ANITA HERMAN

HERMAN--Anita.

Anita Herman, a singer who performed in many popular Broadway shows in the 1950's and 60's, died peacefully at her home in Lantana, Florida on May 15, 2016. She was 92. Anita was born in 1924 in Brooklyn and raised in the Bronx. Her father, Alexander Alpert, owned a yarn importing business and was a respected oil painter. Although she showed early talent as a singer and artist, Anita did not actively devote herself to singing until after her marriage. Anita made her debut as a mezzo-soprano at Carnegie Hall in 1948 under the stage name Anita Alpert, and first sang in the chorus at the City Center and the Metropolitan Opera. She sang for many years on Broadway, including the 1959 production of Once Upon a Mattress with Carol Burnett, where, as understudy to the Queen, she performed the role when the lead fell ill. She was the understudy for Lady Thiang in the King and I, and sang in Bajour with Chita Rivera and Herschel Bernardi in 1964. She also appeared in the 1964 revival of The King and I, and in the 1965 revival of Kismet at Lincoln Center's New York State Theater, where she performed the role of Zubedya. After moving to Long Island, Anita sang at the Jones Beach Marine Theatre with Guy Lombardo and his orchestra in the 1956-57 production of Show Boat, where she was the understudy for Julie, and in the Song of Norway in 1958. In addition to her work on the stage, she formed a folk singing duo, Allan & Arden, with her friend and neighbor, Sherry Arden, the President of William Morrow & Company. Anita married Samuel Herman in 1946. They moved to Merrick, Long Island in 1953, where they raised two children. Anita relished her role as glamorous entertainer, throwing lavish parties and cooking international food not yet familiar in suburban Long Island. Through her singing on Holland America cruise ships, they were able to travel extensively. Their most memorable cruise was to Cuba during Castro's revolution, where they shared a hotel with machine gun carrying revolutionaries. After her singing career, Anita attended Fordham College and graduated summa cam laude at the age of 56. She worked as an intern for the McNeill Lehrer Report, and then worked for several years as a paralegal for the firm of Squadron Ellenoff. She was active in her community, and volunteered for many years with Recordings for the Blind. Anita is survived by her daughter, Beth Herman, and a grandchild, Anna Kazan. She was predeceased by her sister Selma, her husband, and their younger daughter, Deanne.