Well talk about being happy to be writing a regular column again! I wrote a theater column and reviews for The Outlook in Santa Monica for 12 years until its unfortunate demise (I swear it wasn’t my fault). And have delightfully written for many other publications. I’m one of the cursed, incomplete in life without writing.
Since I have such a heavy helping of theater in my life, I’m going to mention the arts and the people creating them in this column. Hope you don’t mind. I’ll be sure to cover other events and outings and issues and whatever else comes up, but theater is my weakness and my best connection to all things Orange County. There are a lot of great productions and offerings and people behind the Orange Curtain. Also too many tract houses, but that’s another column.
And that leads me to my other weakness — finding things that drive me crazy, the things that make me say, “What’s the MATTER with people?” So feel free to send me anything that fits that bill and I’ll take it from there.
My first official Senior Life outing took me to, big surprise, the theater. After a week of recovering from oral surgery, I was glad to get out. And there’s nowhere nicer than a gorgeous, breezy Sunday in Laguna, with brunch overlooking the ocean at Las Brisas and a show at Laguna Playhouse. Been there many times over the years as a reviewer, as well as the Pageant of the Masters, etc., but I had never talked to people working or volunteering there. The theme of teaching and learning was in the air with the current production of the touching Tuesdays with Morrie.
First I talked to 85-year-old Ruth Zucker, a volunteer usher who has been doing that job for four years at Laguna and 12 years at South Coast Repertory. “It’s a great way for me to see the theater — since I’m too cheap to buy tickets,” whispered the retired schoolteacher of 38 years. She lives in Leisure World and says they have quite a time there. “My neighbor just had his 90th birthday and we never sat down because we were dancing all night long!” Well, watch out for those all night parties in LW. And how does Zucker get around? “Mostly by bus, but today a friend drove me. Next time I’ll drive.” See you there, Ruth.
And I talked with Jack Axelrod who plays another teacher, former college professor Morrie Schwartz in Tuesdays with Morrie. In the play, Morrie shares his views on life as he dies, so Axelrod shared a few of his with me, reflecting a bit on life after a storied career on stage and in film, TV and academia.
With his longish white hair, Axelrod, who had a quintuple bypass 18 months ago, is spry and full of life and passionate in his beliefs. And he’s happy when fans stop to tell him how wonderful his performance was. But as he sits down in the theater lobby wingchair to talk, he admits he doesn’t like dying on stage six days a week and twice on Sundays. “It’s hard,” he insists.
And you might think acting is fun, but it hasn’t exactly been so for the somewhat crusty Axelrod. His career includes six years of studying with legendary Uta Hagen (who died this past January) and her husband, Herbert Berghof, many regional theater productions, two Broadway appearances, Woody Allen’s film Bananas and even TV’s General Hospital as mob-boss Victor Jerome.
“Fun? No, I don’t ever remember acting being fun. Well maybe it was when I studied with Uta Hagen. Not all of it was fun but when it was good it was the best.”
Surprisingly, General Hospital was a kick for Axelrod, yet he feels mixed about it. “I had 2-1/2 years on General Hospital and that was a career highlight! And it was terrible. Working on that show every day was like opening night without a rehearsal. Yet they got 44 minutes on tape every single day. It was interesting and exciting to breathe life into these dead words.”
Since Axelrod has also taught acting and drama for 13 years at various schools, does he have a lot in common with his character Morrie? “Yes, but I don’t have the spirituality Morrie had. I’m much more of a realist. I think when we go, whew! That’s it - we go back to atoms and molecules. And I relate to Morrie’s efforts at being authentic. Now that word is never used in the play, but that’s what he was talking about. I relate to developing authenticity with students. I taught for one year at Boston University. If I showed you comments from students there you’d think, ‘My God, you’re Morrie Schwartz!’ My students adored me. I don’t know why, but maybe it’s because I strived for authenticity and they got that.”
And since we have a huge presidential election is around the corner, the subject was unavoidable. Axelrod is more than upset with the current state of affairs.
“Politically, I can’t stand this. I don’t love America, I love democracy. What they’ve done, I say they because I don’t think I’ve contributed to this, they’ve destroyed the true theme of what America means. So it’s very hard to be patriotic, to be happy now, when you see the destruction of Eden.” To soothe his pain he loves watching Jon Stewart on The Daily Show, which just racked up more Emmys, and is voting for Nader since he’s sure California isn’t going for Bush. “If Kusinich was running I’d vote for him.”
Yet, there’s still a flicker of optimism brewing in that talented mind. “I still am hopeful that I am going to experience ecstasy in my life, that I’ll experience rapture,” he says. Axelrod’s final thoughts: “Morrie says there is no substitute for having children. But (I say) there is no art in which you give more of yourself than theater.” And Axelrod was sure to mention he enjoys reading Senior Life.
Tuesdays with Morrie will have you weeping and laughing. Here are some of my favorite gems: “A tree’s leaves are most colorful just before it dies.”
“I am every age I’ve ever been.”
“Taking makes me feel like I’m dying. Giving makes me feel like I’m living.”
“I used to be an agnostic, now I’m not so sure.”
“If you wait ’til the end to say those famous last words, you better have great timing.”
Tuesdays with Morrie plays at Laguna Playhouse through October 10 (949) 497-ARTS.
I just love quotes. Can you recall where this one, albeit a little harsh, is from?
“Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death!” Answer next time.
Til we meet here again…