Wednesday, January 21, 1998

Barbara returns with rave reviews

By DREW MURPHY
NEWS-JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

DAYTONA BEACH — Barbara Bradshaw was walking along Daytona Beach's Boardwalk one day last summer with her two young sons when she heard a friendly voice calling from behind her.

"Hey, girlfriend."

It was longtime theater friend Donna Drake. With her were two colleagues -- Nona Lloyd and Susan Russell. All three have long been associated with Seaside Music Theater.

What happened next is a good example of how luck and having connections can combine for an important addition to an actor's resume.

Nona told Barbara that Seaside Music Theater was planning a winter production of Lillian Hellman's "The Little Foxes," and there might be a part in it for Barbara.

She eventually read for SMT's general manager, Lester Malizia. The result: She is making a triumphant Daytona Beach homecoming as Birdie in "The Little Foxes." A review of her performance described her performance as "exquisite," "committed" and "multilayered."

Barbara's only regret is that her late mother, Elisabeth Bradshaw, wasn't there to enjoy the opening night applause and standing ovation.

As many of us old-timers recall, Elisabeth was very active at the Daytona Playhouse during the 1960s when the theater was called the Daytona Beach Little Theater. Working closely with director Bryant Simms, she acted, painted scenery, sewed costumes and helped with publicity.

And she watched with pride as daughter Barbara made her stage debut at the age of 9 in a production of "Anniversary Waltz."

Fast forward: Barbara, a Seabreeze High School graduate, continues to heed the call of the theater. Among her credits are 15 seasons (more than 45 productions) at the Caldwell Theater in Boca Raton; 14 summers at the Flat Rock Playhouse in North Carolina, and 17 nominations for the Carbonell Award given by the South Florida Critics Association. She won three Carbonells as Best Actress.

After appearing in the role of Ima in a Westwood Playhouse production of ``The Immigrant'' in Los Angeles, she won a Best Actress award in 1992.

In 1985 she married Chip Latimer. They have two sons -- Matt, 10; and Ben, 9. Barbara describes them as "my beautiful little soccer champions."

After working for 10 years at the Caldwell Playhouse, Chip is now scenic designer/technical director at the Delray Beach Playhouse.

Barbara freelances "all over the place," with jobs coming up in Charlotte, N.C., and the Flat Rock Playhouse in North Carolina.

After working for the first time with the Seaside Music Theater troupe, Barbara said "I can't tell you how impressed I am by the company's professionalism."

She wanted to dedicate her performance to her mother, who died last spring, but that somehow failed to get into the printed program.

"But she was there opening night," Barbara said. "She started my exit applause."

Seaside Music Theater's production of "The Little Foxes" will run through Sunday at Ormond Beach Performing Arts Center, 399 N. U.S. 1, Ormond Beach. Tickets are $18/$20 for adults, $10 for children younger than 18, $12 for full-time college students. For more information, call (904) 252-6200 or (800) 854-5592.