Sex, Lies & Betrayal – Memoirs of a Hollywood Star | JTM Productions
Sex, Lies & Betrayal – Memoirs of a Hollywood Star | JTM Productions
Sex, Lies & Betrayal invites us to the golden age of Hollywood—on the surface, it’s the glitz and glamour of the silver screen but underneath our celluloid heroes’ personal struggles are revealed, in this case we get a raw look at Miss Nightingale. Based on true stories, we never find out exactly who Miss Nightingale is, but there’s enough information throughout the show to make a guess of our star’s identity.
Performed at the historic Old Museum in Bowen Hills, I thought the location was a great choice. It’s a venue with style and a vintage feel, a venue with a rich history which added to the immersion of making you feel like you’re taken back in a time machine to a bygone era. It’s minimal in set design, but the props used such as the vintage telephone, lamp and record player stood out.
As we enter the room, we are soon introduced to Miss Nightingale, played by the talented Karla Hillam. Immediately I was captivated and engaged, with the intimacy of the setting it made you feel at times like a fly on the wall of something real. Karla brought the confidence required to play a charismatic Hollywood Legend, along with the elegance of a Grace Kelly, and the depth to show the struggle, pain, and haunting memories.
It’s a one person play that relies heavily on dialogue. Having an experience actor in Karla, she was able to bring a range of different emotions, some subtle, others in full display to guide us along throughout the duration in a masterful performance.
As the show goes on Miss Nightingale reminisces about her life, reflecting on what she has written in her memoirs and going into detail about her past loves and sexual encounters. We get to see not only Karla’s acting skill, but also her singing and powerful voice, as different songs are intertwined with each piece sung with a purpose giving us more insight into the character and how she is feeling.
I really enjoyed that aspect of the show. Many of the song choices were more modern but reworked to give them a classical feel and make them feel they belong to those times.
It touches on many themes: fame, success. loneliness, despair, love, passion, sex. Also, speaking about the misogyny of Hollywood during that era which is unfortunately still prevalent today. It’s a great insight into the hardships of being a leading actress in an industry controlled by men in power and the sacrifices that were made to keep the superstar appearance. Miss Nightingale’s life is one of beauty, triumph, and tragedy and although a big-time star, we are constantly reminded behind the screen is a flawed human like us all trying to navigate in a corrupt world while holding out for hope to find meaning and deep love in life.
There are erotic moments in the performance. We hear about Miss Nightingale’s sexual awakening, adultery among other things. It’s a R-Rated play and is only for people of a certain age, but it’s not gratuitous or cheap. It’s raunchy but with class and is an important part of Sex, Lies & Betrayal and the Miss Nightingale character.
Overall, I thought this was an honest portrait of celebrity life. It’s engaging and never overstayed it’s welcome. If you’re interested in a steamy neo-noir character study of a Hollywood Legend then this is definitely worth checking out, but even if you’re interested in good acting, storytelling with musical elements then it’s a show worth attending.
