Ann Crumb, a one-time speech pathologist who rode the whimsical waves of musical theater to fame, once thought she needed a performance class at the Hedgerow Theater in Media.

Instead, they offered her a job on the faculty, writes friend and acquaintance Lawrence Harbison for t2online.com.

Crumb had stopped auditioning and was a law office secretary  when Harbison convinced her to start taking Equity open calls.

She ended up as Fantine in the national tour of Les Miserable.

While auditioning for a supporting role in a new Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, the composer happened to show up and cast her as the lead in Aspects of Love, playing in London.

It was a successful run, but while there, she injured her foot.

Eight months later, she opened Aspects of Love on Broadway wearing special orthopedic shows.

Off Broadway, she was Florence Foster Jenkins in Souvenir and Maria Callas in Master Class at the Media Center for Performing Arts. Her last show there was Sunset Boulevard, as Norma Desmond.

In 2017, she was diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer. Crumb was brought to her parents’ home in Media where Harbison kept vigil with friends and family. She died in 2019.

Read more at t2online.com about the life of Ann Crumb.

See Ann Crumb’s performances from two Broadway shows., Les Miserable and Sunset Boulevard.