mobanmarketHOLMDEL, NJ — It was 2008 when actress Jessica Sherr said someone told her five fateful words:
“You got Bette Davis eyes,” the person told her.
Sherr didn’t think much of it at first. It was only after she went home and searched for Bette Davis online that she began to see a resemblance.
Find out what's happening in Holmdel-Hazletwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“I thought, ‘Wow, I guess I look like this young Bette Davis,’” Sherr said. “That’s when it started. I got hooked on her story.”
Known for films such as “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” “All About Eve,” and “Dark Victory,” Bette Davis was an actress during Hollywood’s golden era in the 1930s and 40s.
Find out what's happening in Holmdel-Hazletwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Decades after her career, Davis’ life and legacy have been captured in Sherr’s one-woman production “Bette Davis Ain’t for Sissies,” which will come to Bell Theater on Oct. 19.
The show, written and performed by Sherr, follows Davis on the night of the 1939 Academy Awards. Davis is nominated for Best Actress, but when the LA Times leaks the winners early, drama ensues.
“I never thought it [the show] would be such an incredible success,” Sherr said. “It’s almost twelve years later, and I’ve performed over 400 shows across the country, 28 states, and three countries.”
Alongside touring with her one-woman show, Sherr got acting experience on sets ranging from Marvel’s “Cloak & Dagger” to TNT’s “Claws.” Outside of TV, she was in an improv group called “The Jessica’s,” and got training in on-camera technique, scene study, and improv & sketch.
“In the industry, as an actor, you have to find where you fit,” Sherr said. “And I definitely know I’m an actor who likes to produce. Instead of just being a funny redhead, I wanted to write myself something that was deep and challenging.”
That challenge came in the form of “Bette Davis Ain’t for Sissies.”
“When you’re with an ensemble, you use each other’s energy to get through certain challenges,” Sherr said. “In this [her one-woman show], if anything goes wrong, it’s all on me.”
While being alone on stage can be daunting, Sherr said her improv training is something that’s helped her in “an incredible way” throughout the production.
“As a solo performer, if something goes wrong you ‘Yes, and?’ it,” Sherr said. “You just continue to these happy accidents. Happy accidents in solo shows tend to be kind of golden moments, and oftentimes, the audience doesn’t know.”
One such moment happened a few weeks ago when, during the show, Bette Davis’ Oscar fell off a table on stage.
“Everyone in the audience said ‘Oh my gosh, an Oscar award fell down and you picked it up! You said you needed that Oscar. Was that written in the show?’” Sherr said. “It wasn’t. It was just the character – in the moment – said ‘I need my Oscar desperately,’ because she did. Bette Davis needed to have her Oscar.”
As Sherr went through the writing and rehearsal process for “Bette Davis Ain’t For Sissies,” she made it a priority to study Davis and find the most authentic ways to portray her.
Part of this process was assisted by Kathryn Sermak, a friend and assistant to Bette Davis, who read Sherr’s script and arranged a meeting with her.
“I sat with her and we talked about my play and she advised me with what Bette would have done,” Sherr said. “Because she knew Bette. She lived with Bette for 10 years of her life.”
At the end of their meeting, Sermak gifted Bette’s scarf, handkerchief, gloves and earrings to Sherr to wear in her play.
“Bette was a very generous person,” Sermak told Sherr. “This is a gift from her. Please wear it in your show.”
Sherr has worn the items on stage ever since.
“It gave me a sense of knowing not to give up,” Sherr said. “When I put on that scarf and those gloves, I feel like there’s a part of her in me. And we are similar. We are both firecracker-y, both passionate, and both of us won’t give up.”
Click Here: Kanken Rainbow Backpack
“Those gloves go on, and I know there’s a piece of Bette in every show,” Sherr said.
To learn more about “Bette Davis Ain’t For Sissies,” you can visit the production’s website.
“Bette Davis Ain’t For Sissies” will come to Bell Theater on Oct. 19 at 7 p.m.
Bell Theater is located at 101 Crawfords Corner Road, Holmdel
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.