I caught "Bette Davis Ain't for Sissies" -- Jessica Sherr's acclaimed one-woman show -- at the Triad on Saturday with my friend Lynn and came away thoroughly charmed.
The lights come up and it's February 29, 1940 -- the night of the 12th Academy Awards -- and Bette has just arrived home seething after learning that she will not win for her tour de force performance in "Dark Victory" when the Los Angeles Times evening edition leaks the winners early. This actual pre-Price Waterhouse moment(!) provides playwright/performer Sherr with the perfect setup for an evening of drunken reflections and recriminations from Hollywood's most gifted -- and self-admiring -- diva, and she makes the most of the opportunity.
Pondering her life and career -- which for Davis were one and the same -- as she fields a series of phone calls from her mother, publicist, agent and friends who want to know where she's disappeared to, Sherr is able to delve into Davis's relationship with her momager; four marriages, notably the accidental death of hubby No. 2 Arthur Farnsworth; tumultuous dealings with Jack Warner, including her legal battle that paved the way for the end of the studio system; her close friendship with Olivia de Havilland; several abortions (some to save her career, others for her man's pride); the Joan Crawford "feud" and more.
In a revealing Q&A after the show, Sherr said that she only took an interest in Davis after being stopped on the street and told how much she resembled her -- as a "funny redhead" she always leaned into Lucille Ball. (She definitely does, although I saw Julianne Moore and Molly Shannon at times as well.)
While I'm certainly no Tired Old Queen at the Movies, it was eye-opening to realize that anyone younger than about my age who isn't making an effort probably doesn't even know who Davis is, some 40-plus years since Kim Carnes reminded the world about the Hollywood legend.
When Sherr earnestly recommended to the audience that we read Davis's Wikipedia page, which is where she learned all about Eve's legendary target, I was at first a little mortified: Not by devouring an acclaimed biography like Ed Sikov's "Dark Victory" or Charlotte Chandler's "The Girl Who Walked Home Alone"? Or by binging her classic films? But then I got over myself and realized how people learn about things has changed -- see also: Kate Bush and "Stranger Things" and Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" and Nathan Apodaca's skateboarding video -- and what's important is that she took an interest and made something of it.
Sherr has apparently performed this show more than 400 times around the world -- most famously at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival -- and already has dates for 2026 posted on her website HERE.
Whether you're a superfan or just Old Hollywood curious, I can't recommend "Bette Davis Ain't for Sissies" enough.
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