đźŽHow The West Was Lost—Or, Pure As The Driven Smog (Part 1)
Did you know I used to be an actress? And I played a newspaper boy!
It all started the other day while listening to Forties Junction on Sirius XM in the car. I heard a song I thought was by Judy Garland (I didn’t look at the screen until it was over), and I asked Gemini which movie she sang it in. Well, it wasn’t her, and it wasn’t in any movie. It was from a small theater production and only on the radio.
As we chatted about plays that never make it to the silver screen, my own memories of performing in a repertory theater in my late teens came rushing back. It was a simple showcase that lasted for about eight weeks, and it was one of the most amazing events in my lifetime. (I’ve spent a couple of days collaborating with Gemini to search for real examples of this period, and it’s been a huge help even if we couldn’t find everything. If anyone reading this happens to remember Aquarius Rising in Reseda, California, and has any snapshots, I’d love to hear from you.)
The Reseda Time Capsule
Just a few blocks from the busy intersection of Reseda and Sherman Way Boulevards, a small theater was born from a dying discotheque just off the main drag. Because it was alcohol-free, I frequented it while it was still a disco. I don’t recall how I first found it, but I’m thinking it was because of attending my first concert at Wolf and Rissmiller’s Country Club (later called Chuck Landis Country Club) to see Tanya Tucker and Glen Campbell when someone offered me a free ticket. (His girlfriend stood him up, and he knew I was too young for him to date, but it was okay with my mom to go see one of my favorite singers.)
At first, I danced until it felt like my feet would fall off, but later, my dancing moments came at the beginning and end of the night, with the middle finding me planted firmly on a barstool at the entrance having wonderful conversations with the owner’s wife in the ticket booth. Her name was Teddy Love, and she was one of the sweetest, most interesting people I’d ever met.
As the disco craze began to wane, fewer people at the ticket booth meant more time visiting with Teddy. So when her husband Jim (who worked for Burbank Studios) decided to convert the Aquarius Rising disco to the Aquarius Rising Theater, I was still very interested. I don’t recall if the magic shows were before or after the play, but I still remember their amazing feats of illusion, and the funny show that included the story of Petey the Snake. (Yes, I remember my promise to record it for you one day.)
My Big Break
Besides small plays in school—including a funny mime of being the target in a knife-throwing act and not surviving—I hadn’t done any acting. But it was definitely something I dreamed of, especially being so close to Hollywood. So when Teddy asked if I wanted to be in a play they were getting ready to showcase, I was totally on board—even though it meant I’d have to play a New York newspaper boy. And mine was the opening act for the play, “How the West Was Lost—Or, Pure as the Driven Smog.”
I studied and memorized the lines, but I had no idea how to fake an accent I’d only heard on TV and in movies. Thankfully, a true Hollywood powerhouse was about to join the cast, and she would teach me how to knock out not only the newspaper boy’s voice, but those of the other two characters I ended up playing as well. Because of her excellent guidance, and some great makeup help, audience members didn’t know I played all three roles unless they saw it in the theater program.
Stay Tuned for Part 2
Tomorrow, I’ll take you backstage to join me in my rapid-fire pace of seven costume changes in just under two hours, and I’ll introduce you to the whip-cracking castmate who gave me a no-nonsense masterclass in stage presence and voice control (even if she intimidated me at first). And you’ll love the lyrics to the song she performed in the play: Wild, Wild Mabel.
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