Second day of snow---went out for the second time---good news! most sidewalks on the upper west side free of snow---not the roads, so one still has to deal with snow in the shoe when one crosses the street. Still, that is getting better as well---only had one major catastrophe where my shoe and the two pairs of socks protecting me got soaked. Still a good feeling---will probably go out again at least once.
Out on the street I felt a greater sense of freedom then I had in a long time, and I thought to myself "why not go to Brooklyn, and see what is there?" Something to consider--could I make it? Still have the ostomy bag to consider, but in terms of feeling---maybe I could. Or somewhere else away from 76th street and the upper west side. Making progress medically, but feel a bit trapped in the apartment---of course, until Valentines Day, no indoor space to inhabit. So how do I negotiate this? Before I left the apartment I felt I had hit a dead end. Did not want to read any of the books I have around me, and did not want to call any friends, even though I am sure they would be happy to talk to me.
Hal Holbrook died yesterday, and I wrote on one of my facebook friend's space my own memory of his performances in the late fifties and early sixties. The memories came so easily--some about his one man show, Mark Twain Tonight, which took him from obscurity to stardom. But the real memories are of his performance as Quentin, the "hero" of Arthur Miller's autobiographical play, After the Fall. The character is on stage all the time---I had seen Jason Robards' performnce early in the run---sharp and edgy but terrific---Holbrook first alternated with him, then replaced him---Robards did not enjoy playing this man, or so he said_--and Holbrook played the role ,for most of the play's second year. Maybe Holbrook lacked some of Robards' charisma, but his straightforward and serious approach worked well for the play, plus he was strong enough to justify his being on stage all the time. For me, duing that time, the play was a kind of beacon---I identified in some way with Quentin, Miller's autobiographical character. An acting class I was in got free ticket to a Sunday evening performance in summer of 64, and then I returned to see the play during Christmas vacation of 64 and once more as the : was closing in April of 65. I was fortunate enough to always see Barbara Loden as Maggie, the character modeled after Marilyn Monroe, at each performance. She was unforgettable : she morphed from sheer admiration and love for Quentin, into a self destructive woman full of venom.
The thought just came to me: how many from that first cast are still alive today? For a moment the memory of those performances seemed so real---now I have to consider it is 57 years later. 57 years, a long time! Those actors playing twenty somethings of that generation are now in their 80's. Hard to fathom. All these performances took place while I was transitioning from Hopkins to Yale---but that is another story for a different post.
The first scene where Quentin and Maggie connect, takes place in Central Park. I can't get that scene out of my head--I just had a rush where I thought about it. Something about the contact the two characters make comes at me so strongly--I actually directed the scene at Yale in my directing class, and just had a fantasy of directing it again. Will it ever happen....?
No comments:
Post a Comment