The Royal Family, a play by Edna Ferber and George S. Kaufman at the Manhattan Theatre Club. Directed by Doug Hughes, starring Rosemary Harris, Jan Maxwell, Ana Gasteyer, Reg Rogers, Larry Pine, Kelli Barrett. We saw the 1975 revival of The Royal Family, an unforgettable experience featuring magical performances by Eva Le Gallienne as Fanny Cavendish and Rosemary Harris as her daughter Julie. So it is an indescribable and rare pleasure to see the radiant Ms. Harris ascend to the role of Fanny. And if Le Gallienne brought a unique aura, redolent of the actual period of the play, then Harris brings her own special warmth to the role based on Louisa Drew, the matriarch of the real Royal Family of Broadway, the Drew-Barrymores. Harris's role of Julie, the Ethel Barrymore part, has passed to Jan Maxwell who is wonderfully sweet and vulnerable as the hard-working and long-suffering reigning queen of the theater. As Tony Cavendish, Reg Rogers does a hilarious riff on John Barrymore's whacky Oscar Jaffe persona while John Glover brings off the John Drew stand-in, over-the-hill Herbert Dean. As faithful agent Oscar Wolfe, ailing Tony Roberts's understudy, Anthony Newfield, is excellent. Lovely Kelli Barrett makes an auspicious debut as young Gwenn Cavendish. No expense has been spared in this deluxe production. The sets by John Lee Beatty and the costumes by Catherine Zuber (my favorite is a "tea dress" worn in Act III by Julie) are spectacular. The incidental music is by no less a composer than Maury Yeston. There are many special moments in this pitch perfect revival, our favorite of which is when the actors become the audience and vice versa (or so the script goes). The moment is priceless. The play is hardly a masterwork, but it is such a pleasurable vehicle that it's been revived four times. There is no actress on the stage today more beloved than Rosemary Harris and seeing her in this entertaining valentine to acting and the theater is an opportunity not to be missed. Broadway Bridge and Tunnel Test Grade B+