THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, May 26, 1996 TAG: 9605240073
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TERESA ANNAS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 49 lines
ACTOR JIM TURNER is on a roll with men of the spirit.
At Trinity College in Ireland, he landed the title part in Brian Friel's ``The Faith Healer.'' Earlier this year, he had the title part in Moliere's ``Tartuffe'' at Old Dominion University.
Now he's playing Edgar Cayce, the famed Virginia Beach psychic who died in 1945.
Turner portrays the so-called ``sleeping prophet'' in Granville Wyche Burgess' 1978 drama, ``The Freak - A Play About Edgar Cayce.'' The play premiered in New York City 15 years ago; the first local production, in 1992 at the Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.) in Virginia Beach, drew sellout crowds.
``The Freak'' opens Friday at the A.R.E. conference center for a three-weekend run.
In the two earlier plays, Turner portrayed spiritual fakers. In Cayce, Turner found a Bible-toter from Kentucky, a true man of faith.
Preparing for the role, Turner avoided learning too much about Cayce. ``Knowing all that he did with his life gets in the way of my figuring out how to play him. I've been resisting forming an opinion about him - because the play is about a time in his life where he's just discovering his powers,'' said Turner, speaking from his home on Virginia's Eastern Shore.
``The Freak'' takes place from summer 1910 to spring 1911. At that time, Cayce was in his early 30s, married to Gertrude and working as a photographer in Hopkinsville, Ky., Turner said. Cayce already had gained fame for the ``medical readings'' he gave on the side.
It would be another two decades before the couple came to Virginia Beach, and set up a nonprofit institution for metaphysical research that would house the ``readings'' Cayce gave while in a trance state.
While under hypnosis, he would diagnose and prescribe solutions for the ailments of people in faraway towns. And he often was quite successful.
Turner underwent hypnosis, hoping it might give him a way into Cayce. He was fascinated to hear a recording of Cayce speaking while in that state.
``There was a quality to his voice - where you're so relaxed, you use just enough breath. It's kind of like one word at a time. That was the thing with that tape. His voice was so strong, it just rang out. And this heavy Southern accent. And one word at a time.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
EDGAR CAYCE FOUNDATION
Edgar Cayce - the so-called ``sleeping prophet'' and an enthusiastic
fisherman - will be portrayed by actor Jim Turner in ``The Freak.'' by CNB