The Auckland premiere of Drowning in Veronica Lake – a one-woman play set around the life of the old Hollywood star – had a dress theme of Old Hollywood so Thread’s Christina and Jess got glammed up for opening night…
The Auckland premiere of Drowning in Veronica Lake – a one-woman play set around the life of the old Hollywood star – had a dress theme of Old Hollywood so Thread’s Christina and Jess got glammed up for opening night…
I am not sure if you have seen the Friends episode when they all attend a one woman show and its a 4 hour performance from a bitter woman starting the play by yelling, “My first period…day 1..”. Well to be honest this is the only thing I could think of when I was asked to attend opening night of Drowning in Veronica Lake.
I went in unsure of what to expect. To my surprise, I found Drowning in Veronica Lake a captivating performance.
Alex Ellis plays the 1940’s screen siren Veronica Lake. “In 1942 Lake was the hottest discovery in Hollywood, dinning the President, and piloting her own plane across the continent. In less then a decade she was struck in a nose dive – sued by her own mother and bankrupted by the IRS. Now she wrestles with stardom, booze and her spectacular decline into obscurity”.
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The story is told wonderfully through the metaphor of Veronica Lake drowning in her own self which is portrayed as her dress which literally looks like a lake of cream cloth enveloping her.
Alex truly captured the many damaged sides of Lake and her raw talent and emotion kept me immersed in the sad story. It was a pleasure just to watch her capture the depth of the character of Lake; she was so versatile in the many characters she portrayed. I didn’t know much about Veronica Lake as an actress so I was also fascinated by her life.
If you are a newbie like me to a one-woman show or theatre overall then this would be a great first play. It was different to what I am used to in theatre but it was beautifully acted play, entertaining, and I really enjoyed it.
Drowning in Veronica Lake plays from 22 August to 1 September 2012 at Q Theatre 305 Queen Street, central Auckland.
Below: Christina and Jess in Old Hollywood glam for the opening night.
By Christina Dellar
25 August 2012
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