🎭 The Screen Test
📍 Seven Dials Playhouse, 1A Tower Street, London WC2H 9NP
🗓 Tuesday 11th February 2025
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DELUSIONAL DARK CHAOS!
After stowing away to follow her dream of becoming a 1930s Hollywood starlet, Betsy Bitterly will stop at nothing in her desperate pursuit of achieving superstar status. Betsy is desperate and somewhat delusional is her search for happiness as we follow her chasing her dream through a series of screen tests over a seven year contract with a movie studio as she constantly fails to get the roles she desires.
Will she ever really 'make it', and will achieving her desires make her truly happy? All is revealed in this 1 hour rollercoaster filled with erratic behaviour and lots of laughs. There is no doubt that Betsy is eccentric. As she enters the stage to applause she gives audience members roses to throw at her, so she can bathe in being loved and appreciated.
This show is far deeper than it seems and really scratches the surface of what ot was like for young women in that era and how much they had to sacrifice. Betsy marries a man for his influential status rather than for love, but is more than willing to do so without seeing the negative impact this will have on her. The ending of the story shows what can happen when all that bottled up angst explodes.
Bebe Cave acts the part with utter gusto and is perfect for the role. I fear anyone else would overact this part but Cave manages to push it as far as possible whilst still keeping Betsy human and relatable. She is pure joy to watch.
Cave also wrote the piece, which is cleverly done. The use of video projections and a mannequin which represented the male characters in the story were both nice touches and very creative. Although they threw me at first, I did enjoy the references to modern day culture which were littered throughout. A reference to the movie Love Actually or the Domino's pizza advert really shouldn't work in a 1930s story, but they were very funny and actually fitted rather well!
The story is somewhat manic and slightly loses its way in the middle but it successfully bounces back. Betsy's constant need for validation from the audience makes you concerned the character, but all of these interactions in themselves were wonderfully comical and Cave's expressions and glances were all perfectly timed. There is definitely no fourth wall in this production!
THE SCREEN TEST from Bighead Comedy is playing until Saturday 15th February at the Seven Dials Playhouse and is not to be missed. CLICK HERE to check avaliability and to book tickets.
Neill Kovacic-Clarke
All views are my own and I pride myself on being honest, fair and free from influence. Theatre is subjective and it is important to remember that all views expressed are just those of one person.
My ticket for this performance of The Screen Test was gifted by Chloe Nelkin Consulting who invited me to watch the show in exchange for my honest review. The fact that my ticket was gifted played no part in the content of my review or the star rating given.
CAST LIST:
Bebe Cave as Betsy Bitterly
RUNNING TIME (approx):
1 hour, with no interval
CONTENT WARNINGS:
Bad language
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