Martin Short Already Has A Replacement Lined Up If He Ever Needs A New Steve Martin
Sadly, and much like the rest of us non-comedy-legends, Martin Short isn’t going to let a little grief ruin his racket.
When Martin and Short signed on to star in the 1986 Only Murders in the Building and their stage show that they turned into the 2018 Netflix special Steve Martin and Martin Short: An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life.
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Well, should the rest of Martin’s life not last as long as his partner’s, Short has a backup plan in case he needs a new top billing. The Hollywood Reporter recently asked Short what he would do if Martin ed away while Short was still alive and working, and his quick answer betrayed preparation. Said Short, “Oh, I’d phone Billy Crystal.”
Short’s interviewer asked the question about a possible postmortem replacement for Martin after pointing out that, in the recently released Steve! (Martin) A Documentary in 2 Pieces, the not-dead-yet comedy great itted he would retire the Martin and Short stage show and “probably would not perform again” if Short ed away first. However, Short has a much more “the show must go on” approach to their collaboration — so much so that he has an emergency partner already prepared behind breakable glass.
“In the show, we do each other’s eulogies,” Short said of Martin and their shared stage show. “And there was one joke I did about Steve: ‘I miss you so much, although Billy’s been looking so great in rehearsal.’”
Short’s choice of a post-Martin pairing may not be the most practical — at 76 years old, Crystal is just three years younger than Short’s current and possibly not final collaborator — but it’s easy to imagine a “Crystal and Short” tour selling out all the same theaters as the current duo, especially if Short adds the phrase “Steve Martin Memorial Show” to the marquee.
Ultimately, when either one of the Martin and Short power couple becomes the first of the two to on, it will be a tragic day for comedy — but the other partner’s eulogy will absolutely kill.
