The Many
Faces of Joan Freed
Portland actress brings
her one-woman show to Art Museum
BY DEBORAH
SELDNER
JEWISH REVIEW
Joan Freed
was contentedly singing in choirs and taking
her kids to acting classes when she got bit
by the acting bug 10 years ago. Since then
she’s performed in numerous shows – mostly
musicals – at the Mittleman Jewish Community
Center, Lakewood Theater Company and
numerous other theater companies in town.
Music is definitely in Freed’s blood.
Her
grandmother was singing a song the first
time her grandfather saw her and it was a
voice and song so captivating that he felt
he must meet her.
Now,
Freed’s youngest brother Ken Gould is the
cantor at the oldest synagogue in The Hague
in Amsterdam. While in Portland for a
family reunion this year, Gould performed
“Songs My Mother Taught Me” for residents at
the Rose Schnitzer Manor.
Three
years ago, her quest for good musical roles
got her bit by another bug – the writer’s
bug.
“I
thought there were not many roles for women
in my age bracket,” Freed said. “It finally
dawned on me that I had to produce my own
material. So I started writing and
performing my own one-woman musical
comedies.”
Her
first – “Crossword Puzzle” – was performed
in 25 venues in the Portland area including
the Portland Center for the Performing Arts,
Scottish Rite Theater, McMenamin’s Kennedy
School Theater and numerous retirement
villages. That show focused on one quirky,
intellectual woman relaxing in a café with
her latte and crossword puzzle.
But
Freed said she soon decided she wanted to do
a show that was “pure comedy” and that gave
her the chance to do a lot of distinct
characters. She began by collecting songs
from obscure places, such as Fiddler on the
Roof composer Sheldon Harnick’s “The Shape
of Things to Come” with quixotic lyrics
like: “Completely round is the perfect pearl
the oyster manufactures. Completely round is
the steering wheel that leads to compound
fractures.”
Each of
the characters in her new production “was
initiated by a particular song I became
enamored with,” said Freed. The main
character in “Chocolate Confessions” is Coco
Bliss, the owner of a chocolate shop who
serves as everyone’s confidante – a
chocolate “bartender.”
“Chocolate Confessions” opened in October
2001 to a full house of about 600 people at
the Scottish Rite Theater. In February,
Freed played for three sell-out crowds at
the Lakewood Center and in April she drew
rave reviews during four performances at The
Old Church.
Now with
a 10-week run scheduled at the Portland Art
Museum, Freed is hoping people who have
heard about the show by word of mouth
finally will be able to see it.
Freed
said it’s impossible to watch a show about
chocolate without wanting to eat some, so
seating at the Art Museum will be
cabaret-style with refreshments including
chocolate available before the show and
during intermission. For a taste of
“Chocolate Confessions” visit the Web site
www.chocolateconfessions.com.
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