The biggest bitch in Hollywood is back. Performed as part of the Midsumma Festival, Queen Bette delves into the life of film legend Bette Davis. Having had its initial development in 2014, its creators, director Peter Mountford and performer Jeanette Cronin, have refined this into a spellbinding production that gives a stirring voice to a woman that Hollywood often wished would just stay quiet and do her job.
Cronin may bare an uncanny resemblance to the movie icon, but her mannerisms and speech add to the authenticity of her portrayal that highlights Davis' fiery personality. This is further heightened when you consider that most of the dialogue was originally spoken or written by Davis, which is based on much research by its creators. In this captivating performance you can easily find yourself believing that Davis is standing right in front of you, because apart from capturing Bette Davis' eyes, Cronin also finds a way to capture her spirit and soul.
Visit Bette Davis’ grave and you’ll see the inscription
on her tombstone reads: “she did it the hard way”, and indeed she did. During a
Hollywood career that spanned 60 years, Davis made a name for herself as being a
fiercely outspoken and independent woman at a time when Hollywood preferred their
female stars to be demure and complaisant. Davis was quoted as saying
“I survived because I was tougher than anyone else” and in Queen Bette, Jeanette Cronin retraces the life of the Hollywood
icon and screen legend in a tribute performance to the woman who was regarded as the biggest bitch in
Hollywood.
Apart from an uncanny resemblance to Davis, Cronin’s channeling of the
Hollywood star in the 2015 premiere of Queen Bette was met with critical
acclaim in her inimitable portrayal of Davis. However, before she felt comfortable becoming Davis, Cronin spent a substantial amount of time understanding her by reading books, interviews,
stories and film viewings, to get as much insight as possible into Davis. “I suppose we had a mini Bette Festival in preparing for this show. The
first volume of her autobiography, The Lonely Life, played a huge part in its creation, as did the many interviews she gave over her entire career,”
Cronin tells me. “There is a wealth of material in the public domain and she
was a great raconteur, very entertaining and articulate. A very bright lady. A
lot of the dialogue is verbatim but there are also original speeches inspired
by true events which I have penned.”
These days, you just need to look at a cover of a
magazine or access a website to be bombarded with Hollywood stories and
gossip. Some might say it’s the price to pay for being in the
industry, however in Bette & Joan: Bitch. Slut. Liar. Whore.,
writer and performer David Morris explores how this type of reporting is
predominantly focused on women and how not much has actually changed since Hollywood’s golden era.
As she sneaks into her bedroom to escape a dreary party, Bette Davis (Morris)
comes to find the real party is in her bedroom, as she finds
thirty audience members in there. She begins to reminisce about her life and
the lost loves she has encountered. Of course, one such as Davis cannot reminisce
about her Hollywood life without an appearance by her infamous arch-nemesis
Joan Crawford, brilliantly played by Tom Halls.
Having two gay men portray these immortal Hollywood stars is an effective and
clever idea in reminding the audience of the fact that men who behave in this
way are rarely scrutinised or expected to justify themselves to anyone.
It was the
golden era of Hollywood, where stars truly existed and there was a sense of mystique surrounding them. Stars like the indomitable Bette Davis and
Joan Crawford, who despite their circumstances, never quite managed to see eye to eye with each other. Their feud, which continued even after Crawford passed away, is one that has captivated people for decades. Performed as part of the Midsumma Festival, Bette & Joan:
BITCH. SLUT. LIAR. WHORE resurrects these two dead women and pits the
Hollywood legends head to head in one final battle; winner takes all.
"Bette and Joan are the
epitome of the Old-Hollywood ‘star-system’. They worked their way up through
the Hollywood Studio system, and carved out an image and brand for themselves," explain co-creators David Morris and Tom Halls.
"They poured their entire being into being a Hollywood star, to being worthy of
the big screen. They worked
tirelessly at their craft, at executing their characters; that was awe
inspiring. I guess what captures us creatively is the incredible sadness they
both had in their personal lives. They both were desperate for the love of a
partner and their children and friends, but somehow managed to push away every
person whom they ever really got close too."
