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SOD Outstanding Performer of the Week 7/28/98

One Life to Live's Roger Howarth (Todd) bounces from horrific rage to contrite sorrow to awkward tenderness and then right back to horrific rage literally in the blink of an eye, making for electrifying performances that constantly surprise. Because Howarth never telegraphs his next move, when Todd is staring into Téa's eyes, the scene can go either way: Will he kiss her? Or slap her? Take the scene at the Buchanan lodge when Todd held everyone hostage. At first, it seemed as if the character had gone off the deep end. He traversed the lodge in disheveled clothing, long hair flying, threatening to kill everyone and yelling at stoic Viki to “ Shut Up” about 25 times. Just when it looked like he would kill them all, Téa mentioned his beloved daughter, Starr. Todd froze, realizing for the first time what a terrible thing he was doing in his misguided efforts to unmask Georgie's murderer. Yes it was good writing . And yes, Howarth had a marvelous supporting cast. But what kept us glued to our sets was Todd alone: bitter, sarcastic, violent, arrogant, pleading, repentant, even sorrowfull. We can't take our eyes off him . And that's all Howarth .

SOD - Outstanding Performer for week of 8/31/98
by Irene S. Keene

To stay out of the slammer for holding half of Llanview hostage on One Life to Live, Todd is pretending to have dissociative identity disorder, the same mental condition that his sister Viki has battled for years. While Todd's ruse is the ultimate slap in the face to Viki, it nevertheless gives viewers a chance to see a new dimension in Roger Howarth's amazingly effective portrayal of this complex and controversial character.

By being in on the deception, the audience can see not only how three otherwise intelligeng people (Viki, Tea and Sam) allow their love for Todd to blind their better judgement but also how seamlessly Howarth's Todd goes from one alter to the next. This week, to convince a court-appointed psyciatrist that he isn't faking, Todd introduced "the gatekeeper" (a phrase he picked up during a crash course in DID), a prim librarian type named Ms. Perkins, who oversees Tom (a gentle 14-year-old) and Rod (an opera-loving Italian with Continental airs). Ms. Perkins is obviously Todd's take on big sis Viki, and it's a riot to hear Howarth use Viki-isms such as "I simply cannot believe..."

Ms. Perkins, as Todd later explained to Blair (who is in on his scheme), was a spur-of-the-moment creation not only for the benefit of the skeptical shrink but to help Todd keep everyone straight. ("I needed a traffic cop in there.") While some actors in similar "quick change" scenes have to rely on customes and wigs as part of their transformation, Howarth is able to create a new persona by simply altering his voice or pulling back his hair.

Rod and Tom also allow Howarth to be animated and comical. While Todd usually shulks around Llanview with a permanent scowl on his face (kind of like Marmaduke the dog), these guys actually smile! Jump for joy! Listen to Verdi! Pucunch Sam in the arm! On a more tender note, Rod (and to a certain extent, Tom) is Todd's device for telling Tea how he feels about her, and it's interesting to note that as Rod tenderly told Tea he wanted to hold her in his arms "until you stop trembling," Howarth subtly changed is voice from Rod's phony Italian accent to a softer version of Todd's. Which is all the more poignant when we realize that Todd's deception, once it's revealed, will probably cause irreparable damage to his relationships with Tea, and , especially, Viki.

If and when that day comes, don't be surprised if we sing Howarth's praises on this page once again.