Kirjahaku

Once grande dames of Hollywood, by 1962 arch-rivals Bette Davis and Joan Crawford were in danger of becoming has-beens. Then an opportunity came along: to appear together in a new movie called Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?-2 women

Set in London in the 1930s, the play explores the early careet of Constance Spry, founder of the celebrated business Floral Decorations that supplied floral arrangements to the upper ranks of society including the artist Gluck and interior decorator Syrie Maugham. Spry's unconventional relationships, professional ambition and the conflicting demands of career and domestic duties reveal the complex internal life of the woman later famed as a cook and inventor of the dish Coronation Chicken. Inspired by the biorgaphy The Surprisong Life of Constance Spry by Sue Shephard, Storm in a Flower Vase is a poweful and moving piece examining themes of class, gender and sexuality that still have a profound resonance today. First performed at the Arts Theatre, London, on the 13th September 2013

Mrs Patrick Campbell (Mrs Pat), legendary 19th-century leading lady, was once the toast of London and New York. Famed for her beauty and wit, muse to George Bernard Shaw, pioneering interpreter of Henrik Ibsen and co-star of Sara Bernhardt, she was the first Eliza Doolittle and a legendary Hedda Gabler. Yet in spite of these towering achievements, in the final year of her life, Mrs Pat faces her greatest challenge. Feeling abandoned by her art and her country and at the mercy of the newly imposed quarantine laws, Mrs Pat and her adored Pekinese Moonbeam find themselves fleeing Paris as the Nazis close in. As they wait through the night for a connecting train at Toulouse Station, Mrs Pat contemplates the highs and lows of a life that has encompassed theatrical superstardom and financial ruin, public plaudits and personal loss. Spirited, uncompromising and demanding, even in her most difficult hour, Mrs Pat remains a tour de force.

The role of Elizabeth I on stage and screen has been deciphered, unravelled and decoded in a variety of forms: villainess, martyr, heroine and sometimes even comic turn. One fact, though, is clear: Elizabeth is reinterpreted in every age, and is therefore always updating, sometimes becoming the fashion, on occasion going out of fashion, but ultimately never losing our interest. In the time span covered in this book, 1912 to the present day, it is apparent that casting an actress as Elizabeth more often depends more upon her bankability at the box office, and the public’s perception of her character, than her physical resemblance or even suitability to the role. Yet these casting choices have given us some of our most memorable Queens, such as Bette Davis and Cate Blanchett. These choices have led to some absorbing results and some unexpected problems. It is worth pondering that as Elizabeth has become more accessible - and supposedly understood - she has also become more romantic, sexual, humane, vulnerable and even ordinary. But by making her more real in our modern eyes, acceptable to our modern notion and understanding of behaviour, have we actually grown further from the real woman?