Seniors Applaud ‘Barrymore’ Presentation

By Nancy K. Crevier

The members of the Newtown Senior Center who had the pleasure of seeing Richard Clark perform there as Mark Twain last year were eager to attend his performance as early 20th Century actor John Barrymore on Tuesday, September 27. They were not disappointed. In a witty interpretation of the charismatic yet tragic actor, Mr Clark drew the audience into the dramatization of one of Barrymore’s final rehearsals as he attempted to revive his flagging career.

As a Shakespearean actor, John Barrymore was highly regarded by his peers and fans in the 1920s, performing from New York to London to rave reviews. His penchant for drinking, however, led to his professional and personal demise.

Mr Clark kept the crowd intrigued and chuckling, weaving tales from Barrymore’s life and loves into his onstage action. In an on-going dialogue with a never seen, off-stage “Franklin,” the stage director for this rehearsal, Mr Clark, as John Barrymore, touched on the highlights and low points of this once-popular actor’s career. With Barrymore’s trademark glass of “whiskey” ever-present in his hand, Mr Clark led his character down the path of gentle swaying and clever discourse to stumbling drunk, self-deprecating banter, thus revealing the true disposition of Barrymore’s plight. 

Mr Clark is a New York theater and television professional. He has appeared in The Kennedy’s of Massachusetts, Guiding Light, As The World Turns, and Saturday Night Live. In regional theaters, Mr Clark has been seen in Inherit The Wind and One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, among many other plays.