The most shocking jolt I’ve ever experienced at an onstage performance came in the 1980s at the Ukiah Playhouse.
Daughter Emily and I were happily engrossed in ‘Oliver Twist,’ a kid-friendly play with plenty of sympathetic characters along with more than enough thugs, bullies and mean purveyors of Dirty Deeds, Done Dirt Cheap. The worst of the nasties was Bill Sykes, a dark-hearted brute of such low breeding not even Charles Dickens could find a redeeming quality.
Sykes brought harsh terror into every room he entered, and most of the rooms were filled with children. Nice, innocent kids no different in age or sentiment than those in the audience, including of course dear daughter Emily. It was a perfect setup, and the Ukiah Players executed it perfectly.
Halfway through the evening, the crowd had finally been granted relief from Bill Sykes’ scowls and threats. He’d at long last stomped offstage amid snarls, growls, glares and waving fists, but promised to return and bring a heavy dose of mayhem when he did.
Whew! Nothing made the playhouse theater kinder, gentler, lighter and safer than Bill Sykes departing it, hopefully forever. The play resumed, the kids regrouped, the plot grew a shade more intricate.
The children in ‘Oliver Twist’ are a balanced blend of rough teens and naive youngsters; their plight draws us in, we empathize with their misfortunes and we yearn for the better world they deserve.
They knew the adult tormentors would grant no relief, and sought ways to evade their ruthless tyrants. Especially, they whispered, Bill Sykes.
“DEFY ME WILL YOU!?!” came a roaring bellow just inches, it seemed, from Emily and my ears, as if Bill Sykes had grabbed us by the collars and shouted a threat heard through all of Ukiah. My heart seized and froze, Emily’s eyes popped open big as quarters, we both gasped, looked straight up, and…
… and Bill Sykes Himself! He was standing no more than 10 feet above us! Nearly invisible in the lightless theater, he stomped toward the stage on a narrow metal catwalk suspended from the playhouse ceiling. Timbers shook, the dial hit 11 on the audience Shock-O-Meter, and I was grateful not to have wet myself.
Bill Sykes was a moving mountain of terror. His heavy boots pounded through the building. Young audience voices shrieked as he approached and loomed above the stage.
Whatever else I remember from that play I’ve long forgotten.
Sheridan Malone played Bill Sykes that night and for him to utterly inhabit and bring to dreadful life such a creature is a huge tribute to his talents. I’ve seen a number of New York productions, and Angela Lansbury could have been a potted plant in Sweeney Todd; whoever played Hamlet on Broadway left no impression.
Next time I saw Sheridan he was behind the counter at the auto parts store, an affable, friendly and helpful fellow utterly out of synch with his ‘Oliver Twist’ onstage transformation. Which makes me wonder what room in the house wife Linda kept Sheridan during the weeks he lived the Bill Sykes role.
Years later, at an early spring pickup softball game played on the diamond behind juvenile hall, we jogged to position, ready for Play Ball! But before the first pitch Sheridan Malone took command. He stood on home plate and unleashed a powerful performance of the National Anthem.
Malone’s voice is a surprisingly supple instrument, giving it the strength to project all the way into Deerwood Estates, far across the freeway and perhaps into Lake County. Hope they liked the “rockets red glare” part.
The singing that bellowed so effectively in ‘Oliver Twist,’ and cascaded across the valley on the National Anthem, could also go soft and lilting. One morning at the Ukiah Farmer’s Market I heard a voice like suede and velvet accompanied by a strumming guitar.
I looked about and saw Sheridan Malone crooning and caressing some wonderful old country songs in complete fealty to their beloved owners, authors and ancestors: Hank Williams (Sr., of course), George Jones, Sons of the Pioneers, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Merle Haggard. Sheridan Malone is a citywide treasure.
Months after seeing ‘Oliver Twist’ I spotted Sheridan in downtown Ukiah, and I told my daughter I wanted to introduce them. We took a few steps forward and I mentioned this was the man who played Bill Sykes at the playhouse; we then took a few steps backward.
Emily was silent, wide-eyed and ashen. I picked her up to level out the height disparity, told Sheridan about our prior encounter, and he smiled and quietly apologized for any lingering animosity.
It must have been difficult for Emily to reconcile the two beings: the harsh and terrifying Bill Sykes with the gentle and soft-spoken Sheridan Malone.
When I see her next, I’ll ask if she’s still vaguely rattled, because I’m sure she still remembers.
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