Yesterday was June 19th, which is a day of some historical significance - it was the day in 1865 when the Union Army showed up in South Texas and finally informed the slave population that they were free, two years and more after the Emancipation Proclamation. As such, it rightly has great significance to African-Americans in Texas and elswhere in the U.S. who traditionally celebrate it as "Juneteenth".
June 19th also happens to be the birthday of my all-time favorite actress: Kathleen Turner. Most people probably remember her from her earlier film work in the 1980's. She was best known back then for her debut film : the very sexy and steamy neo-noir "Body Heat". Other 80's films for which she is known include: "Crimes of Passion", "Romancing the Stone", "Jewel of the Nile", "Prizzi's Honor" and "Peggy Sue Got Married".
Kathleen turned 53 yesterday, and while she is certainly not the lovely young actress from the 1980's anymore, she is still an attractive and striking woman. More important than her looks however is the fact that if anything, her skills as an actress, which were excellent in her younger days, have become even better. Once she became "too old" to be a conventional Hollywood leading lady, she reinvented herself as a stage actress (actually she has been doing stage work throughout her career). I believe that it is on the stage that she has done her best work.
Specifically, she has just finished a nationwide tour of the Edward Albee play "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf". Previous to the tour, the play was seen in New York City and London. I had the privilege of seeing the play in 2005 in New York. Ms. Turner was wonderful in the role of Martha. She and Bill Irwin, the actor who played opposite her in the role of Martha's husband George meshed their skills and their characters' personalities to create an amazing, funny, and poignant experience for the audience.
The best part was after the show, Ms. Turner and Mr. Irwin stood outside the theater's stage door signing autographs and I was fortunate enough to exchange a word or two with Kathleen as she graciously signed my copy of Playbill. Needless to say, that Playbill remains one of my prized possessions.
June 19th also happens to be the birthday of my all-time favorite actress: Kathleen Turner. Most people probably remember her from her earlier film work in the 1980's. She was best known back then for her debut film : the very sexy and steamy neo-noir "Body Heat". Other 80's films for which she is known include: "Crimes of Passion", "Romancing the Stone", "Jewel of the Nile", "Prizzi's Honor" and "Peggy Sue Got Married".
Kathleen turned 53 yesterday, and while she is certainly not the lovely young actress from the 1980's anymore, she is still an attractive and striking woman. More important than her looks however is the fact that if anything, her skills as an actress, which were excellent in her younger days, have become even better. Once she became "too old" to be a conventional Hollywood leading lady, she reinvented herself as a stage actress (actually she has been doing stage work throughout her career). I believe that it is on the stage that she has done her best work.
Specifically, she has just finished a nationwide tour of the Edward Albee play "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf". Previous to the tour, the play was seen in New York City and London. I had the privilege of seeing the play in 2005 in New York. Ms. Turner was wonderful in the role of Martha. She and Bill Irwin, the actor who played opposite her in the role of Martha's husband George meshed their skills and their characters' personalities to create an amazing, funny, and poignant experience for the audience.
The best part was after the show, Ms. Turner and Mr. Irwin stood outside the theater's stage door signing autographs and I was fortunate enough to exchange a word or two with Kathleen as she graciously signed my copy of Playbill. Needless to say, that Playbill remains one of my prized possessions.
Kathleen Turner signing autographs in New York City.
For a Wikipedia synopsis of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who
At any rate, Happy Birthday Kathleen.
There are some other things to report in my fairly boring life, but they shall have to await the next posting.
1 comment:
Yah!
A new post from Capn Bob! I learned something, and this early in the morning even.
PS: Yes, that is my brother in his decade-spanning long-hair phase. It was his hair of choice in the 90's.
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