By Chuck Graham, TucsonStage.com
photo by Tim Fuller
Betsy Kruse Craig captures the "dahling" spirit of Tallulah Bankhead in "Looped."
Invisible Theatre continues its landmark 50th Anniversary Season with a heart-felt reminiscence about Tallulah Bankhead, that sizzling celebrity whose disregard for propriety dominated show business in the middle decades of the 20th century.
“Looped,” written by Matthew Lombardo and directed by Susan Claassen, is based on an actual incident in Los Angeles in 1965, when it took the vigorously undisciplined Bankhead some eight hours to successfully re-record two simple sentences (lasting maybe a minute) for a key scene in the film “Die! Die! My Darling!”
It would become her last film (she died in 1968), a pure exploitation piece that sadly presented a talent many considered “washed up” and “drug addled” by that time.
Lombardo the playwright has Bankhead show up at the studio inebriated and several hours late for the recording session, which should have taken only a few minutes to complete.
The playwright is fascinated by the colorful woman's “outrageous life.” Invisible Theatre's own Betsy Kruse Craig pours herself into the role of Tallulah, catching both the bravado and desperation of someone who feels trapped by her own success at creating such an unforgettable public persona, saying ruefully at one point that you can't be yourself, you have to always be that persona, always give the people what they want.
Here in our own 21st century set of culture wars where the front lines are constantly changing, it can be difficult to stretch across that gulf of time to feel the true shock of hearing a person for the first time use the F-word in casual conversation.
Yet there she is on the IT stage, Tallulah Bankhead swearing like a guttermouth and daring everyone else to keep up with her.
“Looped” is a 90 minute one-act that is set in a very specific film sound studio during the summer of 1965, divided neatly into two scenes – the first is when Tallulah shows up several hours late to be greeted by the sound editor Danny Miller (Damian Garcia) and audio engineer Steve (James Blair), both smothering their anger at Tallulah's irresponsibility.
The second scene takes place three hours later, with Danny and Steve well beyond exasperated. Tallulah herself is bored with the whole recording studio process.
She much prefers performing in person and on stage before a live audience. The longer she has to maintain this recording studio, the thinner it becomes.
Danny the buttoned down professional who refuses to let any steam escape his featureless exterior manner finally cracks. He is not really the control freak with everything in front of him running smoothly.
Neither is Tallulah, we discover, the caustic cynic who only loves herself.
“Looped” runs through Sept. 26 at Invisible Theatre, 1400 N. First Ave., with performances at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays-Fridays, and 2 p.m. matinees Sept. 25-26.
Tickets are $40, with group discounts available. For details and seating instructions, phone 882-9721, or visit invisibletheatre.com
The actors are not wearing masks. Audience members are requested to wear masks through the performance.
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