Those lucky enough to have secured a ticket to the sold-out season of Trent Dalton’s Love Stories may recognise actress Jeanette Cronin for her fine work as part of that talented ensemble cast. In Queen Bette, she stands alone, carrying the weight of this one-woman show on her shoulders like a boss, and the task of portraying iconic Hollywood screen legend Ruth Elizabeth Davis, otherwise known as Bette Davis, with impressive finesse.
Presented by G.bod Theatre in conjunction with PIP Theatre, Queen Bette premiered in 2015 to a sold-out season at the Old 505 Theatre in Sydney, followed by another sold-out season in 2020 at Gasworks Melbourne as part of Midsumma.
Devised by Cronin and Peter Mountford of G.bod Theatre, who also directed, Queen Bette was inspired by Bette Davis’ own words from her interviews and 1962 memoir, A Lonely Life. The resulting script lovingly and sincerely chronicles Davis’ personal and professional life in an intimate cabaret style performance.
Exploding onto the stage in a crockery-breaking rage, we meet Davis performing an excerpt from the movie, The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex, the 1939 film in which she first took on the role of Queen Elizabeth I (the second was The Virgin Queen in 1955). Davis’ beef with that production was the casting of Australian actor Errol Flynn: she wanted Laurence Olivier for her co-star. From here we flash back to a talented child determined to be in show business, first as a dancer, then as an actress, inspired by a performance of Peg Entwistle as Hedwig in The Wild Duck.
At pace, we skip through her childhood from New England to New York alongside her sister and her mother Ruthie who was her greatest champion and who loved to sit in the front row of her performances. We witness her rise from stage to screen, her rejection from Universal Studios, her success with Warner Brothers, and her bold stance for artistic independence.
Cronin bears an undeniable resemblance to the screen legend, and her accent and physicality added to the authenticity of her portrayal, beautifully balancing Davis’ fiery personality with the vulnerable, confessional quality of the script. Cronin didn’t leave the stage for the whole 70 minutes, and her performance captivated from start to finish.
Jeanette Cronin’s likeness to the screen legend is undeniable. Photo by Richard Hedger.
The set resembled a dressing room complete with lit up vanity mirror and dresser covered with various items including a wooden toy duck, piles of scripts, photographs of Davis’ four husbands and an Oscar (she was the first person to win two Oscars for Best Actress). Brightly coloured lighting washes by Harrie Hogan were stunning and perfectly timed to enhance the mood changes in the storytelling, almost taking on a life of their own in the process.
Bette Davis was one of the first actresses to take control of her career, often fighting for better roles and creative control in a male-dominated industry. She is often cited as an inspiration for many actresses, known for her fierce independence and commitment to her craft. As one of the first generations of actors to appear in the ‘talkies,’ as films with sound were known at the time, Bette Davis and her contemporaries pioneered the techniques behind modern screen acting which continue to be felt to this day. Bette Davis remains a symbol of strength and talent in Hollywood.
Queen Bette is playing now until 5th October at PIP Theatre, 20 Park Road Milton 4064, before heading to London for a season at the King’s Head Theatre in November.
Tickets: https://piptheatre.org/queen-bette/
Further info: https://www.gbodtheatre.com/
Watch the trailer for Queen Bette.
Photo credits: Richard Hedger
