Have you ever had a houseguest who just wouldn't leave? Have you ever wondered what it would be like if that guest had been Hollywood legend Bette Davis?

Fairfield University's Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts presents "Me and Jezebel," a rollicking true story of how a well-meaning Connecticut writer spent a month with the Oscar-winning star of "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? and "All About Eve," on Thursday, March 10, through Saturday, March 12, at 8 p.m. Directed by Mark Graham, the performances will feature Weston author Elizabeth Fuller as herself, and actor Kelly Moore, a man who delivers a dead-on impersonation of the late diva.

"Kelly Moore becomes Bette Davis!" raved the Kansas City Current News. "Never for a moment does he do an injustice to the legend."

The story takes place in 1985, when Fuller, a Davis fan since childhood, met the actress through a mutual friend, who brought her to Fuller's house for dinner one night. When the friend was called away on a family emergency the next day and a New York hotel strike closed all alternatives, Davis called Fuller and asked if she could sleep over for a night, maybe two.

The next morning a limo pulled up to Fuller's home, toting Davis - followed by a station wagon filled with 18 pieces of Louis Vuitton luggage. The flamboyant actress stayed a full 32 days, during which she dished on rival Joan Crawford, lectured Fuller on her parenting skills and set the living room drapes ablaze.

Fuller parlayed her real-life "Man Who Came to Dinner" saga into an amusing magazine story, a full-length book and a lecture tour before creating the two-person stage play. The show's played to critical acclaim in New York City, Washington, D.C. and Florida, as well as Sydney, Australia, and Sao Paolo, Brazil.

The Quick Center performances will be directed by Mark Graham, who was involved in the development of the stage adaptation and has directed the show in the past. Graham, a member of the Westport-based Theatre Artists' Workshop, recently directed the Off-Broadway production of "Rooster in the Henhouse" on Theatre Row and has developed and produced a number of plays, including "Harry & Thelma in the Woods," which premiered at the Hollywood Playhouse. Graham, who has directed and/or produced more than 50 plays and musicals, is the co-producer of the play development series "From Page to Stage" and was the general manager of Lucille Lortel's White Barn Theatre in Westport. He is a former board member of the Westport Country Playhouse and holds an MFA in directing from the University of Connecticut.

Fuller is the author of 10 published books, including "When You See the Emu in the Sky: My Journey of Self-Discovery in the Outback" and "Nannies: How I Went Through Eighteen Nannies for Our Little Boy Before I Found Perfection in a Former Marine Sergeant Named Margaret." Her most recent book is her first murder/suspense thriller, "Red Snow." "Me and Jezebel" is currently optioned for a theatrical film.

Moore is certainly no stranger to bringing Bette Davis to life. He's been impersonating the feisty actress for more than eight years on stages from Key West to Kansas City. Moore began his acting career at the Dallas Theatre Center, then moved to the Alliance Theatre Company and the Syracuse Repertory Theatre. He made his his Broadway debut in "Life With Father" and toured for five years with the Emmy-winning Prince Street Players.

"Me and Jezebel" is the second of three Quick Center-based theater productions scheduled for the season. The final fully-staged production is "Danger, People at Large," an evening of short comedies by Fred Stroppel featuring Broadway and television stars Jack Klugman and Brett Somers in their first appearance together in more than 30 years. Performances will take place from April 21 through April 23.

Tickets to "Me and Jezebel" are $25 and seating is limited to 120. For tickets, call the Quick Center box office at (203) 254-4010 or toll free at 1-877-ARTS-396.

Posted On: 02-10-2005 10:02 AM

Volume: 37 Number: 161