Julie Harris: A Premiere 'Bell' Enthralls AFT/Matrix Benefit
DRAMA-LOGUE, Nov. 17-23, 1983
By POLLY WARFIELD, Times Staff Writer
Joseph Stern talks to Ventura College students about his work as a theatrical and film producer.
Photo: Gary Phelps / Star-Free Press
"Everyone's here!" an elegantly dressed patron in the front row breathed in her escort's ear as the L.A. Stage Company West filled to near capacity. An expectant electric excitement heralded the appearance onstage of actress Julie Harris in her special one night only benefit performance (Monday, Nov. 7) for Joseph Stern's Matrix Theatre and its corollary Actors For Themselves. This was the premiere live performance of Miss Harris as Charlotte Bronte in Currer Bell, Esquire, beautifully directed by Kristoffer Tabori. The new one-woman show was written especially for Harris by William Luce whose Belle of Amherst, based on the life of Emily Dickinson, won wide acclaim for both actress and playwright.
There was a sense of privilege at being present for such an occasion, and it was borne out by the transcendent performance of Miss Harris alone onstage through the entire full-length play. The actress held her audience enthralled with changes of mood and character: irony and bitter humor, gentle railing at old Auntie's "morbid little teapot"; sensitivity to such trifles as a lapwing's feather ("for every smallest thing there is sadness"); sharpness of bravely borne heartbreak and loss (the constant "business of dying and funerals"); forlorn hopeless passion for her Belgian professor, M. Heger.
Above all, her masterpiece Jane Eyre — "the story that would become my stake in life" —and the glory of great talent ("I know that I can write gloriously!") in this amazing fragrant Bronte flowering on the bleak moors. Charlotte Bronte wrote gloriously; Julie Harris acts gloriously and lays claim to the title First Lady of the American Theatre
Matrix owner/producer Joseph Stem, appreciative recipient of the benefit, at the reception that followed presented his star with a special leather bound copy of Jane Eyre. He said later, "My feeling about that night? It was an affirmation of theatre's place in our culture, and I feel Julie Harris is the symbol of that.
"The event and its meaning is bigger than the Matrix; it reinforces what we feel about Los Angeles as a serious theatre community. The audience was made up of people who work in the industry—television, movies —all being brought back to their roots in the theatre. It was a cross section that night: soap opera actors, stars, important theatre producers like Jimmy Doolittle and Bobby Fryer, all coming together to celebrate theatre through this woman. There was a lot of resonance about that evening—people are still talking about it."
The event at $100 a ticket, Stern says, raised "more than $18,000 — pretty good for a small theatre. Even better was the generosity and cooperation. Susan Dietz gave me her theatre without hesitation; it cost her a few bucks. John Miller, an executive of the Bank of California around the corner, gave us his bank lobby for the reception afterwards. That was a costly gift. Kristoffer worked his tail off as director.
"So many others donated their time and talent, among them sound designer Jon Gottlieb, lighting designer Martin Aronstein and two artists I had never even met before—set designer Cliff Faulkner and composer Chuck Estes, who created the original music. Also, flutist Steve LaCoste. The set, converted from Cloud Nine, was dressed with pieces borrowed from Orphans, our show that just closed at the Matrix, and with Julie's own furniture, that rocking chair, for example. She brought all her own props with her, wouldn't let us pay for her wigs or their styling. There was truly a common bond throughout the whole thing, a fairytale evening from start to finish. It was as close to a pure event as anything I've ever been involved in."
And it may be just beginning. In a gracious curtain speech, Julie Harris thanked everyone for coming and urged them to support the Matrix Theatre where she said she has seen many good productions and where, best of all, she looks forward to performing some day. Some day soon, we hope.