Famous and Infamous

berkleybeals
Originally uploaded by dangunderman.

Times theater critic Christopher Isherwood takes an enormous bite of humble pie and admits that he was perhaps unfair to Elizabeth Berkley. About a year ago, she called him to complain, not because the play she was in got panned by him, but because in another small print item, he referred to her as the star of "Showgirls."

Elizabeth was, of course, the star of that notoriously bad film, but he admitted that she was correct in suggesting that to refer to her solely as the star of "Showgirls" was damaging to her career, one she has painstakingly attempted to put back together. After all, good actors are often in bad movies. I doubt, for example, that Dustin Hoffman's epitaph will refer to him the star of "Ishtar." But while Dustin's clunker came after he'd had a chance to establish himself, Elizabeth's was a first film. Bad luck. And we may never know if she's got real talent, largely perhaps due to the constant reminder in the press of that first turd.

Isherwood goes on to say that her performance in the revival of Hurly Burly is great, made even greater when put up against the other powerhouse performances in David Rabe's play.

I admire Christopher calling himself to task, something few critics are willing or able to do. And I admire Elizabeth's chutzpah in getting on the horn to a critic to register her complaint.

But I hope it's OK with Elizabeth if I continue to refer to her as "the woman who once watched me make out with Jennifer Beals."