RIP, Malden; 'Gamma' bunny death scene coming

I don't know if you remember his nose, but Karl Malden died this week.

He was one of the best un-star real stars that played the stage, screen and TV. He was 97.

For something like six decades, Malden brought his Method-trained acting talents to bear on powerhouse performances on screen, notably for Harold "Mitch" Mitchell in "A Streetcar Named Desire" (1951), for which he won an Oscar, and "On The Waterfront" (1954), as well as his mature cop character opposite Michael Douglas in the TV series "The Streets of San Francisco" in the 1970s.

The British Guardian wrote in its tributary obituary, "Like W.C. Fields and Jimmy Durante, Malden had one of the most celebrated non-Roman noses in cinema. But whereas those of the two former entertainers produced a comic effect — Fields' bibulous one looked as if it were stuck on like a clown's, and Durante's schnozzle was like a carnival mask — Malden's proboscis seemed to add dramatic intensity to his performances. The more impassioned he became, the more the nose seemed to go on red alert."

His death scene speech as Father Barry Corrigan in "On the Waterfront" will be hard to beat. I mean, being able to do a dominant speech against characters such as Marlon Brando, Rod Steiger, Lee J. Cobb and Eva Marie Saint in a five-minute soliloquy is something else.

But my favorite role Malden played was as the bad guy sheriff in "One-Eyed Jacks," also against Marlon Brando. The pleasure he took in breaking Brandon's hands was pure acting. I hope.

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The Acting Company and Chris Collier are readying to open "The Effects of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds," which pulls back the curtains on Friday and runs through Aug. 2 at TAC, located at 815 B St., Yuba City.

Featured in this play are Rachal Devitt as Tillie, Andrea Angrove-Kolb as Ruth, Bonnie Williams as Beatrice, Barbara McCarty as Nanny and Heather Young as Janice.

This 1964 play by Paul Zindel was made into a movie in 1972. It was directed by Paul Newman and starred his wife, Joanne Woodward.

Woodward won the 1973 best actress award for her role.

In this play, shy Matilda "Tillie" Hunsdorfer is preparing for her school science fair experiment involving marigolds raised from radioactive seeds.

But she is repeatedly stymied by her abusive mother, Beatrice, and her extroverted and unstable sister, Ruth.

As the play proceeds, the three characters' paths diverge: Tillie wins first place in the science fair; Ruth attempts to stand up to her mother but suffers a nervous collapse.

Beatrice — forced to the edge of sanity by her enmity toward others — kills Tillie's pet rabbit, Peter.

I'll be curious to see how Collier handles the bunny's death scene.

Anyway, apart from this, Tillie — who herself is very much like her project's deformed yet hardy marigolds — continues to believe that everyone is valuable.

This play, readers should note, is rated PG-13.

Shows will be at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with matinees at 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $15.

Reservations and more information can be obtained by calling 751-1100.

Award-winning journalist and author Tom Nadeau has written for and acted on stage, screen, radio and television. Write to him at theaterland@gmail.com.