Where can I begin to tell you all how very proud of my daughter I am? She has studied and honed her craft well this past year and it showed last night bright and clear. The entire ensemble cast, the set and lighting design, the direction and the writing were all beyond spectacular. But my daughter, the Actor, was resplendent.
Within the span of 80 minutes or so, Kristin portrayed four vastly different characters. When we entered the theater she was seated in the audience, in full makeup and costume. Just sitting there staring off into space. She did that for 35 minutes until the play opened. Her first character was a spoiled Tidewater teenager complaining about the uncomfortable seats in the theater, and imploring those of us in attendance with her to rise up and shift in our seats so her movements and the resulting squeaking and screeching would not be so obvious.
Her second entrance was as that of a child, I would think about age 5 or 6, with a completely different voice, talking about letting go of her mother's hand as they tried to escape the flames. The child's mother had made her dress for the evening and had become exasperated trying to do the final fitting, telling the child that she would just have to grow into the dress. Kristin's last line as that character was, "Never had the chance."
Next she was an older, more refined survivor of the fire, comparing the flavors of every succulent dessert imaginable to the sweet smell of fresh air when she finally got out of the theater. And finally, another survivor who described the escape of a family of pigeons from the collapsing roof, only to watch their wings catch fire and then burn and fall at her feet.
Each character had a slightly different Tidewater dialect and tone color, dependent upon the age and education of the character. I was stunned. Last night showed me that she is right where she belongs. No matter what her future holds she will be happy on the stage and that makes this mother very proud.