Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Laurie Cook McIntosh Dies
Memphis says goodbye to an inspired and inspiring performer
Posted by Chris Davis on Wed, Jun 17, 2009 at 7:51 AM
Thou'lt come no
more, never, never, never, never, never!—Shakespeare's King Lear
Laurie Cook McIntosh took her final curtain call on Monday, June 15. The great actor (who was also a great fundraiser for organizations like LeBonheur Children’s Medical Hospital and Planned Parenthood) was 56 years old. She had been battling cancer for nearly 23 years.
In the make believe glitter and greasepaint world of regional theater McIntosh, a spunky red haired dynamo with a gift for understatement, had uncommon guts. She took risks, looked for challenging material and dared to be substantial. She will be remembered for her contributions to landmark local productions of Sea Marks, Two Rooms, The Laramie Project, and Book of Days, and also for her comic turns plays like The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 and You Can't Take it With You. In Third—her last play, which closed only a month ago— she drew on personal experiences to play a fragile but formidable cancer survivor putting anger and confusion behind her in order to live.
“Third has now transcended into one of those mythological, milestone, life-changing, major turning point, never-to-be-forgotten, pre-ordained, god-sent, downright holy theatre experiences,” says actor Ron Gephart, who played Third's King Lear-inspired father figure. Backstage at Circuit Playhouse he confessed to McIntosh that he found it hard to be portray a man with Alzheimer's because his dad had suffered with the condition for so long and he asked if she also found the play emotionally difficult. She told him it was “tough missing cookouts and being with the family” because of rehearsals and shows.
“Talk about the old Ostrander spirit!” Gephart marveled, name-checking the versatile character actor Jim Ostrander, the namesake for Memphis' annual theater awards. Ostrander, who died in 2002, performed in hundreds of plays and continued to perform after cancer necessitated the removal of much of his lower jaw.
McIntosh, the daughter of Memphis broadcast pioneer Fred Cook has been acting on local stages since 1959 when she appeared as a six-year-old “no-neck monster” in Front Street Theater’s production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. She even met her husband and frequent acting partner Robert McIntosh while performing in Theatre Memphis' Little Theatre production of All the King's Men.
“Memphis stages are going to be darker from now on because she won't be on them,” says Memphis character actress Jo Lynn Plamer, remembering when she met a “cute, pretty, very talented little 16 year old girl named Laurie Cook” 41 years ago when they were both cast in a production of Show Boat. Thirty years later the actresses reunited to perform in a special, award winning production of The Beauty Queen of Leenane at Theatre Memphis.
“The integrity she displayed in her performances was, of course, evident in her life,” says Anastasia Herin who directed McIntosh in Beauty Queen. “She was loving and brave and taught us how to live fearlessly in the face of death.”
A memorial will be held on June 18th from 6-8 p.m. at Memphis Funeral Home. Instead of flowers donations may be sent to Memphis Arts Council or the National Parks Foundation.
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I'd originally intended to post this personal story about Laurie in the main body of the text, but decided that it would be better to do so in the comments section. I hope others will follow suit and share.
In the cold early Spring of 1991 Something Wild, the small indie theater company I co-founded with Memphis director Sidney Lynch teamed with Jackie Nichols and Playhouse on the Square to do something truly insane. We wanted to raise awareness about ongoing troubles in the Middle East and the threat of terrorism. So we staged an unusual production of Lee Blessing's political drama "Two Rooms." Every night armed "terrorists" spouting anti-American propaganda stormed the lobby of Playhouse on the Square, kidnapped the audience and forced them onto a bus with blacked out windows, and drove them to an undisclosed location where the play took place. Like I said--- this was insane, and Laurie Cook McIntosh was on board all the way.
Our "undisclosed location" was the old Playhouse building on Overton Square. It was run down and stripped of all plumbing and electricity. And when it stormed on our freezing cold opening night the building leaked like there was no roof over us at all. The playing area became an obstacle course of buckets and backstage rain poured down one wall like a waterfall.
In spite of the cold, and the wet, and the rushing and dripping sounds of water Laurie never missed a beat. But I did. Distracted and shivering I lost my lines in my very first scene and no matter how i tried to recover, they simply wouldn't come back. So I said something like, "I don't know what else to say to you," and exited halfway through the scene.
I thought Laurie would be furious that I'd left her in such a terrible situation. But she wasn't. She continued like nothing had gone wrong, cleverly inserting bits of lost information into her lines as the play progressed. It was a lesson in focus and professionalism that I've never forgotten.
After the show she hugged my shoulders giggled and explained that we were doing a crazy thing in a crazy space under crazy conditions. Of course crazy things were going to happen.
"Two Rooms" also featured Ann Marie Hall & Tony Isbell.
Chris, thanks for this heart-warming memory. I'm sorry I hadn't moved to Memphis yet to witness you at a loss for words. I only had one glorious opportunity to act on stage with Laurie and nearly every night she came close to making me break onstage with her hysterical portrayals in 'Dearly Departed' at POTS. I still have fond memories of that show but I think I actually enjoyed being an audience member even more when Laurie was onstage. Her ability to draw me into whatever character she effortlessly created was a true gift that every actor dreams of achieving. Bravo, Laurie, Bravo!
Laurie and Bob moved next door to us several years ago. Great pickupyourmail, takecareofyourdog, comeoverforsuperbowl neighbors. Awesome talent, fun, great conversationalist. What a loss.
Laurie Cook McIntosh, though widely regarded, was, I believe one of the most underrated actors in Memphis. She wasn't flashy; she didn't have a stage persona upon which she relied over and over again; she was the most honest performer I ever saw or worked with in Memphis. You could never see the strings; what she did wasn't like acting at all. And she was a great lady, very soothing during trying runs and never one to take sides in a backstage squabble. She was the classiest person to ever grace a Memphis stage.
Although I have seen Laurie on stage, I knew her in a different role. I knew her as a fundraiser and a fantastic colleague. She was so professional and strategic. She always had time to listen - the mark of a great fundraiser - and she knew when to advise and when to be quiet. She was an amazing woman, and her loss is a great one for our city.
Laurie hired me at Le Bonheur years ago, taught me so much as a fundraiser and became a dear friend. We met for lunch last week and, while I could tell her health issues were taking a toll, I never dreamed it would be the last time I'd see her. I miss her terribly, but it's so comforting to read great stories and memories from others like the ones Chris has shared here. The joy she gave us all will continue to live on.
In the mid-80's and early 90's, I had the good fortune to share the stage with Laurie many times and called her my friend. She lives, acts, and dances in my memory with Howell Pearre and Gene Crain -- all bright lights on the Memphis stage. This is a devastating loss for Bob, her family, friends, and her community.
I first met Laurie and Bob when we were cast in a 10 minute play at the P&H. It was about people in an elevator. But, it wasn't until a couple of years later that I really got to know Laurie and Bob when I stage managed THE BEAUTY QUEENE OF LEENANE at Theatre Memphis. We ended up taking the show to competition, so we became an extended family. She was a classy, giving, loving, thoughtful, beautiful person with more guts than just about anyone I've every met. We have really lost a great person. I loved her dearly.
Still grasping the reality that Laurie is gone. What an indelible mark she has left on Memphis theatre. She always brought solidness and passion to every role. I'm pleased that Playhouse is hosting a memorial on July 13th.
I'm missing her so much...sharing meals(she made us eat yak once),playing games,exchanging books(she hooked me on a series about a time traveler and a lusty Scottish warrior),watching football,loving our dogs. Watching her perform in a play always left us with a feeing of awe as she could deliver line after line after line...we of so little acting talent and inability to remember a 5 item grocery list.
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