The Value of Siblings

A reflection and prayer to start the day with Andrea Rea.

Good morning.

London’s Empire Theatre in Leicester Square was originally built for variety shows and ballet. The last live theatre production there, before it was rebuilt as a cinema, was George and Ira Gershwin’s musical, Lady Be Good, which opened at the Empire on this day 100 years ago.

The show was the Gershwin brothers’ first musical theatre collaboration together, with Ira writing the words to the show and George, the music. It’s about a brother and sister who navigate hard times and help each other to succeed in life. In a delightful example of art imitating life, the stars of the show were brother and sister Fred and Adele Astaire.

Because of Fred Astaire’s long Hollywood career and famous pairings with other dance partners, notably Ginger Rogers, his first partner, Adele, is all but forgotten today. And yet, Fred and Adele worked together for nearly 30 years, until Adele got married and retired from show business. After that, Fred Astaire struggled for a time to establish himself as a solo act. As he said himself, “My sister Adele was mostly responsible for my being in show business. She was the whole show, she really was.”

Adele was outgoing and at times, outrageous. Fred, though much more famous, was shy and reserved. They were a kind of mirror image of the Gershwins: George, though better known than Ira was the outgoing one while Ira was more introverted.

Fred Astaire went on to have an unparalleled career without Adele, who never returned to the stage. Ira, after the dreadfully untimely death of George Gershwin at age 38, continued working for many decades. Both Fred Astaire and Ira Gershwin paid tribute to their siblings for the rest of their careers.

God of the family, we thank you for siblings and for all those to whom we are closest in work and life.

Amen