The Bloody Ballad Of Bette Davis musical review: Hollywood’s witching hour
An energetic musical explores celebrity, sexism and witchcraft in the later life of a Hollywood icon
%20David%20Monteith-Hodge%20shot%202.jpg)
Driven more by energy than inspiration, this new musical tells the story of Bette Davis in her later life. Now struggling for roles, the Hollywood icon finds herself on the set of a horror movie and is encouraged by her assistant to return to the dark magic that once helped her to stardom. Caught between the scathing accusations of her daughter’s biography (she accused her mother of literal witchcraft) and a more hagiographic celebration of an artist who did it the hard way, The Bloody Ballad Of Bette Davis considers themes of celebrity, female oppression and male privilege alongside the life of a woman who refuses to surrender either to age or the sexism of her industry.
The score is functional and the cast are full of dynamic energy with the pace never faltering, to the extent that one late number seems to cover around 20 years of her life. But the focus is on the time she used her spells to force the notorious alcoholic Oliver Reed to behave professionally. A strange mixture of feminist solidarity and a counterblast to her daughter’s christian complaints, the show never quite lands emotionally and is diminished by some strange accents and voices. There is potential in the storytelling and music, but overall it is hampered by slim characterisation.
The Bloody Ballad Of Bette Davis, Assembly Roxy, until 30 August, 3pm; picture: David Monteith-Hodge.