Soap Opera Weekly,
Issue Dated 12/04/01
Article by: Tonya Lensch
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Even for those
of us who know Mary Beth Evans as Days Kayla or GH's Katherine, her multilayered
performance on ATWT as
Sierra buried her son came as a surprise. Sierra put up a brave front as
the dutiful hostess at the post funeral reception, but Evans made sure we
saw the drama broiling beneath her character's calm exterior.
Sierra was even confrontational with her mother, Lucinda, who tried to comfort
her. "These feelings are overwhelming me; I feel like I am drowning," Sierra
stammered while pulling awkwardly at her collar, her words and body language
testifying to her desperation. Evans' pained facial expressions showed Sierra
on the verge of giving in to her despair as she tried to shake it off and
switch back to hostess mode.
Lucinda didn't buy her act and called her daughter on it. "I don't want to
feel what I'm feeling, don't you understand?" Sierra cried. "I can't fall
apart. I need to be strong for Lucy," she said, wiping away tears. When Lucinda
began to mother Sierra, urging her to move back home, Sierra finally allowed
herself to find some solace in her mother's arms.
When Craig arrived, Evans switched gears again, revealing
Sierra's guilt about Bryant's death. Frosty Sierra went a
few rounds with him about Lucy, launching into mother-bear
mode. "It's always about you, Craig, and what you need,"
she whispered harshly. "This is about Bryant and Lucy."
The role-playing didn't end there, as Evans conveyed
Sierra's frustration at being pulled between the warring
factions of Lucinda and Craig. She scolded Lucinda for
lying to Craig--"Don't speak for me, mother!"--and let out
an exasperated sigh as she stormed off.
Veteran Evans (who isn't even on contract!) played it
all--grieving mother, angry ex-wife, exhausted daughter--in
one unforgettable week.
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