Kristen Peterson

“I had a dream the other night that I walked out of my house on two legs, walked to the house across the street, sat on the porch with its potted plants and looked at my house from that vantage point … I feel grateful for my life, my memories. I’m most grateful that I’ve had this stage for 40 years to create my own world.” –Marta Becket

Marta Becket can’t walk. Hip surgery and “dancer’s knee” have slowed her down. It’s an adjustment for the fiercely independent woman, a lifelong dancer who has performed for more than four decades at the Amargosa Opera House in Death Valley Junction, 30 miles west of Pahrump.

Fans and the curious have trekked out to watch her mostly one-woman, vaudeville-style shows for decades. Some made multiple pilgrimages to see Becket, a legend, an unusual masterpiece, a hero, a creative icon, an “eccentric” who escaped reality to focus solely on a creative life. But this is it. At 86 years old, she’s planning her final season.

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JOHN L. SMITH

Discuss this column in the eForums! Editor’s note: Today John L. Smith begins a new feature column devoted to people, places and events from around the state and the region.

Like a blithe spirit carried on a desert breeze, Marta Becket has danced for kings and commoners for more than four decades as the singular star performer at the Amargosa Opera House.

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While Marta Becket is taking a break from performing this season, visitors to the Amargosa Opera House will still be able to take in a show. If These Walls Could Talk created by Sandy Scheller and Marta combines Marta’s paintings on the theatre’s walls with music and dance from around the world. There are no spoken words but the murals still come to life – becoming characters. In addition to the Saturday evening performace, a Sunday matinee has been added at 2 p.m. Reservations are required. Call 760-852-4441 or visit www.amargosa-opera-house.com.