All About Eve in Adelaide

The production of All About Eve produced by St Jude’s Players in Brighton, South Australia in April 2023, adapted and directed by Olivia Jane Parker, is not the play with the same name as the original story (The Wisdom of Eve), but instead, an adaptation of the Joseph L Mankiewicz film screenplay of that story, titled All About Eve and starring Bette Davis.

The original story The Wisdom of Eve was written by Mary Orr and published in Cosmopolitan Magazine in May of 1946. The article was based on an incident involving Austrian actress Elisabeth Bergner during her rehearsals for the hit stage thriller The Two Mrs. Carrolls in 1943-44, plus the aftermath in 1945.

From the moment she glimpses her idol at the stage door, Eve Harrington (played by Leah Lowe) moves relentlessly towards her goal: taking the reins of power from the great actress Margo Channing (Rebecca Kemp). The cunning Eve manoeuvres her way into Margo's Broadway role, becomes a sensation and causes turmoil in the lives of Margo's director boyfriend, Bill Sampson (Adam Schultz), the producer Max Fabian (Steve Marvanek), chief prompter Walter Stroud (Ian Hart), playwright Lloyd Richards (Scott Battersby) and his wife Karen Richards (Angela Short). Only Birdie Coonan (Deborah Walsh) and the cynical drama critic, Addison Dewitt (Joanne St Clair), see through Eve. Addison admires Eve's audacity and ambition, as does Phoebe (Zoe Battersby). As a result, Miss Caswell's (Jade Cooper) dreams are pushed aside in place of something more sinister.

All About All About Eve: The Complete Behind-the-Scenes Story of the Bitchiest Film Ever Made! a book written by Sam Staggs, was a resource that inspired many of the alterations made to the screenplay text by Director Olivia Jane Parker in order to stage it as organically as possible.

“I found that often the true facts behind the events were even more interesting than the fiction,” she said. “I endeavoured to weave both together for St. Jude’s Players’ audiences. For instance, a real letter that was received by Bergner and whose author remains somewhat of a mystery, is a welcome addition to our production.”

Parker went on to say, “I made the decision early on not to attempt to bring the piece into a modern time frame; it would lose the charm and qualities that made some of us fall in love with it in the first place. While written 70 years ago, the story has maintained its relevance, regardless of the setting. It is for those who loved the film, and those who love the theatre, for those of you who may be seeing All About Eve for the very first time or all over again.”

"Nothing is forever in the Theatre. Whatever it is, it's here, it flares up, burns hot and then it's gone." - Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Full Season Dates

Thursday April 20th 7:30pm; Friday April 21st 7:30pm; Saturday April 22nd 2:00pm and 7:30pm; Thursday April 27th 7:30pm; Friday April 28th 7:30pm; Saturday April 29th 2:00pm and 7:30pm

St Jude’s Hall, 444 Brighton Road, Brighton

To Book, from March 23:

Email bookings@stjudesplayers.asn.au or call 0436 262 628

Tickets: $25 adults, $20 concession, Group bookings (10 or more) $18

Click here to read about 2023 Community Theatre seasons.

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