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by
Ann Hall
 When
he saw Jeffrey Hyatt portraying Henry David Thoreau a year
ago last September at the Concord Center for the Performing
Arts, actor Stephen Collins knew he wanted to do a one-man
show of his own.
"I
thought, I'm from Concord, he's doing Thoreau, so it would
make sense for me to do Emerson," Collins said.
After
spending three months delving into Ralph Waldo Emerson’s life,
however, Collins changed his mind. "Although he was a wonderful
figure, he was staid and close to the vest," Collins said. "I
wasn’t sure I could translate him into something I could do
for 90 minutes on stage."
Instead,
Collins took a suggestion from a client in his massage therapy
business and turned to poet Walt Whitman. It was a perfect
match
Collins
loved the dramatic nature of Whitman’s writtings, which include
a well-known collection of verses, "Leaves of Grass." And at
6 feet 4 inches tall, Collins also bears a physical resemblance
to the dynamic poet.
He
teamed up with Michael Keamy, a Whitman aficionado who had
recently directed him in a play, to create "An Evening With
Walt Whitman." The 80-minute performance features samplings
of Whitman’s poetry and selections from a multivolume set of
interviews with Whitman.
Collins
will perform the show Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m.’ and at
3 p.m. next Sunday at the Hancock Church on Lexington’s Battle
Green.
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Stephen Collins of Concord will be pertorming
his one-man show, "An Evening With Walt Whitman," next weekend
at the Hancock Church In Lexington. |
The
Rev. Rebecca Green of Hancock Church designed her service
today around Whitman, with Collins taking part. Collins’ wife,
Patricia, directs a dance program at the church.
Collins
also will be staging an altered version of the on Jan. 28
at a retirement home in Lexington, and hopes eventually to
bring it to area schools.
"The
44-year-old has been performing Shakespeare and other roles
in Boston-area theaters for 25 years, and teaches a Shakespeare
acting class with the Concord Youth Theater.He is also well-known
as a massage therapist who works at senior centers in Andover,
Bedford, Concord and Lexington.
Tickets
for "An Evening With Walt Whitman" will be available at the
door for $10, with a special $5 rate for students and seniors.
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