A shout-out for Sharon

Like many, I suppose, I first noticed S. Epatha Merkerson (the S. stands for Sharon) on the television program "Law and Order." But it wasn't in her role as Lt. Anita Van Buren, a part she has played for 16 years now, that caught my eye. In the show's very first season, in an episode called "Mushrooms," she played a cleaning woman whose 11-month-old child is accidentally shot. It was a memorable performance, one that obviously has stuck with me to this day.

Others have recognized her work as well. She was nominated for a Tony for her performance in August Wilson's Pulitzer-Prize winning "The Piano Lesson" and a couple of years ago she won a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild award and an Emmy for the television production "Lackawanna Blues."

Still, it made me feel good this morning to read in the New York Times Ben Brantley's review of Ms. Merkerson's performance in "Come Back Little Sheba," a performance, Brantley writes, that "stops the heart." You can read the review for yourself here, although you might have to register with the New York Times if you haven't done so already. Don't worry, however; registration is free.