Robin Williams Loved Us Too
Robin Williams made an impromptu appearance at 142 Throckmorton Theatre in Mill Valley Tuesday night, the comedian's first public performance since undergoing heart surgery in March.
Williams, recuperating from a heart valve operation to correct an irregular heartbeat, had been sitting in the back of the theater during comedian Mark Pitta's weekly comedy night.
"We expected him to just watch," said Lucy Mercer, the theater's founder and artistic director. "He's still fragile, obviously."
But toward the end of the show, the lure of the stage became too strong for Williams to resist.
"I was saying goodnight to the crowd when he walked up, and I'm like, 'no way,'" Pitta said. "It was a total surprise to me. Then he went on to do 30 minutes."
Once he was on stage, the famously manic comedian confessed that he couldn't just sit in the back while other comics made people laugh.
"You know I'm a whore for an audience," he told the packed house.
The 57-year-old comedian is known to be a bundle of sweaty energy while performing, but this time fans became concerned when he appeared to be laboring even harder than usual.
"Ten minutes in, he was out of breath," Pitta said. "He kept saying, 'The doctors said I shouldn't be here. I need another month down.'
"He kept saying, 'My heart is going so fast,' and pounding his chest," she said. "He was so excited just being on stage that he said his heart was jumping all over the place. I was worried that he would keel over right there."
Williams was remarkably candid, talking about his surgery, his doctors and nurses, dealing with pain, other intimate matters.
"Personally, I think it was good for him," Mercer said. "He was really open with people. It was wonderful. This is his community."
Pitta concurred, saying, "At the end of it, in the Green Room, he looked at me and said, 'I needed that.'"
http://www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_12310073?source=pkg
THROCKMORTON GOES DARK
A popular Marin venue where Robin Williams entertained went dark Tuesday night. The staff at the Throckmorton Theater in Mill Valley canceled a scheduled comedy show, and put this note on the window outside:
"Due to the devastating news of the death of our friend, fellow comedian and neighbor, Robin Williams, we are canceling tonight's show as we deal with our extreme grief.
http://www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_26325538/marin-residents-share-stories-fond-memories-comedian-robin
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