"Firstborn" vs. "Marius" vs. me

Lisa Carlson as Sister Jackie in "Firstborn" by Tiffany Golden. Photo by Eric Chin.

A friend came to see me at the Black Rep in Berkeley a couple of years ago. The play, written and directed by Tiffany Golden, was called "Firstborn." It was about sex abuse of a child in the church. My friend really liked the play and was emotionally moved by the story. He also came to see "Marius," and he said two key things: 1.) This play did not touch him emotionally. Perhaps due to the huge difference in our mores and manners these days, he just could not relate to the "Marius" 1920s plot, nor to what the big deal was, about Fanny having slept with her boyfriend, Marius. 2.) He thought my acting was a lot better this time. I had three small roles in "Firstborn" and one meaty role, appearing in four key scenes, in "Marius" as beautiful Fanny's mother. He asked me if I have been taking acting classes.

I've been saying this for months - working with Roland David Valayre has been, for me, like taking an acting class. But, I also recognize this: in two years, I have matured a lot. My values have changed about what's important in life, and about how I live, what I tolerate. Maybe that also came across in my character, Honorine.

Lisa Carlson as Honorine and Jim Gasperini as Panisse in Marcel Pagnol's "Marius." Photo by Eric Chin.