'Bette & Joan'Ensemble Theatre 7:30 pm
The glitz and glamour of the cinema's golden age was gilded with the grunt work of working actresses. Their complex lives were replaced with one-dimensional characters and sound bites (some things don’t change). Anton Burge’s Bette & Joan pulls away the façade of the silver screen to delve deeper into one of the biggest Hollywood rivalries of the twentieth century – between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. In its Australian premiere, directed by Liesel Badorrek, this show balances the vulnerability and venom.
What is the premise of Bette & Joan?
Loosely based on their real lives, the play is set in the early sixties, with almost-out-of-work actresses, Bette Davis (Jeanette Cronin) and Joan Crawford (Lucia Mastrantone) in the middle of the production of What Happened to Baby Jane?. Both actresses are long past the Hollywood heyday of the thirties and have been provided an opportunity not only to relive the successes of their past but to also critique and challenge the role of older women in the film industry.
But the success of this film is probably the only idea Joan and Bette will admit they are in agreement on. The pair’s bitter rivalry stems from their early days of work, and follows the pair through their films, marriages, parenthood and into production. What appears at first to be verbal sparring from two people who seem to be completely different is revealed to be a more thought-provoking exploration of the values and people who shaped them. The production excels in its ability to stay true to context without employing a modern or didactic interpretation of Bette and Joan’s relationship. It doesn’t try to force a post-modern critique of feminism but rather provides a realistic exposition on how quickly men become centred into the lives of women whilst still acknowledging and emphasising with how their autonomy and decision-making is shaped by patriarchal Hollywood. The production maintains the complexity and multi-dimensional characterisation of these women, even though the tension sometimes falters.
Who are the cast and crew of Bette & Joan?
Jeanette Cronin and Lucia Mastrantone play Bette and Joan. They both creatively leverage the small confines of the Ensemble Theatre to explore their characters’ larger-than-life personalities. The result is a poignant tension between the characters.
Whilst both Cronin and Mastrantone play their characters well, they struggle to maintain chemistry throughout the whole performance, particularly in the first half. They gain control of their performance after intermission, exploring the interplay between vulnerability, love, ambition and grit. However, Cronin and Mastrantone’s occasional difficulty to respond and transition seamlessly is likely due to the production’s frequent soliloquies, which reduce the performance from a duo to a near one-woman shows at times, leaving the second character sidelined, and resulting in a series of fragmented (yet compelling) vignettes.
Cameron Smith’s video designs provide a creative use of flashback. Drawing on the idea of the silver screen, the monochromic projections help to situate the audience within reflections of Bette and Joan in their younger years. The close-ups on their faces create an intimate dynamic with the audience – they showcase the evolution and history of both women and how they shape and inform their present personalities. With much of the second half focused on the past, the shift from stage to screen is a good artistic device to explore the distinction between the past and nostalgia.
What was the highlight of Bette & Joan?
A special mention must be made to Badorrek and Gracie Deacon’s set design and direction. In particular, the transition of the dressing rooms during intermission from side-by-side to opposite each other is an apt symbol of the transition between our interrogation of Bette and Joan. The ferocity of their rivalry appears superficial in the first half of the act as both women “dress up” their hate on the basis of criticism about appearance and public relations. The second half has both women looking in the mirror, which reflects to the audience the other woman. This juncture explores how, despite their juxtaposing disregard for each other, their stories reveal not identical but similar pathways.
Who will like Bette & Joan?
If you’re seeking a nostalgic escape to the golden age of cinema, Bette & Joan offers a sharp and intimate portrait of two women whose ambition is as compelling as their animosity. It will particularly appeal to theatre-goers who enjoy character-driven dramas, old Hollywood lore and stories that examine the cost of fame behind the spotlight.
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