Ruth and Mildred are aging movie stars in the 1960s. They have in their time (the thirties and forties) been goddesses of the screen, but now both are on the skids and desperate for work. Mildred is doing obscure theatre under spartan conditions when Ruth comes to her with a film script she wants them to star in. It's a horror movie called Gorgons, about two insane and homicidal sisters. Ruth needs another big name like Mildred to get the funding. They have always been bitter rivals who've fought over roles and men. Ruth has slept her way to the top, while Mildred has taken the high road and paid for it, and they loathe each other. But both long to be famous again, so they agree to do the movie, which involves a human head bouncing down a staircase, wheel chair torture, and the dismemberment of an unfortunate servant. They fight, scream, throw fits, throw heads, seriously injure one another, and at some point come to the conclusion that they must stop the war and work together if this disastrous movie is not going to end up being their inglorious and humiliating epitaph in Hollywood. Then come the Oscars. Look out. Imagine Joan Crawford and Bette Davis doing their best to refrain from murdering each other while holding severed heads and axes. This ice pick sharp, insane asylum funny, dark as a tomb riotous all out struggle between two legendary titans of the screen is a joyous playground for two mature actresses who can play every note on the emotional keyboard, from heartbreak to homicide, and really go all out. No holds barred, non-stop, wicked, sympathetic, murderous, and wildly funny.
Published in Gorgons & Other Plays.