Theater

Tom Titus

Life, as we constantly are reminded, is not fair. But it is most

equitable when compared to its grim alternative.

During the last month, I lost two very close friends to cancer. The

first was 77 and a lifelong smoker, whose passing was saddening, but not

really surprising.

The second--a vivacious 31-year-old woman who never touched tobacco

but instead ate healthy food and exercised regularly--was deeply

shocking.

Both Wil Thompson and Sheryl Singh were theater people, both well

known in the Irvine Community Theater, the troupe with which I am

involved.

And both were unique personalities, the sort you might find in the

Reader’s Digest section on “most unforgettable characters.”

Wil got into the theater late in life, at 56, and joined the troupe as

the “elderly juror” in our production of “Twelve Angry Men.” He brought

an enthusiasm and crackling sense of humor honed by sessions at

Toastmasters clubs, and within two years he’d assumed the presidency of

the Irvine Community Theater.

The job might well have been titled “President for Life,” since that’s

how long it lasted. Wil jumped in with his typical determination and

steered the group through some choppy waters, acting as point man in our

negotiations over rehearsal space and fees with City Hall.

Along the way, he trod the boards in numerous productions, playing

leading roles in “Never Too Late,” “The Oldest Living Graduate” and

“Daddy’s Dyin’, Who’s Got the Will?” He also was game for smaller parts;

his last appearance was a three-line cameo in “The Desperate Hours” two

years ago.

For the Irvine Community Theater, where there was a Wil, there was a

way. He’d be pleased to know that he drew a packed house for his recent

memorial service.

Sheryl joined our group in 1997, playing a dual role in “Plaza Suite.”

She was half East Indian, half Texan and all effervescent personality, a

vivacious chatterbox with a heart as big as her home state.

During our second show together, “Play On,” she mentioned that she

needed a new place to live in a hurry. Since my son was moving out of my

condo to move in with the lady who’s now my daughter-in-law, I offered

his old room. She lived with me for three years, and planned to move to

Denmark when she married her Danish fiance in July.

Sheryl had earned a master’s degree in dance at UC Irvine and had

performed in many local musicals. During her last three years, she

developed into a skilled character actress, playing the hippie chick

Bobbie in “Last of the Red Hot Lovers” and the spacey Brenda in “An Act

of the Imagination.”

Most recently, she danced in “Oklahoma” and choreographed the Trilogy

Playhouse’s production of “Into the Woods” earlier this year, her last

theatrical experience.

I dropped Sheryl and her fiance, Robert, off at John Wayne Airport in

May, never imagining it would be the last time I’d see her.

After a week in Denmark, she became ill and entered a hospital for

cancer treatments. She died July 10, three days after her 31st birthday

and two weeks after her hospital-bed marriage.

Wil Thompson and Sheryl Singh brought a lot of joy to a lot of people

on and off the stage. Losing them both within a month underscores the

fact that life, indeed, is anything but fair.