Injury Can’t Keep MacLaine Off Stage

PITTSBURGH —  Shirley Mac-Laine’s spiritual beliefs may have helped her see into past lives and traverse other-worldly plains, but her recovery from a serious knee injury is more down to Earth--a love of performing.

“I’m never going to be away from it,” said the red-headed actress, dancer and writer.

MacLaine was in Pittsburgh for a six-day run of “Out There Tonight,” her song and dance show that was put on hold at the end of April when the 56-year-old performer fell during rehearsal and tore a ligament in her right leg.

Forced to cancel some early dates on a planned international tour, MacLaine underwent surgery and intensive rehabilitation during May.

While MacLaine pronounced herself fit for the show’s reopening June 12, the injury forced her to tone down her performing just a bit.

“I’m not going to jump up in the air and come down into splits anymore,” she said, “but I should have changed that before I was injured.”

In the show MacLaine performs both original material and song and dance routines from the musicals “Sweet Charity” and “Gypsy,” as well as tributes to some favorite choreographers.

MacLaine will take the show to Atlantic City, N.J., Houston, Toronto, Vancouver--”I’m half Canadian, so I have to go up there and play for all my relatives”--Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Japan before finishing in November.

After she wraps up the “Out There Tonight” tour, MacLaine said she will start shooting her next movie, about the late silent film star and writer Louise Brooks and her relationship with the English critic Kenneth Tynan.