Whatever Happened to Baby Gays?

Dear Bitches,

Whatever happened to our baby gays? You know. The young gays!

When I read that 'Bette & Joan: The Final Curtain' was to have a run in London soon after its Edinburgh Fringe debut, I jumped up with excitement, picked up the phone and texted Dolce.

Over a pre-theatre dinner of pasta and a cute waiter who was sa-shaying it, Dolce asked me, what are we watching? I said, "Bette and Joan." She said, "who are they?"

Gasp! Horrors of horrors! I waved it off and patiently gave a crash-course about these two gay icons while waiting for the bill to arrive.

Then I was with another group of young gays the next day. English roses, these are. I said to them "I saw this great production on Joan and Bette the other night..." Nothing! Blank looks across the settee.

Oh My God!

Now, I am usually on the side that argues there is no such thing as a gay culture. Just because we're gays doesn't mean we have to subscribe to certain ways, traditions, language. We don't all have to love the same things. But shouldn't we at least have history? Shouldn't we at least have knowledge of past gay icons?

So this I say to our young readers. Go and see 'Bette & Joan: The Final Curtain' at the Jackson Lane Theatre in Highgate. You'll have a good evening because it's fabulously camp and funny and you'll get an education out of it. It might help though if you watch first the film Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?

To our readers who may have been around the block a few times, go and see the show because it's funny and fabulously camp and imaginative. The actors are fantastic in their roles and to watch them slowly transform into the characters in 'Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?' is priceless. You will appreciate how the writers have brilliantly infused into the dialogue the famous bitchy quips one has rumoured to have said about the other. You will relish to see again Bette ruthlessly kicking Joan in the head. Several times.

Also, coming out of the play, one is reminded of what true bitchiness is from these grand dames of bitchy. Many people have forgotten what it is to be bitchy and mistake it for mean-spiritedness. Not quite. They're not even in the same pitch. Mean-spiritedness is easy and anyone can do it. All it requires is a black heart. Bitchiness, on the other hand, requires wit, imagination and practice. Black-heartedness not required.


Until next time, sweet-tarts. Kisses,

Hollie Go-Lightly



Links:
Jackson Lane Theatre
Foursight Theatre
Bette Davis interview
Joan Crawford interview