Mary Beth Evans
Soap Opera Weekly's Outstanding Performer of the Week
For the Week of December 25
Mary Beth Evans became a daytime phenom as Days of Our Live's Kayla Brady, creating on screen magic with Stephen NIchols' Patch. Then on General Hospital, Evans' Katherine Bell steamed up Port Charles with Nichols' Stefan Cassadine-which begged the question: Could Evans create a captivating character without Nichols? The answer: Absolutely!
Now portraying Sierra on As the World Turns, Evans arrived in Oakdale
to surprise Lucinda for her birthday, and immediately created a rapport and
unspoken history with every character she encountered. Despite the fact that
Evans is a recast, she and Elizabeth Hubbard instantly conveyed their characters
strong mother/daughter bond. With her Eva Peron hairstyle and traditional
dress, one might think that Evans'
Sierra had gone bland and conservative. No chance. With just a few words,
Evans bared Sierra's soul when
she came face to face with ex-hubby Craig. The tortured love she still feels
for the father of her children was palpable as Evans struggled to make eye
contact with Hunt Block's Craig. But she quickly switched gears to ferocious
mama bear when Siera laid into Craig for scolding the jailed Bryant.
Interestingly, Evans' most shining moment didn't include any gut-wrenching revalations or hysterics. Once Sierra turned her attention to Bryant, Evans tenderly showcased a mother worried about her son. Not that she was timid about letting go-Sierra freaked as she agonized over whether she could have made differences in Bryant's life had she faught harder to salvage her marriage.
Thanks to her heartwarming performances in only a few key episodes, Evans successfully assumed this role, helping even longtime viwers forget that she did not create Sierra-no small feat on a 44 year old show.
-Kevin Ullman, Soap Opera Weekly 1/22/01
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