| While gracious and giving on stage, Blase
accepted no less than the best from her fellow performers, Elborne said.
"She really lifted them up by her own performance," she said.
Blase, who started her career in New York City and moved to San Antonio
in 1959, was honored two years ago along with theater veteran John Igo by
the San Antonio Theater Coalition at its Living Legend Tribute Dinner.
At the time, playwright Sterling Houston was quoted in the Express-News
as saying the two set the "standards for the rest of us for
decades."
"As for Marianna, we chose her because of her incredible stage
presence, consistency in her work and dedication as a performer,"
Houston said in the October 2000 article. "She stayed here in San
Antonio and accepted to work for much less money than she could have made
elsewhere."
While Blase appeared in television and had feature roles in several
movies, including Steven Spielberg's 1974 "Sugarland Express,"
the bulk of her work was in theater, appearing on most San Antonio stages.
The longtime thespian's husband, Bob Blase, recalls that Spielberg told
his wife, "If you ever get to California, look me up," after
they finished shooting "Sugarland Express," which used San
Antonio as one of the location sites.
"She had a big scene with Goldie Hawn near the end of the
movie," her husband said.
The recipient of four Globe Awards in the 1990s — including
"Best Actress in a Play" and "Best Actress in a
Comedy" — Blase appeared in more than 50 roles, some of them more
than once.
Perhaps her most memorable role was that of Amanda in the Tennessee
Williams' play "The Glass Menagerie," which she performed
several times. But Elborne said she remembers Blase best as Lady Bracknell
in "The Importance of Being Earnest."
Described as a "huge personality" with a wonderful sense of
humor, Blase was known to be a big Spurs fan who taped the games and took
her radio to the theater.
"She was a fan of life — that's what she was," Elborne
said.
In addition to her husband, Blase is survived by two daughters and a
son.
A memorial service, "A Celebration of a Life: Memories of
Marianna," will be held on April 7 at 5 p.m. at the San Pedro
Playhouse.
"All people who want (to) can participate in the service by
sharing a memory," Bob Blase said.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that tax-deductible donations
be made to the Permanent Maintenance Fund of the San Pedro Playhouse, P.O.
Box 12356, San Antonio 78212.
sgarza @ express-news.net |
