Townsman, 1991-02, Page 18When actress Marion Adler saw Scott Wentworth perform on the Stratford Festival stage for the first time in 1985,
she was mesmerized. It took until the next season, however before Scott and she began to date. They were married
five months later.
When she saw him - I melted'
When Marion Adler saw Scott Wentworth on stage
the attraction was immediate
BY BONNIE GROPP
It's a story as romantic as those
they have played in. A story of love
at first sight, quiet dinners and
flowers, a whirlwind courtship, and
a perfect honeymoon hideaway.
Scott Wentworth, the dashing
actor, who performed at Stratford
Festival last season was appearing
on that same stage in 1985 as Tom,
in Tennessee Williams "The Glass
Menagerie". In the audience one
night was another member of the
Stratford company. pert blonde
actress Marion Adler, who had a
role in "Pirates of Penzance". "I
developed a wild crush on him that
night," she said. "When he walked
on stage for the first time and
opened his mouth to speak, I
melted," she said.
The only contact she had with
Scott that year was, however, very
brief. "It had become fairly well
publicized that some of the cast
from Pirates of Penzance had won a
lottery. I was in a pub one night that
summer with another cast member.
Scott and a friend were there as well
and one of them made the remark
that having won the money the least
we could do was buy them a drink.
So we did and that was the only
conversation 1 had with him that
season."
It was not until both returned to
Stratford the following year that
Marion says, Scott realized she
existed. That was the same season
John Neville assumed the position
of Artistic Director and he was, she
said. always throwing parties to
help everyone get acquainted and to
introduce himself. "Scott and I saw
more of each other that year and
eventually began going out on
dates." Marion explains it was
really amusing as theatre com-
panies can be like close-knit com-
munities where news travels fast.
"After our first date, people I didn't
even know that well came up and
asked me how it went." The first
date she described as somewhat of a
role reversal. "He cooked me
dinner and I brought him flowers.
16 TOWNSMAN/FEBRUARY-MARCH 1991
That really amazed him. No one had
ever brought him flowers before."
With the season coming to a
close, the courtship was brief and
after just five months Scott propos-
ed. "We had another couple over to
dinner and I hadn't been feeling
very well. After they went home I
remember I was nursing a bit of an
anger. Scott had been very sweet all
evening, but had seemed somewhat
distracted. I thought, considering
how terrible I felt, he might have
been more solicitous. After he
proposed I realized why he had
been a little preoccupied. He had
been trying to think of words to ask
me."
Marion explains that while Scott
didn't propose by saying "Will you
marry me?" or by getting down on
one knee it was closer to a proposal
than many couples experience to-
day. "These days marriage seems
to be something people have talked
about for a long time while they're
dating, so when the time is right no
one really has to ask. With us, the