Monday night I actually had a date with my hubbie.The girls went to my mothers, and we started the evening with sushi.Now I loves me some sushi,so what a great start to a memorable evening. We were off to see my bestus friend Morgana in her new show, All About Bette,a new play about Bette Davis,by L.A. playwright Camilla Carr.
Morgana is no ordinary best freind. She's the type that has thrown me exotic Deep Ellum roof top wedding AND baby showers.She's the type thats in the room when your babies are born. She spends X-mas Eve with us, and is truly a member of the family.
Morgana is no ordinary actress. She navigates live theatre, and cheesy movies of the week, both with ease,but can you imagine the look on this actresses face after saying yes to the casting call that cast her as the iconic Bette Davis,... in a one woman show? Panic, fear, trepidation even? Well my freinds, Morgana is no ordinary woman,she's got Bette Davis eyes,you see.
This is quite a performance.Certainly nothing like anything seen lately in Big D.For two hours she becomes this legend,makes us understand this woman,makes us love her.My dear freind pours her heart and soul into this once in a lifetime piece,and I got to be there opening night.
1 comment:
I am heartsick that I didn't get to see Gana in this show. To, first, see the photo in the paper under CRITIC'S PIC and then hear (not only) you; but your husband praise the show to the skies--well that is, indeed, a good recommendation. Let's be straight with one another, here: you are not always the best one for a person to go to for opinions regarding the arts, where your friends are concerned. Like a mother tiger (tigress!) are you, when it comes to your friends. I know few who love with your absolute commitment and beieve in people with your blind faith. Even I, who specialize in devotion to friends, have become cynical enough to announce it (loudly!) when a friend has created artwork that I find off base or substandard. I think we all remember each and every time that my honest opinions have cost me friendships; but my quest for honesty and truth demand that I not sugar coat those opinions. You, however, can watch a loved one doing bad work in a bad production of a bad play and see Judi Dench in A Little Night Music--magic, every time.
However, for me to get an honest, fact based opinion on something, I go to your husband, who I won't call cynical (like me) but he does see things through glasses that are not fogged by devotion. And even HE told me that ALL ABOUT BETTE is the real deal. That's enough of an endorsement for me.
The thing is (and I mentioned this to you in person a couple days ago), when you and I met, doing a play together some fifteen or so years ago, you and MM and BB were considered the actors in our little Ondine group. I was new in town and Gana was "the dancer". That is how people saw her. She was an inexperienced actress, while the rest of the sirens from our show commanded respect. I don't think people took her, really, seriously, at this point in her career. Since then, though, she has told herself 'the heck with them, I'm gonna show them that I AM to be taken seriously!' and thank God for Kyle Mc for taking her under his wing, for believing in her and for giving her a place to learn and grow all those years. He gave her the roles and the tutelage to become not a good actress but a GREAT actress. Eventually, she outgrew Kyle and moved beyond the safe boundaries of his theater and his guidance and became one of the most oft working, most well respected and (and this is the acid test in the Dallas Fort Worth entertainment community) most envied-by-other-actresses artists around town.
It surprised me not to read that Gana, cast completely against type (let's face it, she is MUCH more beautiful than Bette Davis) in a tour de force gig would be the critic's pic. I hope and pray that this piece will come in to New York. When it does, I will be here to champion our dear friend (and YES she is a great gal to have as a friend--we are, indeed, lucky to know her) as she tackles yet another big leap in her already awe-inspiring career.
I never told her this, but Gana is one of my personal heroes. I am bad at staying in touch but I have kept up with her through you since leaving Texas. She has survived a lot in her personal life, she has battled a lot of prejudice in her professional life (people are so jealous of the beautiful ones, aren't they? and they will project their own BS on them, if it makes it feel better) and she has remained a sweet, loving soul, a unique example of balancing inner and outer beauty; and a continually growing and evolving artist. It is the standard by which we should all set our bars.
Long may Morgang reign; and as far as the unsuspecting outside world goes, once ALL ABOUT BETTE is unleashed on them, my warning is this:
"Fasten Your Seatbelts!!!"
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