I heard two bits of news this week that made me think about the longevity of Broadway performers. September 26 is the 50-year anniversary of West Side Story opening on Broadway with Chita Rivera as Anita. Ms. Rivera debuted on Broadway in 1953 as a dancer in Can-Can. Her 
most recent Broadway performances were in a review which ran until early 2006--53 years after her debut.It was just announced that John Cullum is going to have a spell in the cast of August: Osage County. Mr. Cullum debuted on Broadway in Camelot, where he was Sir Dinadan as well as the understudy for King Arthur and Mordred. Camelot premiered in 1960, so the 2008 Osage performances will mark Mr. Cullum's 48th year on Broadway.
Barbara Cook is another Broadway performer that comes to mind with longevity, although I believe Ms. Cook has only performed in special, one-night-only type concerts since the 1980s.
In few other art forms can a practitioner have a 50+year career. Certainly visual artists can. Dancers, never. Opera singers, no not really. Film, television, and the stage are about it, but it's still a rarity. Fading abilities, changing tastes, and the collective amnesia of producers and audiences often don't allow seasoned performers to keep performing, which is a loss for everyone.
Writers often have long careers, if the whims of the publishers allow. I've recently become enamored of a poet named Janet Lewis, who had her poems published in every decade of the 20th century, with the exception of the "aughts". Of course, Ms. Lewis lived until she was nearly 100, but still it is a tremendous accomplishment to be not only inspired for that length of time, but also valued.
I look forward to celebrating more significant anniversaries of performers.
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