Barbara Harding was midway through a Friday, May 20 performance
as Vera “The Odd Couple, Female Version,” drawing laughs as usual,
when she tripped on a rug onstage and fell hard, injuring her
arm.
A real trooper, Harding, 76, insisted on finishing the show —
and received a standing ovation from the audience at the finale.
Then she consented to go for medical attention and indeed, the arm
was broken. (All the cast piled into the emergency room.) An
understudy played the part on Saturday night, but on Sunday,
Harding appeared for the final matinee, arm in cast.
Director David Truhler said, “That was her commitment to the
other actors, the team and the audience and the love they share
amongst themselves. I couldn’t have cared less if we finished the
show, I was concerned for her. When we stopped the play the
audience stopped. When Barbara insisted on continuing, they
applauded. When the show continued they didn’t miss a beat and they
gave Barb a well-deserved standing ovation.
“As a human, I can’t create a better experience than that. Yes,
I hurt for Barb.... we all do, but she is overwhelmed at the love
she has been shown. All the other cast dropped any pretense and
rallied around her... That my friends is good “life” not just good
theater.”
Harding said she was stricken by the performing bug early. She
has a memory of singing and rocking a baby doll at age 3 or 4 while
her sister played the piano. And she remembers acting all through
school off and on. During the marriage and children (she has five)
period in her life, she stayed off the stage, but later returned to
that interest.
She has been a medical actor for CU medical school for over 20
years she says, performing as a particular sort of patient for
students to practice treating and now that Rocky Vista University,
an osteopathic medical school has opened in Parker, she has done
similar work there.
She has also played in a murder mystery at Dave and Buster’s,
she said.
She lived in Littleton for 40 years and moved to Castle Rock
about five and a half years ago. A survivor of a cancer about three
years ago, she said she had backed off from theater activities. And
then — there was an audition call by Front Range Theatre Company
for “Odd Couple. Female Version.?” and she was cast.
“It’s a classic role — ‘huh? You talkin’ to me?’”
She added “when you’re not a ditz, it’s fun to play one.” Kim
Brandon of Front Range Theatre says “She was hysterical!”
While none of her five children were stagestruck, she’s
delighted by a gung-ho granddaughter, who will play a mermaid role
in Front Range Theatre’s summer production of “Peter Pan” and is
looking forward to drama classes and productions at Rock Canyon
High School in Highlands Ranch this fall.
Harding will also keep an eye out for another suitable role, we
imagine.
