Bette-ography

Many folks give Katharine Hepburn the credit for having the biggest cojones of all the classic actresses, and Joan Crawford definitely was legendarily crazy, but Bette Davis was the queen of them all. She was over the top, more difficult on set than Lindsay Lohan could ever dream of being,...

By Jennifer Elaine-Davis

July 12, 2007

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Many folks give Katharine Hepburn the credit for having the biggest cojones of all the classic actresses, and Joan Crawford definitely was legendarily crazy, but Bette Davis was the queen of them all. She was over the top, more difficult on set than Lindsay Lohan could ever dream of being, and she had a penchant for characters that were so unsympathetic no other actress would touch the roles with a 10-foot pole. She was at once histrionic, cold and brilliant. The epitaph on her tombstone reads "She Did It the Hard Way." Actress Morgana Shaw, in what has to be the role of a lifetime, has taken on her persona in the one-woman show All About Bette, by no means a small task. Neither, apparently, was writing the play. Writer Camilla Carr researched Davis' life, her numerous affairs, her tumultuous relationship with her children and her many film roles for nearly four years before writing the play. Costume designer Patty Greer McGarity has contributed some stunning pieces to evoke the late actress and bring even further realism to the play. The production runs at Theatre Three, located in the Quadrangle at 2800 Routh St. The show runs at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with a 2:30 p.m. matinee on Sunday. Tickets are $25; call 214-871-3300 or visit theatre3dallas.com.
Fri., July 13, 8 p.m.; Sat., July 14, 8 p.m.; Sun., July 15, 2:30 p.m.

Jennifer Elaine-Davis

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