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Title: Rathbone
Subtitle: The Hollywood Legends, Book 10
Author: Michael B. Druxman
Narrator: Jake Sanson
Format: Unabridged
Length: 1 hr and 6 mins
Language: English
Release date: 12-05-17
Publisher: Michael B. Druxman
Genres: Arts & Entertainment, Celebrity Bios
Publisher's Summary:
To the average moviegoer, the name of Basil Rathbone conjures an image of fictions most famous detective - Sherlock Holmes. Certainly, of all the actors who have played the Baker Street sleuth, his interpretation was the most definitive.
Yet, for the true aficionado of the cinema, the actor was much more than the personification of Sir Arthur Conan Doyles creation. He was also Mr. Murdstone in David Copperfield, Richard III in Tower of London, Louis XI in If I Were King, Tybalt of Romeo and Juliet, Captain Estaban Pasquale in The Mark of Zorro, Sir Guy of Gisbourne from The Adventures of Robin Hood, and, of course, the Son of Frankenstein.
For most of his years in motion pictures, Rathbone was the victim of type-casting. During the 1930s, he was known as the screens ultimate villain - constantly in demand by producers to carry out dastardly deeds. Later, he assumed the guise of Sherlock Holmes and his past accomplishments were virtually forgotten. However, the fame that accompanied that role came at a high price: In a twist of fate, the role of a lifetime managed to irrevocably damage Rathbones career.
Michael B. Druxmans Rathbone joins the actor near the end of his life while, because of his troubled financial condition, he is working on still another less than memorable film. The play delves into Rathbones dark side, exploring his relationships with his first wife, the son he virtually abandoned, and Ouida, the divisive woman to whom he was married for over 40 years, yet perhaps never really knew.
Members Reviews:
A Night (or Two) with Basil Rathbone
To sum up: If you're looking for a one man show that recalls the glamour of the Hollywood studio-system era, this is an excellent choice.
Now the nitty-gritty: First, it's possible my review would've been four stars if I hadn't started out so excited about this play. Basil Rathbone has been my favorite old time Hollywood personage for years and to see him be given the one-man-show treatment was an exciting prospect.
However... I was also concerned as the man's life wasn't that dramatic. Fredric March summed up Mr. Rathbone best when he said "He was a good actor and a nice guy." Not the stuff of high drama. Mr. Druxman seems to have countered this issue by making Ouida Rathbone the stuff nightmares are made off. While his Mr. Rathbone admits his wife's encouragement meant the world to him, this does little to round out the shrew we come to know and loathe. At times, Mr. Druxman seems to be throwing the game; there are moments when Mr. Rathbone talks to Ouida on the phone saying things that are tantalizingly ambiguous, but then Mr. Druxman has Mr. Rathbone assure us he is lying. The drama of watching Mr. Rathbone want to believe in his wife might've been more compelling then the play as it stands.
(If anything, he makes one wonder if Ouida's one woman show might have been more interesting. A woman with a mysterious past and almost 40 early Hollywood screenplays to her credit trying to sublimate her ambitions into being a Real Housewife of 1930s Hollywood could have made for some great drama. Perhaps, Mr. Druxman could consider a companion piece?)
Fitting Ouida for a black hat aside, this play has some real advantages going for it.