which two former showbiz sisters are trapped as spinsters in a rambling old house. One is disabled. the other driven by guilt to alcoholistn and sadistic abuse of her sibling. The ()TT. overtly baroque tone of the piece seems to be meat and drink to Miller‘s directorial style. while its presentation as a chamber musical. complete with dancers and live music. albeit on a more intimate scale than traditional West lind l‘are. promises plenty of stagy gloss. “There‘s an
‘LOVE IT OR
HATE IT, THIS WILL BE AN IMPORTANT EVENING 0F THEATRE'
element of‘ gothic to it. with even a bit of l8th century style there.‘ says Miller. ‘The emphasis is on style. in fact. It‘s a very stylish show. In that way it is camp.
‘I do believe that this is a one-off: this kind of thing hasn‘t been seen before. Love it or hate it. this will be an important evening of‘ theatre. There‘s a kind of old (‘it/ style just for this one occasion. with that heightened thing to it that we used to do a lot here.‘
But there are hazards inherent to presenting a theatre piece with so many resonances to so well known a film. something Miller is well aware ol‘. "The biggest danger with doing this is that people‘s perceptions are geared around Joan Crawford and Bette Davis. But I‘m not doing the filth. I haven‘t cast for a Bette Davis and Joan Crawford - the film is a great piece of art on its
own. but this is a completely separate piece of
art. I think we do adaptations of books and films very well here at the (‘itz. we‘ve got a record for it. This piece is actually based on the book by Henry liarrell. not the film.‘
Its origins are fascinating. and also instructive about the notion of camp. For this relatively obscure curiosity. with Farrell‘s book set to music and lyrics by Lee Pockriss and Hal Hackaday debuted. of‘ all places. in Dubya‘s
Texas. Now if there‘s one place left in the world where camp would be unwelcome. you‘d think it was there. Yet this might speak volumes of the broad. certainly not purely homosexual. appeal of camp. This concept is more about destabilising established notions of good taste. by honouring excess. rather than illustrating a gay aesthetic. And make no mistake »— the pieces imitated in camp are not ridiculed. As Christopher lsherwood. a pioneer of the technique. pointed out: ‘You can‘t camp about something you don‘t take seriously. You‘re not making fun of it: you‘re making fun ottt of it. You‘re expressing what‘s basically serious to you in terms of fun and artifice and elegance.‘ In this respect. I suppose we could call it an. ahem. homagesexual tendency.
And Miller seems to understand that this is very tnuch in sync with his own aesthetic. ‘l‘m not specifically doing it for the sake of camping it tip for a gay audience. I don‘t really believe in doing plays for a specific audience. Still. it‘s a classic story. and there is a huge camp following because of Bette Davis. and the real life feud between her and Joan (‘rawl‘ord And those drag queens from the ()()s to the 90s who always used their lines in their acts have added to that.‘ So you don‘t have to be camp to enjoy this piece. But. to paraphrase Tom Robinson. it helps.
Citizens’ Theatre, Fri 21 Oct-Sat 12 Nov
Director Kenny Miller (top) says his stage adaptation of Baby Jane (opposite) is
not based on the film
LIPSTICKSCH'HCK
Fabulous, hilarious, glamorous - in her own words - the spoiled and pampered 50s queen Lypsinka ignites Glasgay! with lip- synch musical comedy. A big Joan Crawford fan, what does she think of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
When did you first see Baby Jane?
I first became aware of the film when I saw the trailer and the poster at the Hazle Cinema in Hazlehurst. Mississippi. They scared me so badly that I had to leave the building.
Where did you see it, and who with?
I can remember my sister and her friends watching it in the dark on television a few years later. I was still too scared to watch. I didn‘t actually see it until I was in college. But by then I had seen other Joan Crawford horror movies. What’s your favourite scene in the film? I enjoy the first interchange between sleazy Edwin Flagg and his mother, who says the word ‘secketary‘. I also like Jane’s trip to the newspaper to place her personal notice.
Which character do you prefer, Baby Jane or Blanche?
As fun as Jane might be. Blanche is easier to take.
Did you know about the rivalry and near hatred between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford before you saw the film?
Yes, I must have known. By then. I was very fascinated by old movie stars.
Do you think that adds to the story?
Yes. I think it adds a great deal, but it isn't necessary to know the back-story in order to enjoy the film.
If you were confined to a wheelchair and had to have a celebrity sister looking after you, who would you choose?
Sarah Jessica Parker is the nicest ‘celebrity' I have ever met.
What do you imagine Baby Jane’s musical collaborator Edwin Flagg might be doing now?
Pushing up daisies.
Why do you think the film has cult gay status?
Because gay peOple are outsiders. they identify with Iarger-than-Iife stars such as Joan Crawford. Bette Davis and their surrogates Blanche and Jane.
Ever woken up in the morning and poured yourself a whisky right away, like Baby Jane does?
Only when I realised I had to do this interview wrlh you!
70 Oct .i Nov 9005) THE LIST 15