REVIEW: Bette & Joan
- Catherine Gunther
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Bette & Joan brings the infamous feud of the silver screen to the stage of Ensemble Theatre. Featuring the “actors’ actor” against the “movie star”, these two very different women share far more parallels than they can see as they antagonise and backstab one another in preparation for another day on the set of What Happened to Baby Jane?
Actors Jeanette Cronin as Bette Davis and Lucia Mastrantone as Joan Crawford are nothing short of excellent in their portrayals of two distinct, larger than life ladies of old Hollywood.
Jeanette Cronin gave us a deliciously brash and abrasive Bette Davis, while capturing the personal struggles with her family and relationships in tender, introspective moments. She shows us how Davis’ pure love of acting conflicts with the fact that film is a business, and she has bills to pay (hers and others). The undercurrent of treading water is ever present in Cronin’s performance.
Lucia Mastrantone dazzles as the always well-mannered Joan Crawford. She puts Joan’s polite persona on like a coat, a camouflage that doesn’t always keep her fears and anxiety hidden, nor conceals the anger and bitchiness she unleashes on Davis. But among the simmering unease is a strength and steel of a woman fighting for her career and future.
As a dual character study, the show excels in examining how different these women were in the face of the same struggles. Having been thrown out by the powerful men of their industry, the writing weaves together real stories from the set of their comeback film to highlight the fears and truths of women in any male dominated industry in any age. These ideas, applicable then and now, sing due to the brilliant performances of Cronin and Mastrantone. However, while engaging, in the end I wanted more from the writing, as in reflecting real life it lacks dramatic structure or a clear arc.
The set design beautifully framed the stage to orient the audience on the backlot of a B film lot, the dressing room antics, habits and secrets brought to life through well-chosen pieces well utilised by the actors. The use of video to introduce black and white film to the audience was fun and helped to immerse us in the era of the production, however it quickly felt somewhat overused and at times detracted from the stella performances of the actors.
Leaving opening night, it’s clear the actors had the audience in the palm of their hand, waiting for their next verbal sparring match, the strike, the sting of the next tit-for-tat. Ensembles production is an ode to old Hollywood, the glamour, the guts, the grime, and the need to survive the dreadfulness of being a woman who, tragically, got old.
Catch Bette and Joan now at The Ensemble Theatre until 25th April
