Local author presents 'The Christmas Dragon'
By Eliav Appelbaum eliav@theacorn.com

Angela Randazzo will never forget the time she met Marlon Brando . . . inside a bathroom.

The longtime Simi Valley resident and author ran into the legendary actor while working on the set of "The Godfather" more than three decades ago.

"I had on this big gown, like Scarlett O'Hara, and there was no way I was going to get in a porta-potty in this gown," said Randazzo, who played a bridesmaid in the classic flick.

"I walked up the stairs and knocked on the bathroom door, and Marlon Brando was standing there. I said to myself, 'I better get out of here.' He just kind of bowed and ushered me inside. He was very gracious."

A lifetime of acting, directing, teaching and writing has brought her to another milestone. The Silver Creek, N.Y. native will present a reading of her recently published children's book, "The Christmas Dragon," on Friday, Dec. 7 at the Borders bookstore in Simi Valley at 7 p.m. She'll also read the story in Simi Valley Library's Community Room the following day at noon.

Randazzo wrote and illustrated "The Christmas Dragon," the tale of a lost dragon who tries to find his family and discovers adventure along the way.

He had been given to Sara Louise as a gift for Christmas, but the little girl requested a wagon, not a dragon.

The story originated as a play in the early '80s, and it was performed in the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center and other small theaters throughout the area.

"The last two years, I thought, 'This is a kids' story, and I really have to do something,'" said Randazzo, who has the patent for a plush toy dragon that goes along with the book.

The toy dragon, which comes in a stocking and is sold separately from the "The Christmas Dragon," will be available at Borders this holiday season.

Randazzo, who freelances for the Simi Valley Acorn, currently leads a class called "Art Fun and Fundamentals" through the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District. She also teaches art to elementary school students in afterschool programs in Simi Valley, Moorpark and Thousand Oaks.

For Randazzo, any story, whether it's for a adults or children, is about developing characters.

"That's what intrigues me," she said, "whether it's a crazy adult character or a dragon running around. I enjoy studying characters and finding what their problems are and how they overcome their problems."