Spicolli from Ridgemont High might have put it best. Renaissance Theatreworks’ new production of Gorgons is, well, “bitchin’!” A verbal, no-holds-barred smackdown superstar cage-match, it contains more gleeful putdowns in 90 minutes than an entire season of Friar’s Club/Comedy Central Celebrity Roasts, and even finds time to offer some meditations on the meaning of movies and theater in an increasingly trashy world.
But mostly it’s a feast for two actresses, who get to “suggest” – if not impersonate – the participants in one of the most notorious cat fights in Hollywood history. Filming Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? with director Robert Aldrich, Joan Crawford and Bette Davis descended into blood-sport mayhem. Crawford really did put weights under her clothes to film a scene where Davis had to carry her to her wheel chair (predictably, Davis injured her back). And there was quite a to-do when Davis received an Oscar nomination and Crawford didn’t.
Don Nigro’s fictional take on this story (you probably don’t want to use real names, these days, when post-mortem image-handlers are ever vigilant about tarnished legacies) is a bit of a free-form free-for-all, starting with Ruth (Crawford) visiting Mildred (Davis) in her theater dressing room, with a proposed comeback movie script in hand. It takes us through some on-set squabbles, hospital-room spats, and eventually to a final post-Oscar-ceremony showdown. Along the way, we’re treated to a lot of vintage Hollywood name-dropping – Ida Lupino, George Brent, Marlene Dietrich – and to a hefty dose of insults and bon mots: “I’d rather shit razor blades.” And, referring to a frisky physician, “That man has six hands – It’s like being treated by the Marx Brothers.”
There’s a half-hearted attempt to add a dose of feminist seriousness to the mix: “In a world full of bastards, you’ve got to be a bitch to survive.” But this is mostly a chance for two actresses to let fly. And that’s exactly what Jennifer Rupp and Marcella Kearns do. Both bear a striking resemblance to their characters, but they drift only slightly into impersonation, wisely choosing instead to take the characters as is. Director Drew Brhel shapes the scenes well, but mostly opts to step back and let the two women have a blast. They do. And it’s a sight to see.
Gorgons photos are by Ross Zentner
