The posthumous release of Remember How I Love You: Love Letters from an Extraordinary Marriage, Jerry and Elaine Orbach's autobiographical memoir recounting their thirty year marriage, was celebrated at a once-in-a-lifetime reunion of the couple's colleagues and friends at The Snapple Theater Center on Monday, November 9, 2009 at 5:30 PM. Each morning before leaving their Hell's Kitchen apartment to report to the set of Law & Order, Jerry wrote Elaine a short poem for her to find upon waking. The poems were humorous, sweet and topical, focusing on the couple's morning rituals, their daily routine - whatever was on Jerry's mind. Combined, they tell the story of a marriage full of life and love.
Elaine stored the poems in a soup tureen given to them by David Merrick and upon Jerry's death in 2004 began gathering her favorites into the collection that would eventually become Remember How I Love You. Elaine herself passed away unexpectedly on April 1, 2009 just as the book was completed.
At the event, a number of Jerry and Elaine's colleagues and friends read selections from the book including Alan Alda, Richard Belzer, Kelly Bishop, Lorraine Bracco, Jesse L. Martin, Regis Philbin, Chita Rivera and Anita Gillette. In addition, copies of the book signed by the participating celebrities will be sold with all proceeds benefit Bideawee and The Eye-Bank for Sight Restoration, Jerry and Elaine's favorite charities.
The Snapple Theater Center is a multi-theater entertainment complex located on the corner of 50th Street and Broadway in the heart of Times Square, New York City. The complex opened on May 22, 2006 and is sponsored by the beverage company Snapple. It is a 20,000-square-foot, state of the art entertainment center consisting of two theaters with a total seating capacity of 398, rehearsal studios, contemporary lobbies, WiFi, two bars with cabaret-style seating and two merchandise booths. The Jerry Orbach Theater currently houses The Fantasticks, the world's longest-running musical. The theater was so-named to commemorate Orbach's starring role in the original 1960 cast of The Fantasticks. An as-yet-unnamed theater houses Perfect Crime, the longest-running play in the history of New York theater. The Snapple Theater Center is part of Snapple's ongoing commitment to enriching the lives of New York residents and the millions of visitors who flock to the city each year.
In December 2006, with permission from his wife, Elaine Cancilla-Orbach, The Eye-Bank launched a hugely successful public awareness campaign featuring beloved actor Jerry Orbach which shared the fact that his own generous eye donation provided the gift of sight to two fellow New Yorkers. The ads read, "Jerry Orbach gave his heart and soul to acting and the gift of sight to two New Yorkers." The multi-media campaign included subway cars, newspapers, radio and television and ran periodically through 2008.
