Mae West: Mere Mouthpieces

Starring Australian actress Melita Jurisic as the American icon MAE WEST, a new play “Arbus and West” is onstage in Melbourne until March 30th. Naturally, Mae would have stipulated that her name was placed first in the title. Let’s enjoy a spirited review by drama critic Cameron Woodhead. This is Part 2.
• • “Arbus and West mere mouthpieces for Sewell's 'ideas' play” • •
• • Can you make the dead live onstage? • • 
• • Cameron Woodhead wrote: The immediate challenge with “Arbus and West” for director Sarah Goodes and her extremely talented cast is to make the dead live. That's a difficult feat with respect to someone whose persona was as all-consuming, relentless and radical as West's.
• • Cameron Woodhead wrote: Melita Jurisic's performance stirs together all the ingredients we associate with the Hollywood icon: the husky contralto and come-hither poses, the bawdy bon mots and up-yours-with-the-rent attitude are all painstakingly applied, and there's a slightly uncomfortable sense that they're unable to be removed or changed, as if they were make-up tattooed into West's skin.

• • Cameron Woodhead wrote: If you care about acting, you’ll be struck by the craft on display. 
• • Photo: Diana Glenn by Jeff Busby
• • Diana Glenn as Diane Arbus • • . . .
• • To be continued on the next post.
• • Source: Sydney Morning Herald, stage review; published on Monday, 4 March 2019.
• • Timothy Dalton's Birthday • •
• • Mae West's co-star and screen husband in "Sextette," Timothy Dalton was born in March — — on Thursday, 21 March 1946. (You can do the math.) We wish him a Happy Birthday!
• • On Saturday, 21 March 1936 in Hollywood • •
• • The popular trade publication Hollywood Reporter followed the back-biting between Will Hays and the film starring Mae West "Klondike Annie." They printed an article about this in their issue dated for Saturday, 21 March 1936.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •
• • Mae West's peignoir is in the permanent collection of the Frederick's of Hollywood Museum at 6608 Hollywood.
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "I've been on more laps than a napkin."
• • Mae West said: “I’ve been on more tables than a dinner napkin.”
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • The Daily Variety mentioned Mae West.
• • With the new season here major studios are frantically searching for hew picture personalities, realizing that with the. exception of Mae West and Katharine Hepburn, the past year has given little, in the way of names to stimulate the box office.  …
• • Source: Variety; published on Monday, 18 September 1933
• • The evolution of 2 Mae West plays that keep her memory alive • • 
• • A discussion with Mae West playwright LindaAnn LoSchiavo — — 
• • http://lideamagazine.com/renaissance-woman-new-york-city-interview-lindaann-loschiavo/

• • The Mae West Blog celebrates its 14th anniversary • •  

• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past fourteen years. Not long ago, we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 4,100 blog posts. Wow!  

• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fourteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4174th blog post. Unlike many blogs, which draw upon reprinted content from a newspaper or a magazine and/ or summaries, links, or photos, the mainstay of this blog is its fresh material focused on the life and career of Mae West, herself an American original.

• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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• • Photo: • • Mae West • • Diana Glenn onstage as Arbus, 2019 • •
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