There’s no photo because Rita didn’t do anything after the show and I really wouldn’t want to push her, I got to meet her 30 years ago when she came to Marquette with Emo Phillips and Larry “Bud” Melman. And after having the longest run in Las Vegas history (14 years), I think she’s paid enough dues.
So what brought her to Austin? Rita’s daughter is now 15 and she decided it’s time to return to some light touring and recording new comedy specials. Good for her! I have always been a fan of Rita ever since she appeared on HBO’s Rodney Dangerfield’s Ninth Annual Young Comedians Special, Rita has always been on my radar. Yeah, you may remember that show for being Sam Kinison’s breakout moment but the adage of “slow and steady” wins the race held up for her!
Rita was in great form. She covered jokes regarding her adopted daughter, her English husband, aging, technology (she made a good dig about the Genius Bar) and closed with a story about getting stood-up by Bill Cosby. It would’ve been nice to have a little face time with her and see if she remembered her Marquette appearance like Emo did. More importantly, I would’ve liked to have personally thanked her for all the entertainment she’s given me. Maybe she’ll come back one day to be a headliner at Moontower.
Hopefully we’ll be seeing Rita’s latest material on Netflix or other streaming services.