THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 17, 1996 TAG: 9603150189
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Mr. Roberts' Neighborhood
SOURCE: Frank Roberts
LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines
The sight of dear ol' mom melted frantic Martin Briggs.
He'd just spent about two hours as star of the Smithfield Little Theatre production, ``It Runs in the Family.''
Unbeknownst to him, his mother had been watching - oh so proudly - from the back row of the Cotton Gin Theatre.
In the play, Martin's first time onstage, he portrayed the constantly flustered and fuming medic, Dr. David Mortimore. His performance was hilarious.
On March 1, Martin's 40th birthday, the production had a happier-than-usual ending. His surprise present had flown in from England.
``All day long,'' he said later, ``I was putting up with a lot of stuff - balloons and a bloody cake with the candles lit.''
That night, the audience - many of them fellow employees at Allied Colloids in Suffolk - offered a rousing chorus of ``Happy Birthday.''
Told there would be one more surprise, ``I thought it would be another bloody birthday cake,'' he said. ``I saw my wife coming down the aisle. I knew, whatever was going on, she was behind it.''
But behind Martin's wife was his mother.
``You could have knocked me over with a feather,'' he said. ``They told me my eyes filled with tears. I'm not too sure I'd accept that, but they say they have it on video. It was a wonderful surprise, absolutely amazing.''
Martin visits his mother once a year, and she visits him every few years.
His wife, Lynn, recalled: ``He didn't see his mum until she really got close to him. He couldn't believe it. He was gobsmacked. He had no idea.''
Joyce Briggs had flown in the day before, hiding out with some family friends.
The idea for the surprise goes back to late December, when Lynn phoned Joyce and asked her to come over.
``Without hesitation, I told her yes. I knew about the play,'' the mother said.
``I thought his acting was great. I enjoyed it. The last time he did a play, he was 5 years old. He was Joseph at Christmas.''
The Cotton Gin production, which ended Saturday, was fast-paced and frantic. Martin was constantly yapping and on the go.
``He's like that in real life, too,'' said his mother, who will return to England Tuesday.
Meanwhile, she said: ``Lynn is keeping me busy. She says she's going to keep me running. And, I'm making new friends.''
Joyce Briggs, like many London children during World War II, was moved to the country to get away from the heavy German bombing raids over the city.
She went to Bradford in Yorkshire among the moors and pennines, said Lynn. The latter refers to small mountains or hills.
``She was about 15,'' Lynn said. ``She met Martin's dad, a Yorkshire man, and stayed there.'' He died two years ago.
``The first night of the show, Martin stood backstage,'' Lynn said. ``He said, `I thought of me dad, then I thought of me mum, then I thought of you.''
So, behind that fast, frantic exterior is a caring heart. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by FRANK ROBERTS
Martin Briggs visits with his mother, Joyce Briggs, after she
surprised him by flying in from England to watch him perform in ``It
Runs in the Family.''
by CNB