HOLLYWOOD FRINGE: BELA LUGOSI MEETS EDNA ST. VINCENT MILLAY - Broadwater (Black Box)

Reviewed by Amalisha HuEck

In one-woman show written by Jordan R. Young, BelaLugosi Meets Edna St. Vincent Millay, Rose London digs into the similarities between the two iconic figures in our history and brings out how both of them achieved fame early, spoke against fascism, and struggled with addiction. The two of them never met, but the play suggests they intersect somewhere on a cosmic level.

The play was written during the pandemic, when our lives were turned upside down, and that inspired Young to take reality and turn it on its head, in a sense. He emphasized how early in his career, Lugosi became so strongly identified with Dracula, he ended up being typecast, because people couldn't see him as anything else. At the time Millay was the voice of female rebellion in the 1920s.

According to Young, "The fact is they were both social activists who railed against the Nazis and laid their careers on the line. They were both rebels who didn't hesitate to get involved when they saw injustice being done. Millay would leave her comfort zone and get out on the picket lines. Lugosi led his fellow actors in a protest against exploitation before he ever left Hungary, but they were both limited by their success. Lugosi was capable of playing far more than vampires and fiends but got few opportunities. Millay was one of the great poets of the 20th century but so many people know her only for her poem about burning the candle at both ends."

Rose London, who has been highly acclaimed for her performances throughout Southern California, embraced this play with all its diversities, shifts between the characters easily and paints each of them with her voice, body movements and costumes. For Lugosy she uses his famous cape and virtuously maneuvers it with grace. At one point she takes it into her hands, throws it over her shoulder, and creates the beautiful women's dress. Very creatively done. London uses heavenly Millay's poetry sparingly throughout the play, even though half of her poems are about love and half about death, but hearing poetry is always so uplifting. She speaks with Hungarian accent fluently, we hear some Beethoven music on megaphone and see some other of the props, like an old typewriter on the table with the bottle standing next to it. We also see the famous hat, all of which transform us immediately into that time. Well done!

Directed by Christine Cummings Bela Lugosi Meets Edna St. Vincent Millay is a part of Hollywood Fringe Festival selection. It runs at Broadwater Black Box, 6322 Santa Monica Blvd in Hollywood. The shows are on Sunday, June 15 at 2:30pm, Tuesday, June 24 at 6:30pm and Saturday, June 28 at 4:00pm and 7:00pm.  Admission is $15. The estimated running time is 55 minutes.