There are three times as many leaves now. Yikes.
I wanted to speak about Maggie Smith. She was and will always be my favorite actress. I first saw her in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, which came out in 1969. With that performance, she became my ideal. Years later, in 1980, I saw her onstage at the Stratford Festival in Canada. Those were the years when Robin Phillips was the artistic director and Maggie was there for at leasts 3, maybe 4, seasons. I saw her in 1980, when she played opposite the late, great Brian Bedford in Much Ado About Nothing. She took my breath away. She was brilliant, with perfect comic timing, great wit and style, yet she was able to convey great longing and heartbreak. I was particularly fascinated by her elegant hands and the way she used them onstage. She could say more with a flick of her fingers than most actors could say with a slew of words. I couldn’t take my eyes off them. Or her. I was a young actress in my twenties and that performance had such an impact on me. I have treasured the memory of it for years.
To me, there is simply no one better. She is irreplaceable. Rest in Peace, Maggie.
To so many people she is known for the Harry Potter movies and Downton Abbey. But, as a very young actress she worked with Laurence Olivier in his acting company. She played Desdemona to his Othello. Her resume consists of so much more than those movies. There’s a photo going around online of Alan Rickman, Maggie, and Michael Gambon from Harry Potter. They’re all gone now. I realized that I have been blessed to see all three of them onstage, to hear their voices, to watch them work in the moment. Brilliant actors, all. I saw Alan Rickman in Tango at the End of Winter at the Edinburgh Festival. I saw Michael Gambon in London in The Caretaker. And I saw Maggie doing Shakespeare in Canada. I’m deeply grateful to have seen them onstage, to have felt their energy, and I miss them.
Last night, Don had a gig, so I watched Tea with the Dames on Amazon Prime. I’ve seen it before but it was even better the second time. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s an extended conversation between Joan Plowright, Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, and Eileen Atkins. They’ve all been made Dames for their work in the theater. Four incredible actresses swapping stories, sharing their experiences onstage and in movies, laughing uproariously, and talking about aging. It’s simply wonderful. They’re all friends, but Judi and Maggie were especially close – a 60 year friendship. This must be a profound loss for Dame Judi.
And – my father’s birthday is today. Happy Birthday, Dad. I miss you.
Stay safe.
Happy Saturday.
Good morning Claudia. My favorite actress as well. How lovely you had the opportunity to see all these incredible actors. Thanks for sharing your memories! And thanks for the recommendation of Tea With The Dames. Hope Don had a great night.
Have a beautiful fall day. Verna
You, too, Verna!
Stay safe.
what a loss for her family, friends and fans … condolences to all. maggie smith sure does deserve the title of legend. glad you were able to see her perform, claudia.
hope don’s gig and your coaching went/go well and you don’t bother to rake those leaves yet. they’ll wait and multiply!
i stayed up late reading the last “vanderbeekers” book (halfway through and am thinking the storyline might be kind of tough for young readers … but there’s lots of sweetness, too). fell asleep, was awake for a couple hours in the middle of the night, then overslept (ugh … i do not like to do that, even when i need more sleep), but most have-to things are done for the day and that’s good.
hope you, don and everyone else have a great weekend. stay safe.
kathy
ps … our libraries and a local independent bookstore are giving away some neat buttons … each with a drawing of john lewis alongside quotes about voting (the non-violent power in voting, “be hopeful … vote” and voting for our futures). nice!
The buttons are such a great idea, Kathy.
Stay safe.
Claudia, that was a very nice tribute, and sharing of your remembrances, of Maggie Smith. I mostly know her work from Downton Abbey…I loved her character and how Maggie Smith portrayed her. She will be missed, but remembered well.
Thank you, Barrie.
Stay safe.
I came to love Maggie Smith from Downton Abbey and Harry Potter. It surprises me when I see that some actor has passed and I read their age…they can’t be that old can they?! Then I realize how old I am!
It is a beautiful fall day in Michigan.
Enjoy your weekend
Thanks, Marilyn.
Stay safe.
Thank you for such an eloquent and fitting tribute. I was reading this morning how few of our National Treasures are left. I am sure there are more but people could only think of Dame Judi, Sir Ian McKellan and Alan Bennett.
One of my favourite performances was when she appeared in the Agatha Christie film ‘Evil under the Sun’.
Happy Saturday
Eileen Atkins and Joan Plowright are still alive. So is Derek Jacobi. But we’re witnessing the end of an era, that of young actors learning and working in British repertory theaters, then moving on to the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National, etc. Laurence Olivier functioned as an actor/manager for a while, but I think he might have been the last of that breed. It’s all very sad.
Stay safe, Dee Dee.
ps … happy birthday to your father.
it’s hard having to miss loved ones, isn’t it? so do something extra-nice for yourself today
xo
Thank you for sharing your memories of great performances you’ve had the privilege of seeing. I’ve never seen Maggie Smith in person. But I so enjoyed her in Downton Abbey. She is a treasure, and will be greatly missed.
The leaves… they are a crunching. Enjoy your day! ;)
They’re not crunching here because they’re wet!
Stay safe, Donnamae.
Loved reading your tribute to MIss Maggie. All the news sites headlining, “Harry Potter, Downton Abby actress has died” do her such a disservice.
Take care,
Kay
They really do. There was so much more to her career than that! So much more.
Stay safe, Kay.
Remember the beautiful song “Jean” from The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie?” It was and is still beautiful. I googled to find out who sang it Rod McKuken… I am going back to see who wrote it.
Take Care,
Kaye
I think Rod McKuen wrote the words and Oliver sang it, Kaye.
It was a beautiful song!
Thanks for reminding me of it.
Stay safe.
You are correct. Rod apparently sang it at the Academy Awards. It was nominated for best song. Oliver! Thanks for reminding me of him. I guess I have more to google.
Take Care,
Kaye
I wonder what happened to Oliver?
xo
Thanks for the comments on Maggie Smith. Your experience is always interesting.
Thanks, Kay.
Stay safe.
Sorry, I didn’t know the actress well enough. Know her face though. It was my dad’s birthday on the 29th – he’s 87! Doing well but missing mom these days. He showed around my sketch I did of Mom (well, not mom really) as a little girl in the rain. Mom loved the rain so much, as it reminded her of Holland. I also did a watercolor of a butterfly that Dad loves. He’s so kind. My work isn’t really great but I think I’m improving. Painting takes me to another place.
I saw a monarch about the same time you did. They are beautiful. Also had a hummingird coming around for a while. It’s been a rather long summer and I have my garden to bring in. We have a ton of wasps so I’d really like a frost so I can work outside.
You are a pleasure to read and your old house house is sweet!
Oh, thank you so much, Irene.
Stay safe.