Bette & Joan

Once grande dames of Hollywood, by 1962 arch-rivals Bette Davis and Joan Crawford were in danger of becoming has-beens. Then an opportunity came along: to appear together in a new movie called Whatever Happened To Baby Jane? Bette & 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 lovelife, and her ability to pick a decent script, never a decent man. Behind the bitching and 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. Bette and Joan was first performed at the Arts Theatre, London, starring Greta Scacchi and Anita Dobson, in May 2011. "Here we have a delicate game of oneup-womanship, in which bared teeth are hidden behind dissembling smiles and barbed insults fly in both directions." - Lyn Gardner, Guardian "an evening of great entertainment where vituperation is the star." - Paul Callan, Daily Express