Tea At Five At Seven

Saw the one-woman show, "Tea At Five" at the Pasadena Playhouse tonight. It stars Kate Mulgrew, Captain Kathryn Janeway on Star Trek: Voyager, as Katharine Hepburn.

It's a delightful show with Hepburn as a young woman in September of 1938 in Act I and as an older woman in February 1983 in Act II.

Mulgrew's Hepburn as a younger woman is spot-on in Act I -- she's got the voice, the hand to the chin and the leggy poses down pat. Unfortunately, her "older" Hepburn was a little too cartoonish for me -- the Parkinson-driven mouth movements were a little too large and drew laughter from the audience. I don't think it was intended to be funny.

But it was fascinating to learn about her movie career, relationship with Spencer Tracy, disappointment at not being cast as Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone With the Wind" as well as darker issues such as her adored brother's suicide at age 15.

I'd recommend you go see the show except tonight's performance was the last at the Pasadena Playhouse.

Bumped into Sue Glad at the Playhouse. I worked with her in 1981-82 on the Deukmejian for Governor campaign. She was the scheduler and official office Den Mother. She followed Deukmejian to Sacramento and was his first scheduler as Governor. I normally see her every year at the Wheelspinner's Party at Christmastime -- so it was a pleasant surprise to see her a couple of months early.