eBook
Available on Compatible NOOK devices, the free NOOK App and in My Digital Library.
Related collections and offers
Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781467031189 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | AuthorHouse |
| Publication date: | 10/27/2011 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 108 |
| File size: | 155 KB |
Read an Excerpt
The Road to Epidauros
By Jeanne Fuchs
AuthorHouse
Copyright © 2011 Jeanne FuchsAll right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4670-3116-5
Chapter One
Act I
July 10, 1990
Frankfurt Airport: Trip started yesterday and went pretty smoothly. Check in at JFK, Lufthansa, boarding pass, no problem. Boarding by rows didn't happen; they just said, "It's ok to board." Everyone boarded (6:05 p.m.). Simple, German efficiency!
Plane a DC 10. I had an aisle seat (33C) with three next to me. Two of them empty—good. Took off at 6:55—on time. The woman to my right sprawled out on three seats! Said she has a bad back. I thought, "I'll have one too if I have to sit up all night."
Cheese, crackers & drinks were offered at 7:40, no charge. I asked for gin and mineral water (Rosebocher Urquelle Stilles Mineralwasser). Dinner at 8:00 (time chic, food mediocre): baby shrimp salad, chicken, spaghetti, zucchini salad with smoked chicken, tomato and a slice of American cheese (why?). Saved by an excellent Bordeaux (Château Maillos, 1988), then some lemon Bavarian cream with kiwi. I ate everything. Starved. No food since breakfast. (The sprawled one slept through it all.)
Listened to side one of my Ellenika (Greek) language tape. I'd been working on my Greek for about a month before departure. Not enough, but fortunately, I knew the alphabet having studied Homeric Greek in college. I hoped to be able to speak some kind of baby talk by the time the plane touched down on Greek soil.
They showed a film, Options, which I opted not to watch. I have trouble sleeping on a plane. Once in a while on the long trip I dozed off, but mainly I began thinking about Andreas. Before leaving for France in 1967, he had quite a lot of success in the States as an actor and coach. The movie for which he is best known is Mel Brooks' The Producers, in which he played Carmen Ghia, the boyfriend of the director of "Springtime for Hitler" (the play within the film). He also appeared in Brooks' The Twelve Chairs and History of the World, Part 1. On Broadway, he was in the original cast of the Archibald MacLeish/Elia Kazan JB, as well as numerous off-Broadway and summer stock productions. Perhaps, his most enduring contributions to theater and film have been as coach to some of the best-known female stars of the period, especially Jane Fonda, whom he coached in seven films, starting with A Walk on the Wild Side. They had an intense collaboration and were lovers during most of the time they worked together.
I was often with them during those years, and it has always baffled me why none of Ms Fonda's biographers (or she herself) has ever recounted how she became a member of the Actors Studio. (Patricia Bosworth in her recent bio of Fonda mentions this.) In order to gain entrance, every candidate has to audition. Andreas was already a member and so he chose the scene, coached her, and played it with her. It was from Butterfield 8; he played Steve, the Eddie Fisher part, in the scene in which Gloria, Jane, in the Elizabeth Taylor role, shows up at his apartment in a mink coat with only a slip underneath.
As a matter of fact, some friends were gathering in Jane's apartment before the audition, and, as I entered the lobby, Jane got off the elevator—mink coat and all—and whispered to me that both the elevator man and doorman looked at her approvingly in her (borrowed) mink. She said, "This is how they obviously think I should dress all the time." We laughed. She then asked if I had ten dollars I could lend her for cab fare to the Studio. I gave it to her. Other friends were already in her apartment on West 55th Street preparing some food for what we all hoped would be a triumphant return. It was. Jane became a member of the famed "Studio" that evening. We had quite a celebration. (She never remembered the $10.)
Andreas later told me that there was a thrilling, unexpected moment in the scene when Jane put her hands (fingers splayed) on her hips and the crimson fake nails that she had applied all popped off onto the floor. Both "characters" made the most of it. He felt it added immensely to the reality of the moment.
Without a doubt, Andreas' best friend in the theater and one with whom he had an unbreakable bond was Anne Bancroft. They met when she was in Two for the Seesaw and were equally involved in their chosen art and had long discussions about it. He adored her and always said she was unequalled as an actress. They did a number of scenes at the Actors Studio together, and the one they especially both loved was from My Fair Lady with Bancroft as Eliza Doolittle, Kevin McCarthy as Henry Higgins, and Andreas as Pickering.
From his days as a member of the Lincoln Center Repertory Company, Andreas had remained friends with Faye Dunaway (also an original member of that troupe). He coached her in The Thomas Crown Affair and some of her later films. Not unlike George Cukor, Andreas had a special ability to work with actresses and achieve extraordinary results while using their innate ability, his special gifts, and acute observations of human behavior. Among others whom he worked with in the States are Madeleine Sherwood, Barbara Harris, Nan Martin, and Sandra Church.
My reveries and musings were interrupted about 12:15 a.m.; the interior plane lights came on and hot cloths with some kind of herbal mixture were passed around. Lovely aroma, but at that hour?
Had apple juice and an advil. Then decaf, a multi-grain roll, fresh fruit, black forest ham and a slice of cheese (same old American). Then they showed an informational film about the Frankfurt Airport and the town. Everyone pleasant and low-key. The sprawled one moved but didn't eat breakfast. At least she wasn't dead. (That would hold us up.)
At this point gentle reader, you may be wondering how and why Andreas went to France and then ended up in Greece directing Medea at the fabled theater in Epidauros. Briefly, Lee Strasberg sent him there, or rather had him invited there. Strasberg had taught a number of master classes in Paris and left his audience clamoring for more. He couldn't remain so he sent one of his disciples, Andreas, to carry on. The result was a coaching and teaching career that continued in a new place and to great acclaim. Andreas opened an atelier there, Le Théâtre des Cinquante, and taught, coached, and directed some of France's brightest stars. (Fanny Ardant as Miss Julie is one example.)
Jules Dassin cast him as the director of Medea in the film with Melina Mercouri and Ellen Burstyn, A Dream of Passion, after which Mercouri invited him to come to Greece to direct and teach. So when I arrived in Greece, Andreas was celebrated in his own right and being with him was a bit like being in a Fellini movie. By 1990, between his work in France and Greece, he had directed seventy-five plays. His adored mentor, Lee Strasberg, had done him a great service indeed.
We started our descent—slow and easy—the clouds looked dirty, dull grey. Landed at 1:40 a.m. (NY time) ... 7:40 a.m local. All very green outside. What an airport! Makes JFK look like a blown down barn. Modern, huge (it has three wings). Lots of shops, duty-free everything. You could buy a Mercedes, or some smoked salmon from Harrod's, or a set of Louis Vuitton luggage—just name it. I changed $20 and got 32 Deutche marks. Bought a postcard (1 DM, stamp 1.5 DM), got a mineral water (3 DM), the pad I'm writing on and its twin (5 DM). On the way home, I'll buy some tea at Harrod's.
Tired, went to gate. Wish I could sleep somewhere. Boarding at 10:20 for Thessalonike. Lots of Greek-Americans who have obviously "made it" in the States waiting to board. Some rude and creepy; a particularly obnoxious one has three sons all in a row—replicas of him. Poor kids!
Bagged lunches distributed at the gate. Took off and landed in Munich. For some reason we all had to get off the plane, colossal uprooting. Fortunately, a sweet little German girl, Katerina, sat next to me and was busy drawing pictures. I signaled her to draw one for me, and she drew one that looked like a green camel walking through multi-colored rain. She made the time pass quickly: we couldn't converse but we did communicate. So tired I couldn't eat the lunch.
Arrived in Thessalonike on time and Andreas was at the airport to pick me up and drive me to the City Hotel, which is where he usually stays, but this time he has an apartment somewhere. The room is clean, neat, and air conditioned: twin beds, a desk and chairs, and a small table. Everything is white except the furniture. There's one of those odd bathrooms (so common in Europe) with no shower curtain and a hand-held shower head on a long cord: multi-purpose, I guess. But then, there's always the air conditioning for real comfort! He and I talked for about an hour. Our conversation alternated between smooth and stilted, past and present, and, as so often happens between old friends who have a lot to say to one another after a long absence, some silences. I ordered some water. The maid who brought it (an older woman) complained to Andreas that nobody wants to clean anymore! "Everybody has diplomas!"
After those profound words, we made plans for the evening. He left. I unpacked, took a shower (with some difficulty), cleaned my face and teeth and went to bed. As I started to fall asleep, I thought about all the years I had known Andreas and how much I loved him. We were roommates in New York when I was a student at the School of American Ballet, and he was in Lee Strasberg's private classes. Only later and after several auditions did he become a member of the Actors Studio.
Andreas and I were fellow artists and never lovers. Although he has always been bisexual—he had been married and has a son—we decided early on that we wanted to stay friends, so we didn't clutter up our relationship with sex. It worked. That is not to say that he wasn't both curious and critical of the men I dated. He often asked direct questions regarding the size of their penis! I'd usually be evasive (even if I knew) or just lie so that he would be either satisfied or scandalized.
He fussed over me and cared for how I looked: how I dressed, and how my make-up was applied. He insisted on simplicity for me even though he was often extravagant in what he "prescribed" for actress friends.
I must have fallen asleep because I woke up at 8:00 p.m. I dressed and went down to the desk to ask for a taxi to the Dassos Theater. The clerk told me that a friend was waiting for me in the coffee shop. It was Andreas M., an actor in whose apartment I had stayed in Athens in '89 on my first trip to Greece. He was with his girlfriend, Sandra, who plays one of the policewomen on Miami Vice. She was lovely and beautifully dressed. A.M. and I kissed and hugged—what a surprise! We left for the theater. The "Dassos" turned out to be open air and stunning, surrounded by cypress trees that actually do perfume the air. The piney scent, the white marble banks of "seats," the backdrop of blue-black sky with a not quite full moon, the wrecked Argo just off center stage combined to produce a magical effect. Total theater and the Greeks then and now prevail. Andreas' dream of directing Medea has been brewing for thirty years. He has planned it carefully, so that is a major reason why he insisted that I be a witness to the realization of his dream. He didn't need to convince me; I knew it would be extraordinary.
Lydia, as Medea, looks strangely exotic in her huge wig and flowing costume. The set is just the hull of the wrecked ship and Medea lives inside it. The actors who play Jason and Creon are impressive in different ways. Jason (Nikos) is a young man with a beautiful body and a casual off-handed attitude. Although virile, he doesn't attempt a macho interpretation of the legendary hero; he plays it a bit arrogant but not a fool, though he certainly does not know what's in store for him. Creon (Tasos), handsome and proud, has the presence and look of a king while still projecting a most human quality. The rehearsal in costume flowed, and Andreas translated whole scenes for me as they were performing them. The excitement in the air is contagious. The set, blocking, costumes all meld seamlessly. Lydia seems quite on edge. She's worried about being one of the only younger actresses to play Medea. She needn't be. Andreas says a clue to understanding the murder of her children requires that she be young. He claims, "An older woman would take a nice settlement and forget it."
After rehearsal (midnight), we went to eat at Krysos Taverna five of us: Nikos, Andreas, Andreas M., Sandra and me. (I think A.V. and Nikos are lovers.) Good food—squash pancakes with skordalia, lamb kebabs, keftedes, Greek salad, white wine. They dropped me at the hotel at 2:00 a.m. Don't feel too tired; I'll probably be wiped out in the morning.
Wednesday, July 11, 1990
Woke up at 8:00 a.m. and went directly back to sleep. Andreas called at 11:00. Need to get organized. Still tired. Where am I?
Andreas M. and Sandra went shopping. I changed $100 and had a croissant sandwich and iced tea at a self-service (didn't feel exactly ready to try my Greek on a real waiter in a real restaurant). In the bank, I had talked with a young man who was studying economics in Grenoble (small world). He told me where I could find a good bookstore. I had inadvertently forgotten my copy of the play at home. I tried to get Medea in English or French—negative. There was some Euripides in Penguin, but not Medea. A skinny, nervous sales clerk told me of another book shop, Kostantinidis, on Egnatia and Platia Sintrivaniou. (He spoke English & I had a map.) He said, "It's a dusty old place, but they have everything." Walked there. Egnatia seems to be their main street. I like this place. It's European and picturesque, but also has something exotic about it—a particular Eastern character of its own. The City Hotel is one block from the Gulf of Thermaikos and within walking distance to most of the important places of interest here—museums, churches, the port.
The second bookstore didn't have Medea either, but the man said he would get it tomorrow in the morning—good—I'll go back. Had a mineral water in a brasserie, walked to Nikis, a street along the water and back to the hotel by 4:00. Hot and tired. Called A.V. and left a message; saw A.M. and Sandra and they said they'd take me to the theater between 8:00 and 8:30. Bought a bottled kafé frappé in the coffee shop of the hotel. It has caffeine in it; hope it doesn't make me jumpy. Took vitamins; must study Greek. Listened to the tape that comes with the book. It's not that good—a lot of useless phrases: "Do you have a calendar?" "I should like to accompany you." "Is this the shortest way?" Why? I need "Do you have a copy of Medea?" "Where is the closest bookstore?" And above all, "Where's the post office?" The latter key phrase will most likely be in a later lesson. (I don't trust mailboxes in the U. S., certainly not here.)
Andreas called and said to get to the "Dassos" at nine; Andreas M. called and said that A.V. said to get there at 10:00 or 10:30. I got a cab at 9:00. A.V. was in a bad mood; the technical people called a one-day strike—so no tech rehearsal. The actors rehearsed. A.V. did a lot of reworking of blocking and especially the "love scene" between Jason and Medea. Nikos, a bit off, keeps going in and out of the part. Sometimes he does it exactly as A.V. tells him to and other times with lower energy. Lydia remains riveting no matter what the others do. Nothing breaks her concentration. I always become involved with what she does; she stays "in the moment" even when she changes her delivery a dozen times. The actor who plays Aegeus (Christos), King of Athens, has a soft, understated quality, totally natural or "real" as they prefer in "the Method". His interplay with Medea, and the way in which he asks the favor he needs from her are both endearing; he doesn't realize that she's playing him like a lute. Creon has excellent stage presence and good looks, but he also keeps fading in and out of character. Everyone is thrown by the lack of the tech rehearsal and A.V.'s mood.
Stamatis, the composer, arrived in the middle of the run-through. I gave him a Dick Tracy scarf. (Warren Beatty's Dick Tracy was all the rage that year.) Stamatis loved it. I have a Dick Tracy pencil and notebook for Lydia's son. (I knew them all from my 1989 visit.)
Sandra and A.M. showed up around 11:00. Rehearsal was over by midnight and we went to a fish tavern and had eggplant (tarama), French fries, three kinds of shrimp (in red sauce with feta, in avgolemono, and cold with cucumbers and lemon), bread and 2 bottles of wine. Sandra and I talked a lot and A.V. spoke more English than usual—mostly about Marlon Brando, Warren Beatty, Stella Adler, Paul Newman, and others. The conversation became pretty lively about the various pluses and minuses of the best American actors. Brando won hands down with everyone. They appreciate that he makes no unmotivated pause or gesture. That all the Greek actors present held Brando in such high regard underscores Andreas' influence on them and their own sensitivity.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The Road to Epidauros by Jeanne Fuchs Copyright © 2011 by Jeanne Fuchs. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
PROLOGUE....................ixAct I....................1
ACT II....................51
ACT III....................80
EPILOGUE....................91
POSTSCRIPT....................93
Acknowledgements....................97