Characters I have played

SOME OF THE CHARACTERS I HAVE PLAYED

I've played well over 100 characters through the years in theater, film, and TV.

These are just a few of my favorites.

Lily Babber

in "Mixed Doubles"

Theater West (New Orleans) 1986

A dumb blonde gun moll in spike heels,

with a Judy Holliday voice,

smoking cigars.

This role won me a WOBA

("Way Off Broadway Award")

as Best Actress.

Sonora the Outlaw

in the gender-crossing version of

"Ladies' Night"

with the Cross Creek Cowboys,

Tombstone, Arizona, 1998.

The most entertaining show our re-enactment troupe ever gave, but unfortunately not captured on video.

We all swapped roles with our spouses for this one. The guys were very "special" in drag with sunbonnets, parasols and 5 o'clock shadow. I had done an awful lot of sewing, making the king-size skirts and bonnets... My biggest acting challenge: Perspiration kept making my moustache come loose. It fell into the dust when I fell down mortally wounded, but I retrieved it and died with my whiskers on!

Elsa the Psychic

in the award-winning film

"Don't Call Me Dead"

2000

with Matt Winston (of Star Trek: Enterprise)

directed by Alon Dori

A very creepy Romanian gypsy fortune teller

with a Bela Lugosi accent.

Can you see my glued-on warts?

One on my nose, one on my cheek.

Yes, those are real turkey feet on either side of the crystals. But don't worry, no animal was harmed in the making of this film. My dad brought that wild turkey home for dinner years ago!

Brenda Simmons

in "An Act of the Imagination"

Cabrillo Playhouse 1995

Tsk, tsk. A blackmailer this time (in yellow).

I had to learn a whole speech in Welsh.

I still remember every syllable.

My dialect coach, a lovely Welsh gentleman consulting with the Celtic Languages Department at Harvard, told me my accent sounded like south Wales, rather than north Wales. Oh, well. I AM a southern girl, after all.

Gloria Gulock

in the award-winning play

"Everybody Loves Opal"

Costa Mesa Playhouse 1992

Another blonde bimbo with a heart of gold.

This play was selected as "Patrons' Favorite" but it had seemed destined for disaster. We had a nasty little earthquake during rehearsals. And during one performance our collapsing set really did! A turnbuckle came loose, things went flying, and a ceiling beam that was designed to drop part-way came all the way down, crushing a chair and barely missing an actor. My scream was real. When the dust settled, I said my next scripted line: "You see? I told you it would work!" but first I had to wait for the audience's cheers to subside. "Wow!" they told us afterward. "The special effects were terrific!"

Prairie Pete the Marauder

1998

I'm the short one.

Well, okay, here I am in drag again. This time it was just for a Hallowe'en costume contest. I must have played it well, though. I did walk the walk even if I couldn't quite talk the talk (so I kept quiet). We "guys" raised quite a few eyebrows in this rough old country bar when we danced together... And a judge told me I probably would have won the contest except for his mistake:

He entered me in the men's category.

Nancy

in "Oliver"

Stagelight Family Productions 1991

A redheaded cockney wench this time,

singing and dancing on a tavern table, blithely unaware

that my boyfriend is going to kill me in Act II.

A friend of mine met the producer of this show at a gas station and struck up a conversation, which ultimately led to my being cast. Isn't it amazing how life works?

This role is one of the most meaningful to me, for many reasons: It was my first leading role in a musical. - It was one of the few shows I did with my son Scott. - My dear friend Bil Barratt, a fabulously talented performer who has since passed away, costarred as Bill Sikes. It was the only show we ever did together. - My mother told me she was proud of me. Mom had always been proud of my academic accomplishments, but I thought she must have been disappointed when I set my Ph.D. studies aside and focused on entertainment. So this statement moved me profoundly. - My Dad passed away recently, and my stepmom says this was his favorite of all my roles, and that he played the tape often and always commented on what a good voice I had. He never said those things to me, but I am deeply touched to know.

at far right, in the poolside scene from the film

Claire Ducanny

in "Have a Nice Day"

2005

A spoiled rich 1950s gal

who is about to get what she deserves.

This dark little comedy with a wonderful ensemble cast was filmed in Palm Desert, and directed by Luigi Desole with a deliciously wicked sense of humor.

The script, the location, and the exceptional camaraderie of the very talented cast and crew all contributed to making this (my 21st film) the most fun I have ever had on a shoot.

Symphony Patron

in "Hollywood Homicide"

with Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett

2002

The entire scene ended up on the cutting room floor.

I bought the DVD so I could see the symphony scene in the "Deleted Scenes" section. But the movie was such a total bomb, there were not even any Special Features on the DVD!

Ah, well. The opportunity to gaze into Harrison Ford's indescribably luminous blue eyes was worth doing the film anyway.