UNTIL SATURDAY JAN 27; "Witty and mesmerising", is Melinda Wills McHugh's verdict on the Richmond Shakespeare Society's latest show, Bette and Joan
Last night I had the opportunity to see Bette and Joan at the Mary Wallace Theatre in Twickenham, home of the Richmond Shakespeare Society. I’d walked past this theatre many times before as I’d strolled along the Thames towards York Gardens, but I hadn’t yet been.
As I stepped inside, I was greeted by an excited buzz and the clinking of glasses; the theatre-goers seemed enthusiastic, so I was swept up in the excitement too.
When the lady at the box office informed me that I was in the front row, I was delighted – I'd only recently paid good money to sit behind a pole in a rickety seat at the West End. But as I weaved my way down to the front row, I realised that in a 96-seat theatre, there are really no bad seats (there are no poles either).
The famous Bette and Joan feud has gathered momentum over the past decade. And as I sat waiting for the play to begin, I thought about the fantastic 2017 eight-part television series of the same name, featuring Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon, that I’d watched only recently on BBC2.
As the curtain went up, the set revealed two dressing rooms side by side. The play, written by Anton Burge and first performed in 2011, is set in Bette Davis’ and Joan Crawford’s dressing rooms on the lot of the 1962 low-budget Robert Aldrich film Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?. Arch-rivals, Bette and Joan, to prove they were still box-office worthy, were cast together, and both the film and their feud became legendary as they struggled to hang onto their fame in an industry that desires youth and beauty.
Witty, fast-paced, wickedly funny and extremely entertaining, the play was mesmerising and the two leading ladies were a joy to watch. An amateur company, there was nothing amateurish about the performances by the two actors, Dorothy Duffy who plays Joan and Jane Marcus who plays Bette. it’s
A regular theatre-goer, the cost of seeing professional plays and musicals can definitely add up. A member-based theatre company and registered charity, it only costs from £10 per year to join up and from £10 per ticket to see a show with the Richmond Shakespeare Society.
Book tickets for tonight's performance at Mary Wallace Theatre
