DeGrandi & Turner Humanize Misunderstood Legend 

by Corey Finnegan

We all contain multitudes. But Joan Crawford contained more multitudes than most. As such, “Joan Crawford Superstar” needs not one but two actors to portray the screen icon: Isabel DeGrandi as ambitious Young Joan, and Donna Turner as wizened Old Joan, as she reflects on her life and career in a series of revealing interviews.

Both Joans are strong, but Turner triumphs as a woman who has done it all and has zero fucks left to give. “I love playing bitches,” she tells one interviewer, “I don’t regret one moment.” After following Young Joan through the highs and lows of her career, we understand why.

DeGrandi is believable as fresh-faced young Joan trying to break into Hollywood–and then break out of the stultifying conventions of the studio system, which confined most actors within a narrow range of roles. Joan struggles to overcome the limitations imposed by studio boss Louis B. Mayer (Richard Wenzel), who comes across as entirely unsympathetic. Early on, Mayer claims he wants Young Joan to think of him as a father, to which she answers, “If you’re anything like my father, you’ll tell me you love me, then abandon me.” Her words prove prophetic.

When the introduction of sound revolutionized filmmaking, big stars like Billy Haines (Max Seijas) became has-beens overnight. When Mayer fires Haines for refusing to hide his homosexuality, Haines becomes a successful interior designer–thanks largely to Crawford’s support. The witty repartee between DeGrandi and Seijas provides some truly amusing moments.

Erica Flor does a fine job playing a handful of aspiring actresses, while Will Livingston underwhelms as Clark Gable.

What sets Joan apart from the other starlets of her era is her capacity for reinvention. At a time in Hollywood when “Most careers burn bright and fast,” Crawford evolves through various screen personas, sustaining her stardom even after a critic infamously labels her “box office poison.”

After Crawford is forced to leave MGM when Mayer gives up on her career, Joan reinvents herself several more times, including, surprisingly, as a Director for Pepsi-Cola.

Unfortunately, DeGrandi is burdened by increasingly artificial dialogue, as the script continuously breaks the cardinal rule of good drama: “Show, don’t tell.”

Yet even as the exposition-heavy dialogue explains Joan and her world as though it were the hottest gossip, the script rarely names names–a curious choice, given the audience is likely to include a fair share of old Hollywood aficionados. Another curious choice is the total absence of Joan’s husbands, who contributed so much to the seasons of her life.

“Joan Crawford Superstar” offers a window into Crawford’s humanity, a necessary corrective after “Mommy Dearest.” This Joan personally answers all her fan mail and avoids Broadway because she fears the stage. This Joan is “like a frightened kid” in public. This Joan needs the adoration of the crowd, and the approval of the critics: “I need validation so I can finally relax.”

Though we can never really know Joan Crawford, her great gift was that she could make us feel like we do.

 

“Joan Crawford Superstar” written & directed by Chris Chase, at Theater 33, San Francisco. Info: intentionaltheatrics.com – to May 18, 2025.

Cast: Donna Turner, Isabel DeGrandi, Richard Wenzel, Max Seijas, Will Livingston, and Erica Flor.