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Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Saturday 16th June 2018.
Joanne Hartstone is well known around the Adelaide theatre scene and, having just toured her production, The Girl Who Jumped Off The Hollywood Sign, in America, including, of course, Hollywood, the rest of the world is beginning to take notice. She has received many rave reviews in America and at the Edinburgh Fringe for this and also for her other current production, That Daring Australian Girl, about the Australian suffragette, Muriel Matters, and my review here will be no exception.
At the start of the play, that was also written by Hartstone, we find her portraying a young woman who is clinging on to the top part of the H of the Hollywood sign. She introduces herself as Evie Edwards, an aspiring but unsuccessful actress who has reached the end of her tether. In 1932, an actress named Millicent Lilian 'Peg' Entwistle really did commit suicide by jumping from the H of the Hollywood sign. Born in Wales to English parents, she had appeared in a number of Broadway shows, but only one film, Thirteen Women, for RKO. Her scenes were then cut from the film, prompting her to end her life. Her suicide note read, simply, "I am afraid, I am a coward. I am sorry for everything. If I had done this a long time ago, it would have saved a lot of pain. P.E."
In the course of telling her personal narrative, Evelyn Margaret Edwards, as she was known then, touches on American history, as well as the more specific history of Hollywood and the dark side of the film industry, with reference to a few of the stars and how they were treated. First, though, she takes us back to her childhood with her widowed father, the impact on their lives of the Great Depression, their move to Hooverville, and her father's eventual decision to move to Los Angeles to be a carpenter in the Hughes organisation. With the war underway, she gets a job as a messenger with MGM, primarily to become involved with the Hollywood Canteen, organised by Bette Davis, in an effort to meet the right people, those who can help her to become a star.
She soon tells how The Dream Factory was responsible for a great many nightmare stories. Evie is wearing a dress that once belonged to Theda Bara, a star, and sex symbol, in silent films who never made the transition to sound films. Sadly, a fire in 1937 at Fox Studios destroyed almost every silent film that had been made by the studio, including Bara's films.
Evie's ultimate aim is to meet Jules C. Stein, founder of the Music Corporation of America (MCA), which became the agent for half of the people in the film industry, and she will do anything to achieve her goal. His response to her audition sends her to the Hollywood sign, bringing us back to where we began.
Hartstone is superb as Evie, presenting a completely believable character who captivates the audience with her story. It doesn't stop there, though, as Hartstone also reveals her considerable talents as a singer, and even impresses with her skills in dance. It is easy to see why she has been the recipient of numerous awards, both local and international, and more are sure to follow. The big question is why one of the film studios hasn't offered her a contract. Their talent scouts are, clearly, not what they were.
Hartstone also plays a number of other characters with whom Evie comes into contact, and who affect the course of her life, varying her voice and accent to suit each one. She amplifies the story further by introducing tales of the abuse suffered by Jean Harlow and Judy Garland at the hands of Howard Hughes and the studios, who were determined that their stars maintain their images.
Vince Fusco's direction is incisive and Tom Kitney's simple but effective set and well-considered lighting serve to create the many different places, times, and moods.
Although there are only two performances, on this occasion, this production is sure to have return seasons here and around the world, so be sure to watch for it, especially at the next Edinburgh Fringe.
Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Saturday 16th June 2018.
