of before? I knew I would have to push hard to get a commitment from the Strand's Program Committee. My quest began.

I returned to work the following Monday very excited about the Johns Hopkins concert. I told everyone about Linda Eder's voice but no one had heard of her. I spoke to our Director, Clyde Lindsley, about booking her and asked if I could attend the next Program Committee meeting to speak directly to the people who make the booking decisions. He was hesitant at first but decided to let me attend because I had already been successful with two other artists in the past, Roger Whittaker and Steve and Eydie. I had convinced the committee to book them and they did. I worked my tail off selling tickets and ended up with two sold out shows. I was two for two.

This time I had some homework to do. I called my friend Marty and between the two of us we created a nice presentation. Marty assembled a montage of video clips of Linda performing on Rosie O'Donnell, David Letterman, The Today Show, etc. onto one tape for the committee to view. He also created a poster comprised of various photos, CD covers, reviews and write-ups to complete the presentation.

Finally, the fateful day arrived and I wasn't able to attend. We were short staffed in the box office so I had to stay put. I gave all of my "homework" to Clyde's assistant and was on pins and needles all morning. When the meeting adjourned the members came out and told me I should recheck the video because it didn't work. They heard Linda's voice but no picture. They said they were impressed with what they heard but had doubts about her ability to sell enough tickets. What a disappointment! Determined not to give up, I insisted on another try when the committee met two weeks later. This time the video worked! Upon seeing Linda perform, as well as hearing her voice, the committee was hooked and they unanimously voted to book her.

Marty and Betty, with fellow Strand patron Ron Kline, in the dressing room-- renovated especially for Linda!

All of the Board's fears regarding her inability to draw were soon proven unfounded when tickets started selling fast. We had a summer subscription series that year where you purchased at least three different shows. The committee decided to put Linda in the series and we would try to sell her over the summer. As soon as they gave us their blessing, my co-worker Alan and I started selling. Since we knew our client base so well, we started making phone calls to many of our customers and gave them the Linda sales pitch. In a theatre that seated 1,214, we sold all but 60 seats. Pretty darn good for a town that had never heard of Linda Eder!

I now had Linda booked and sold but wondered what could I do to make her visit more comfortable. The Strand was built in 1925. Over the years, it did get some facelifts but the backstage and dressing rooms never got touched! They were a mess. I went to the house manager, Bob Rohbaugh, and asked for some help. He let me purchase paint and my daughter, Barbara, and her son, Brian, came to the rescue. While Brian was painting, Barbara was making the window treatment - a donation from a member. We also added an area rug, wing back chair, table and fresh flowers. The room looked beautiful! The night of the show Linda even commented about how nice the paint job was.

That night was a performance I'll never forget. Linda started the concert with songs from IT'S TIME, sang a beautiful rendition of "Over The Rainbow" and ended the first half with "Big Time." After the first song, I looked behind me at an older couple I had convinced to attend and told them this performer would be the "show of the year at The Strand." The gentleman gave me a big "OK." I knew then from him and the applause she was surely a "hit" in little old York, Pennsylvania. At intermission, the lobby was bustling! During the second half, she sang several songs from J&H, a few from HAVANA and of course "Vienna" and "Man of La Mancha." When she sang "Bring On The Men" the house went wild. It was truly one of the most memorable nights for me and my reward for promoting the show was a front row center seat! The show ended but fortunately the evening wasn't over yet. I had permission to use the Board Room for an after-the-show reception which Linda graciously attended. We also invited her band and crew.

Linda... back on the bus after many years!

In 2000, she returned to The Strand but this time we had a seven-page waiting list before the tickets went on sale after the summer subscription. Linda has also been back a third time but I am now retired and don't see her as much as I'd like. I organized a bus trip to see her at Penn State and again, she came on the bus to say hello.

It's really been a great journey for me. I wouldn't trade the many friends and stories for the world. Thanks Linda for sharing your wonderful voice, and of course, thanks to Marty for bringing over that CD so many years ago.

- Betty Greenawalt aka "the lady in the front row!"