Tonight Roger and I saw our friend, Colleen Baum, perform in a production of "Happy Days" at the Sting and Honey Company. We have know Colleen since 1990 when we were all in a Christmas Carol together at Utah State University. She and I were theater majors and roommates during the time Roger and I dated and got engaged. She is a dear, dear friend and one of my all time favorite actresses. This show was mainly on her shoulders with tiny exchanges between her and her husband, played by Mark Fossen. First, I have to talk about the the line load, and to be more specific: the line load in a Beckett play. Sooo impressed with Colleen's preparation and her concentration. And to add to the difficulty of memorizing, the blocking is mostly made up of business because her character of Winnie is stuck inside a rock the whole show. Often actors rely on spacial cues to help them remember what comes next in the dialogue. But, when you are stuck in once place...wow Colleen!
Colleen worked with director, Javen Tanner. He has a knack for directing Beckett and Chekhov. He gets the rhythm, he gets the humor and he casts actors like Colleen who can handle the material. And ultimately I think that is what made this night of theater so special. Colleen has that unteachable quality that just IS Colleen. She is able to captivate and engage an audience with just a glance. And her transitions! She seamlessly flows from drama to comedy back to drama. She had us in the palm of her hand. I am so happy that I got to see her in this play. It was one of those roles that fit her like a glove. An inspiring night of theater to be sure.
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