Joanne Wolcott was a special lady in local theater

Tom Titus

The passing of Corona del Mar actress Joanne Wolcott last weekend is

a particularly sad personal loss, for she and I were involved in a

dozen community theater productions together over the years.

Back in the late 1960s, Joanne and I took acting lessons together,

and she became a particular favorite at the Costa Mesa Civic

Playhouse. But it was our work at the Irvine Community Theater that I

remember most, starting with my first directorial project there, “You

Can’t Take It With You,” in 1972.

Joanne, who was several years older than I, was cast as Penelope

Sycamore, daughter of the play’s central figure, Martin Vanderhoff,

more familiarly known as “Grandpa.” But when the actor playing that

role quit the show two weeks before opening night, I had no choice to

play the part myself, at the tender age of 34.

It took two people an hour and a half to “age me up” with makeup,

but somehow we got through it, and Joanne always enjoyed recalling

the time when I played her father.

This wonderful lady and I worked together on many productions at

Irvine, with Joanne displaying her superb comedic talent in such

lighthearted fare as “Surprise” and “The Ninety-Day Mistress.”

Her last show was one of her best -- playing Felicity in my 1986

production of “The Shadow Box.” We had no idea at the time that this

would be one of her last appearances on stage.

Joanne suffered a stroke not long after that show closed and never

acted again. But she endeared herself to all who were fortunate

enough to work with her, particularly at cast parties and annual

meetings of our theater group.

It was on those occasions that this former schoolteacher would

offer a recap of the previous season, decked out like Johnny Carson’s

“Aunt Blabby,” and convulse her eager audiences. Her routines were

funnier than most theater productions.

Joanne gave up the theater after her stroke, but continued to

appear in the audience, usually on opening nights with her good

friends Barbara Peters, Carol Filian and Mary Benton. It really

wasn’t an opening night at Irvine without those ladies in the

audience.

They, along with her many friends in theater, will have the chance

to bid Joanne Wolcott farewell Saturday at noon when a memorial

service will be conducted at Pacific View Memorial Park in Corona del

Mar.

* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Daily Pilot. His reviews

appear Fridays.