A world without Thomas Derrah is almost inconceivable.
From
the very first company of Robert Brustein’s A.R.T. —a where he dazzled in Goldoni and Brecht (from his impossible
hat trick in Servant of Two Masters to his raucous rendition of Kurt
Weil’s sardonic Button Song) —his
performances are indelibly etched in the memory.
When
the A.R.T. changed hands and actors, Boston’s
smaller companies profited. We saw Derrah even oftener, on small stages from
SpeakEasy to Stoneham.
He defied age. He defied type, even gender, portraying outrageous (and
touching) women with gusto and sensitivity. There was no role he couldn’t
conquer.