Scanning Wednesday

In college, I played Anne Shirley in the giant production of Anne of Green Gables, the musical. It was a huge coup for me, getting the part, I had to work my ass off, and the show ended up going on to compete in the regional Kennedy Center ACTF (American College Theatre Festival) which was one of the most exciting experiences of my life. The next year, I played a chorus girl in Edwin Drood (and I had no lines) and I almost had more fun with that, because the pressure of being the STAR was off – but there was nothing quite like being “Anne”.

The great thing about our college was that we cast from “outside” as well – local actors who were adults – and these were not Catherine O’Hara and Fred Ward in Waiting for Guffman – many of them had acted at Trinity, or in the well-respected second-tier theatres – fantastic actors – so we rarely had 21 year old students putting on wrinkle makeup and grey hair to play the old person… we had the real deal. So we the students usually played our own ages, and then the cast was filled with authentic people who were right for their parts. Makes a huge difference in the feel of the show.

The guy who played Matthew – Chris Brayton – was just a fantastic man, in his late 40s, probably – with a long Amish-type beard, and a gorgeous baritone voice. You just melted when you heard it. And Matthew is a hard part – he stutters, stammers, has no social graces, yet if you don’t believe that he falls in LOVE with that talkative 12 year old orphan – the entire thing won’t work. He nailed it.

At the end of the play, Anne has had some triumph – maybe academic, the details escape me – and she is wearing the dress with the puffed sleeves that Matthew went and got for her, against Marilla’s wishes. Anne is all hyped up in her excitement, and Matthew is quietly proud of her – and at the end of the scene, she sits at his feet – and he sings the heartbreaking simple song “Words” – basically how he “can’t find the words” to say what is in his heart.

Not a dry eye in the house, peeps. I’m just sayin’. Especially if you are already familiar with Anne and know about what happens to Matthew.

Here’s a photo of him singing “Words”. I just think it’s a beautiful photo – look at his face. It looks like Lincoln or something. And the way the light is hitting it …

I would be sitting there, all happy and proud of my Anne triumph, and I would hear the sniffles start to come from the audience, and – in one case – great heaving sobs.

It was awesome!

Cry, bitches, cry!!