Unfortunately, Rose’s Turn closed a couple of years ago, and I didn’t really think about Terri White again. That is, until this week, when an article about her appeared in The New York Times.

Not just an article: a fairy tale come true.

As it turns out, Terri’s sadder-but-wiser aura was no act: she’s hit rock bottom and then some. Last year at this time, she was homeless, and now? Well, now she’s wowing the crowd in Finian’s Rainbow on Broadway and making plans for a commitment ceremony. Good times and bum times — she’s seen them all, and my dear, she’s still here.

I could say more, but it’s best to refer you to the article again (and the video that accompanies it — you have to hear Terri sing!). It’s not just a great story; it’s a very well-written story. If Terri’s tale is a testament to both human will and human kindness, then the writing of it is a shining example of both careful reporting and caring about your subject.

The daughter of traveling performers, Ms. White has been performing in musicals since she was 8, and the language of the medium infects her life narrative.

That’s just plain good. What’s more, the lesbian "angle" is both incidental and integral to the article. That’s probably the best way to handle anything gay, and it’s not easy to achieve. (And bonus: we’re talking about lesbians of a certain age! That’s, like, the polka-dot unicorn of feature topics.)

Best wishes to you, Terri. Maybe it was Rose’s Turn once, but it’s your turn now. And thank you, Susan Dominus of the NYT, for reminding us all to keep on keeping on, preferably with a song on our lips and a tambourine at our hips. There’s gold at the end of that rainbow — even a cynic like me can see it shimmering.

I’m just glad I don’t live in a trailer.

But I’d like to live in these two trailers! Ba-dum-bum.

The Young Victoria

Just the other day I was saying that I wish Emily Blunt could find some roles worthy of her talent. (I’m looking at you, Sunshine Cleaning.) And that’s why I’m already grateful for The Young Victoria.

She is stunning. And it will be so nice to hear her speak in her native tongue!

Bonus: Rachael Stirling (Nan from Tipping the Velvet) is in it, though probably not in drag. Pity. And a side note: Sarah Ferguson is the producer? Really? So meta.

Nine

No, not 9, nor District 9, but the new musical-turned-movie from Chicago director Rob Marshall.

I. Cannot. Wait! Goosebumps.

My expectations were pretty high, simply because I’ve loved her for so long, but she exceeded them. The New York Times calls her wit "brut-dry," and I think that’s perfect. It’s so dry, it leaves you thirsty for more. She’s had a remarkable life, and she sees it clearly. I hope she continues to share the view with the rest of us.

(The Times has a clip of the show here.)

Wishful Drinking includes a riff about Fisher’s recent struggle with the mean things people say online, particularly about "fat" women. I got to thinking about this after the show (while walking the dog, which is always a good setting for analyzing pop culture. And poop culture, incidentally.). It seems to me that if the camera adds 10 pounds, the stage takes off 10 pounds — or, more accurately, it turns a blind eye, emphasizing mirth over girth and preferring substance to surface.

And that means I’ve had the privilege of seeing some phenomenal women onstage — women Hollywood deems too old, too fat, too whatever. Here are some of my recent favorites:

Janet McTeer

Even theater critics can’t help but remark on McTeer’s "unfeminine" features — they use adjectives like "strapping" to describe her, which of course just makes me think of "strapping" as a verb. Followed by a preposition. Anyway, she’s simultaneously beautiful and handsome, and I’m glad we get to witness that on stage (and occasionally in Emmy-winning miniseries). Her performance in Mary Stuart was breathtaking, especially when her character (the imprisoned should-be queen) tasted freedom and rain.

Stockard Channing

Channing played the MILF to end all MILFs in Pal Joey. The show itself wasn’t that great, but Channing oozed sex and wisdom — and she hasn’t been allowed to do that on film since The Business of Strangers.

Allison Janney

Yes, Hollywood still loves Janney, but mostly as a character actress. In 9 to 5, she was the undisputed star. Not too tall, not too old, and perfectly suited (suited! get it?) to run a corporation.

Tyne Daly

Well, I haven’t actually seen this one yet, but Daly is part of the rotating cast of Nora and Delia Ephron’s Love, Loss and What I Wore. I have been in love with her since 1982, and she’s getting more and more gorgeous by the year. In Love, Loss, she plays the same character at several different ages, from girlhood on up. Yet Grey’s Anatomy could only see her as a grandmother. Bah.

Martha Plimpton

Forget The Goonies — really, forget them. Plimpton would like you to banish that movie from your mind. She’s done so much since then, and she actually outshined the luminous Stockard Channing in Pal Joey (who knew she could sing that well?!). And a couple of months before that, she played both a mannish Pope Joan and a thwarted working-class adolescent in Top Girls. And again, what did she get to play on Grey’s Anatomy? A long-suffering mom. Please.

Dianne Wiest

She’s a bit of an exception in Hollywood — her plum role on In Treatment has earned her Emmy nods and much respect. But what’s the likelihood of her playing a sensual diva in a film or on TV? That’s what she did off-Broadway, in The Seagull. Sure, she wasn’t quite as good as the Olivier-winning Kristin Scott Thomas, but she was more than equal to the material, not to mention the star quality. The word "prime" comes to mind.

Patti LuPone

Remember LuPone in Life Goes On? Her life has gone on and on — to empyreal heights in Gypsy this past summer. It was so good, I saw it three times, and I’d see it three more if I could. The word "sexy" appeared in many reviews, and she channeled a kind of power and madness that’s rarely seen in female roles on screen. It was almost scary.

There are more where those came from, and I’m looking forward to others in the new Broadway season. And of course there are a few exceptions on film and on TV — Glenn and Meryl are the obvious ones — but it would be difficult to come up with a list like this. I think Carrie Fisher would agree that the stage is the true home of real women. Hollywood prefers sex dolls.

(The Princess Leia sex doll shows up in Wishful Drinking too. Of course!)