Watching her climb…
Several years ago my girlfriend and I went to a production of “Hair” being put on by a Chicago theatre troupe. It was a jewelbox production, small venue, and the cast was very dedicated and very talented–most of them new, hungry professionals, or students at the Goodman, but all filled with energy and so much raw talent that the small theatre space seemed to want to explode with their triumphant song.
One actress in particular, who did not have a speaking role (or much of one), stood out. She had a presence, a way of moving on the stage, that drew the attention of both of us and we found ourselves looking forward to the bits and pieces where we saw her facial expressions, interactions, etc.
During the intermission, the company had provided a small combo to play songs of the era and some of the actors came out to dance with the audience. And that’s how I met Kate Mura - dancing with her at the intermission of Hair. That first encounter led to a long-standing friendship, and I’ve gotten to see her graduate, work and struggle in the theatre scene in Chicago, make her way through the Dell ‘Arte school, meet a wonderful man and move off to Portland, and now I read of her continuing success as she makes her dreams come true.
All of which is a roundabout introduction to tell you about her most recent success, as a version of Amanda in Coward’s “Private Lives”:
“Living up to the scintillating Gertrude Lawrence and Coward himself isn’t easy, and Integrity Productions avoids the challenge by divvying up the lead roles among multiple actors…This arrangement may be a little disorienting, but distinct aspects of each character are interestingly highlighted — especially with Amanda. Kate Mura depicts an acrobatic but intriguingly mysterious Amanda…”
I’ve got to give kudos to the director, because “acrobatic and intriguingly mysterious” fits her so well that I can right now picture her merry grin as she brings the character to life.
I won’t be able to see it, stuck as I am here in the frozen midwest. But if anyone who reads this does, please drop me a line and let me know what I missed…
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POSTED IN: Performing Artist Profiles, Theater
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