Beyond the Gates Performer of the Week: Bonita Brisker as Sharon

We learned early on that Beyond the Gates' Anita Dupree had once been a member of successful girl group The Articulettes – and that she had done something reprehensible to break them apart that she kept to herself. When Vernon began pushing for Anita to do a reunion concert with her fellow singers, Tracy and Sharon, we quickly got a bead on what these ladies were like – Tracy was willing to meet with Anita, and Sharon hung up on her. This past week, Sharon joined Tracy in Fairmont Crest in the form of actor Bonita Brisker, and in her we not only got a diva on par with La Dupree herself, but a woman unafraid to tell it like it is...and manipulate a situation when it suits her needs. And is there a heart beating under there somewhere? The way Brisker has handled Sharon's nuances since her arrival is what makes her Soap Central's Performer of the Week.

Beyond the Gates now has two divas thanks to Sharon

It was obvious when Tracy offered to mediate between Anita and Sharon but couldn't make any promises that, on top of everything else we'd heard about her, Sharon was going to be a tough nut to crack. So when Sharon showed up on Anita's door, it was only natural not to expect a lovefest. And Brisker delivered – not only was Sharon still pissed with Anita after what would assume had to be decades, but she announced that she didn't require permission to be pissed and accused Anita of helping their manager, Dante Green, enact a smear campaign that painted her as a drug addict and alcoholic. No wonder the woman blew her top!

But Sharon wasn't just a rage machine, which Brisker let us see when the flailing Anita assured Sharon that she had a spectacular voice – “I know that,” Sharon sniffed, making it apparent that Anita had met her diva match. Then Sharon had a moment of softening when Anita brought up the Marvin Gaye record they could barely afford to buy, which Tracy had accidentally destroyed by sitting on it. A look of amusement played on Sharon's face at the memory, and Brisker let us feel the rising emotion. But Sharon was not about to let nostalgia deter her from letting Anita have it after holding it in for so long.

If Sharon was mean before, she got meaner; she hit Anita where it hurt by saying she was living Anita's nightmare (having to return to their old neighborhood, barely getting by) and then became downright menacing as she implied she would tell Vernon – and the public – about the dastardly deed Anita had committed. And all with Brisker keeping Sharon's umbrage on simmer without boiling over.

Brisker then brought a new layer to Sharon's bitterness when Sharon revealed that she'd changed her mind about not doing the concert – oh, she would, and she'd make all nice with Anita to take the microphone again, but only so she could use her and the show as a springboard to relaunch her own career. There was almost something diabolical in the shift, and Brisker let us see a side of Sharon that implied she might have a darkness in her that she hadn't shown either of her contemporaries.

Tracy may truly be the only one who can reach Sharon – Brisker gave Sharon an almost “oh, fine, but only for you” demeanor as she allowed herself to be talked out of going behind Anita's back with her plot. Sharon's front of fury shot right up again with a “Damn that woman to hell and back!” upon learning that Anita had backed out of the show, foiling her plans.

Diva Sharon returned when she barged past Vernon and prepared to launch another volley. But Brisker had Sharon looking befuddled for the first time when Anita decided to stop being The Articulettes' official punching bag – both Tracy and Sharon bore their own responsibility in the breakup of the group, and in not protesting original member Barbara's ouster, Anita admonished. Brisker successfully conveyed equal parts indignation and disbelief when Anita fumed that the other singers could take their villainization of her and stick it where the sun don't shine!

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In just one week, Bonita Brisker has made Sharon disgruntled, biting, and scheming with just a hint of a heart – and it'll be interesting to see what she does with her alter ego in her second week on the soap.

Beyond the Gates airs weekdays on CBS and streams on Paramount Plus.

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