Written and performed by Bettina Lohmeyer
Directed by Susan Batson
After 30 performances in New York and 18 performances in Berlin, the show premiered in German language on May 9, 2022 in Berlin. I was last on stage as Bette Davis at the Centre Bagatelle on March 11, 2023. More performances are planned!
“Bettina Lohmeyer as Bette Davis in “Fasten Your Seatbelts” ignites into originality and pure entertainment. An evening of blazing theatrical fireworks. Brilliant – it soars!”
(Joe Franklin, Bloomberg Radio, New York City, 2014)
Bette Davis (1908-1989) was one of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood: She was a pioneer on-screen and let the audience see the world in a new way. She was never out to win a popularity contest: She didn´t compromise, fought for better scripts, wasn´t afraid of playing dislikable characters and always went for the truth. Hollywood wanted her to be nice – she wanted it real.
She became an icon: Bette Davis made more than 100 films, won two Oscars and many other awards. She was a liberated woman with a personal life as dramatic as her roles. She proved that you can have a career and remain honest – if you are willing to pay the price of being lonely. She was larger than life.
Her career spanned six decades and she never stopped working. She always kept this flame alive: her passion for acting.
Bette Davis… “Fasten Your Seatbelts!” is a show that takes you on a ride from 1936 to 1985. It´s about the ups and downs in Bette Davis´ life: her biggest fight with Jack Warner, her success as an extraordinary actress, her most painful loss and some curious struggles in her private life as well.
Join the ride – and fasten your seatbelt!
“I am pleased that she (my mother) has inspired and touched you.”
(Michael Merrill, Bette Davis‘ son in a letter to Bettina Lohmeyer)
Feedback from Andreas Karlaganis (Dramaturg at Schauspielhaus Zürich) Feedback letter
“Insightful and compelling! In the film, ‘Whatever Happenend to Baby Jane’, Bette Davis’ character sings ‘I’m writing a Letter to Daddy.’ FASTEN YOUR SEATBELTS is that letter!”
(Ken Waissman, Tony Award Winning Broadway Producer, 2015)