This 80s soap star is headlining a new play in NJ - NJ.com

For actress Kim Zimmer, 2017 was the summer of dynamic women - and a lot of travel. She's played Kate in "Broadway Bound" in Pennsylvania; Eleanor of Aquitaine in "Lion in Winter" in Michigan; and Martha in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" in Massachusetts. Now she'll wrap up the season in New Jersey, starring in the Bickford Theatre's presentation of "Bakersfield Mist."

"Each one has a little bit of Kim in her," said Zimmer, who won four Daytime Emmy Awards for her work as Reva between 1985 - 2006 on the now- cancelled soap opera, "Guiding Light." "They're strong, opinionated women. Reva was, too."

"Bakersfield Mist" -- which opens Oct. 26 and runs through Nov. 5 -- is based on the true story of a woman who for years has fought to have the  $5 painting she purchased at a thrift store in 1991 authenticated as a work by Jackson Pollock. The story even inspired the 2006 documentary, "Who the #$&% is Jackson Pollock?" which is the expletive deleted question the painting's owner asked when someone first suggested she was in possession of a masterpiece.

In this fictional version, Zimmer plays Maude, an out-of-work bartender with a drinking problem who buys the artwork in question. Carl Wallnau, Artistic Director of the Centenary Stage Company, plays the art expert who visits Maude's trailer home to examine the painting. 

"It's funny and touching. It's insightful. It makes you think," Zimmer said. "I know there are going to be a lot of conversations because the play ends with a big question mark.  It asks a lot of question about art in general and about these two people."

While she started her career on the stage and continues to perform in theaters around the country, Zimmer may be best known for her soap opera work. She played Reva Shayne for more than 25 years on "Guiding Light," the country's longest running soap which had its beginnings in radio. Zimmer's Reva had many incarnations, among them a seer, a clone, a time traveler, a Civil War belle and an Amish woman.

"She was a good acting class," Zimmer said of the character. "There were those awkward situations with my kids in school and someone saying, 'My mom said  your mom is a slut,' meaning my character is a slut on television. They'd come home and say, 'What's a slut?'" 

Zimmer was so important to the show that she was given its last line when its final episode aired in 2009. Josh -- who along with his father and brother had been married to Reva -- asked the character if she was ready to go home. "Always," Zimmer/Reva replied.

"It was lovely," Zimmer said. "I felt very honored."

Bakersfield Mist

Bickford Theatre at the Morris Museum

6 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown

Tickets: $20-45, available online at http://ift.tt/1Plaof0. Oct. 26-Nov.5, times vary.

Natalie Pompilio is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia. She can be reached at nataliepompilio@yahoo.com. Find her on Twitter @nataliepompilio. Find NJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook. 

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