20 January 2013

considering Maurice

in 1967 Joseph Strick made a version of "Ulysses."  my memory was that it was being presentd as a gimmick: a single showing after which the film wd disappear.  I talkd my reluctant partner at the time into driving from Kent to Cleveland to see this rarity. & I immediately became smitten by Maurice Roeves -- the actor who plays Stephen Dedalus. but I also remember what happend next. Cleveland is on a lake & this was winter.  altho the weather seemd fine on the ride up during the 2 hours of the film it had begun to snow.  & bigtime.  the ride home in a small MG was long & slow & treacherous.

in the more than 45 years since that showing I've often rememberd those closeups of Roeves with his stunning hair. he's had quite the career: from Shakespeare & Tennesee Williams on stage to guest roles on popular sci-fi t-v series. & of course in the 1992 film version of "Last of the Mohicans."




so you can imagine my astonishment when the local paper ran an article abt a one-man show this weekend only at Santa Fe Playhouse ... featuring Maurice Roeves.  the playhouse is an historic spot in town. altho some professional actors have performd on its small stage it is a community theater & quite an intimate space.  I'd heard that Roeves had friends in town & had actually been to some playhouse performances but I was surprisd that this man who has been on my mind for years wd be appearing here.

this afternoon I got to the playhouse early & soon found myself chatting with the actor's wife Vanessa Rawlings-Jackson.  imagine my surprise to discover that not only do the couple live part of the year in Santa Fe but that their condo is a short walk from my house.

the play I saw is "Just a Gigolo."  Roeves plays Angelo Ravagli -- the man who was the model for Mellors in "Lady Chatterly's Lover" & who later married Freida Lawrence. for an actor to appear on stage alone for an hour & 10 minutes he must have skill & charm. I kept having flashbacks of that young actor I'd first found enchanting so long ago.  & when his character mentions Ulysses I cd feel the grin on my face.

following the performance Vanessa kindly introduced me to her husband:


1 comment:

Bill Fogle said...

Interesting and wonderful story!