Theatre / Baby Jane, adapted and directed by Ed Wightman. At Canberra Rep until March 8. Reviewed by ARNE SJOSTEDT.
Imagine falling asleep on the sofa with the television still on. You wake up to an old-time movie playing in black and white. You start watching.
It’s a familiar world, yet dislocated from the reality you are used to. It’s slightly nightmarish, at times surreal, and oddly intriguing.
Welcome to Baby Jane.
This play has been adapted from Henry Farrell’s novel What Ever Happened to Baby Jane, which was made into a 1962 film of the same name, starring Joan Crawford and Bette Davis.
Played by Louise Bennet, Baby Jane comes across as a bitter, angry, dangerous sister to fallen movie star Blanche (Victoria Tyrell Dixon). Having been cared for by Jane since a car accident took away her ability to walk, Blanche is trapped on the top floor of their shared home.
A former child star, Jane believes she gave up her career to look after her Blanche – and she is none too happy about it. Now, she longs to rekindle the life she once had.
The play spends the first act getting to know Jane and her sister. The overwhelming feeling is one of being stuck in a world bereft of almost all positivity. Blanche can’t move, and Bennet’s portrayal of Jane grows more acerbic as the act continues.
Amplifying toxicity keeps time with the growing sense of helplessness that surrounds the disabled Blanche. It seems impossible to like Jane, who appears increasingly delusional, backward looking and incapable of caring for anyone but herself.
Yet as the play continues, the temptation grows to see Jane as a victim of her circumstances. Her monster is one wrought from tragedy, authority, and early success. Is it possible she might break free from caring for her sister and reclaim the fame that had kissed her as a youth?
The performances in this production were as good as the evocative Andrew Kay designed set, which seemed to have a personality of its own.
This was a tour de force from Bennet, who devoured the role of Baby Jane, revelling in the complications and layers to her character. Tyrell Dixon was poised and totally believable as Blanche, and support cast (Michael Sparks, Andrea Garcia and Tom Cullen) all gave what was needed.
This wasn’t a pleasant experience – but perhaps that is the mark of a good psychological thriller. Ultimately, however, Baby Jane was gripping, unsettling, and a strong production from cast and crew.
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