Bare Stage’s October production, “Bette and Joan,” written by Anton Burge, is a trip back to the brutal yet golden days of Hollywood and its glamorous stars. Shining brightest among these stars were Joan Crawford and Bette Davis.
In the late 1930s and ’40s, these two women were the most dynamic and important stars in the industry, of either gender. But by 1962, these leading ladies were has-beens.
Then they got an unexpected opportunity: playing opposite each other in what was to become a cult classic, “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?”
The high-risk shocker becomes a surprise hit that propels them back to stardom. The play “Bette and Joan,” depicts the two stars, in adjacent dressing rooms, between takes on the set of “Baby Jane.” While Joan manages her anxiety by lacing her Pepsi with vodka and signing photographs for her beloved fans, Bette chain smokes and muses on her love life, and her ability to pick a decent script, never a decent man. Behind the bitching and the practical jokes we see each woman’s insecurities and regrets, and their rivalry is revealed to be underpinned by grudging respect as they attempt to identify their new roles in life as well as in their careers.
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