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Ailene Voisin: Anne-Marie Petrie isn't the only talented one in family
By Ailene Voisin -- Bee Sports Columnist
Published 2:15 am PST Friday, February 18, 2005
That familiar blonde with the skin-tight slacks and colorful pumps? The one dancing at midcourt with Slamson? Gesturing wildly at the refs? High-fiving the players after an emotional victory?
Hugging and kissing Geoff Petrie?
It's OK.
It's his wife.
In a recurring display of a marital contrast that begs for a Dr. Phil intervention, Anne-Marie Petrie, the lesser-known half of Sacramento's sports power couple, charges out from behind the curtains and dares anyone to keep pace. She stands by her man only when not otherwise sprinting into the lead. She craves attention, loves the stage, dares to read from an unconventional script.
"Annie just has a natural flair for theatrical things," offers Geoff Petrie, with more than a hint of pride. "And like everything else about her, she goes after it full blast."
Having spent these last 11 years working in political and nonpartisan fund-raising and volunteering for charity and community endeavors that don't conflict with the Kings' schedule, Anne-Marie recently assumed a much higher profile: that of accomplished local actress.
A professionally trained singer, dancer and actress who years ago studied under Stella Adler in New York, Petrie plays a lesbian ex-convict in "Kimberly Akimbo," an offbeat B Street Theatre production that runs through Feb. 27. And differing sexual proclivities notwithstanding, the role isn't much of a stretch. As she drops noisily into a chair, lugs a 40-pound mailbox across the stage and aggressively punches out "Aunt Debra's" bawdy, often profane lines in her native New York tongue, Anne-Marie is very much in character. Even the unlaced black work boots and oversized grimy jeans seem to fit.
"We knew she could act," said theatre co-founder and artistic director Buck Busfield, "and after her first read, she said, 'I'm really close to this woman already.' It was just a matter of winding her up and letting her go."
It was hardly that simple, of course. It took 25 years, almost three weeks of rehearsals and 10 to 15 performances to get rid of the ring rust. Petrie, 52, who appeared off-Broadway and at Lincoln Center during her early 20s, abruptly abandoned the stage in 1980.
Financially spent, exhausted by the lifestyle and stressed by the competition for prime roles, she joined friends in Portland, Ore., and upon the advice of a wealthy uncle, pursued a second career in broadcast sales.
One of her clients introduced her to 38-year-old Geoff Petrie, a divorced former Trail Blazers star who shared custody of three young children. The two have been together ever since, most recently living on a vineyard in Clarksburg.
Yet neither makes any secret of Anne-Marie's sacrifices and professional struggles. Having given up a lucrative job to accompany Geoff to Sacramento, in essence, arranging her life and aspirations around his frenetic career demands, the Boston University graduate has long been in search of an avocation. Her interest in sales waned. The fund-raising events were sporadic. The charity and community work proved fulfilling (she is on the board of WEAVE, as well as the theatre), but too often, the Kings and Monarchs games provided her most creative outlet.
For those stumped by the photo, envision a striking, animated brunette (the blonde makeover is recent) leaning forward in a second-row seat. Or dancing with Slamson. Or pointing at the refs. Or bantering with the players. Or approaching her reserved, soft-spoken husband in the tunnel area and bellowing, "Hey, babe," before tagging him with a kiss that he accepts sheepishly, with a knowing grin.
If the articulate, Princeton-prepped Kings executive never appears quite comfortable in front of a crowd, his face flushed, his pained demeanor hinting at a broken rib or abscessed tooth even during last week's news conference to announce his contract extension, the actress in the family is an almost ideal complement. She is engaging and opinionated, an intelligent extrovert who straddles the cusp of outrageousness, occasionally leaning over the edge.
Indeed, though they seem delighted by the company they keep, theirs is one of those dynamic opposites-attract couplings: He cooks and she cleans up. He likes wine and she prefers water. He plays the guitar in solitude while she gravitates to an audience, is apt break out into a solo dance at any time.
"I just love him," Anne-Marie says, unabashedly. "Geoff is really a great guy. I'll be honest with you, though; the first few years we were married, if the team lost and he was in a bad mood, I was like, 'Hey, don't rip on me!' Now I just give him some space. I think that's all part of maturing."
Similarly, in the short biography of Anne-Marie in the playbill, there is no mention of her husband or his prominent position - but no offense taken. Petrie said he fully understood his wife's intent to avoid detracting from the other cast members, as well as her desire for an independent identity.
"This is something she has always felt she missed out on," he said, "so it's great to see her have a second opportunity, a second shot. And I'm biased, but I think she's really good."
Petrie has been in the audience twice. Ana Divac made a surprise appearance, as has Darius Songaila, Pete Carril and other members of the organization.
Asked if the grandfatherly Kings assistant was offended by the language, Petrie laughed. "Obviously, you were never in his locker room."
As for her budding new/old career, Anne-Marie, now openly intrigued, plans to audition again at the B Street Theatre and even explore the San Francisco scene.
"When I am out there on stage," she said, nodding, her eyes alight, "it just feels like home."
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