Drowning in Veronica Lake

If you're looking for a great theatre show that's full of glamour and nostalgia for 1940s style Hollywood, this is it.

Drowning in Veronica Lake is a one woman show that captures the mood and sultry je ne sais quoi of the sassy screen siren Veronica Lake. The show comes with rave reviews from previous performances at arts festivals nationally and internationally. Plus particular plaudits for the gorgeous dress actress Alex Ellis wears. The unique costume extends out across the stage, filling the entire set.

On top of that we have a double feature special event on August 25th that we think will be pretty hard to pass up. Not only do you get to see Drowning in Veronica Lake, but as a bonus we are also screening the classic 1941 film, Sullivan's Travels by award-winning writer/director Preston Sturges and starring, of course, Veronica Lake. It's going to be a great night out, and just to set the mood we are also throwing in a glass of wine and a box of Jaffas!

"Alex Ellis’ stunning portrayal of the luscious but tragic Veronica Lake is brilliantly conceived and stylishly executed as we see her star blaze early and fade ferociously" - Adelaide Now.

In 1940s Hollywood, Veronica Lake set the standard for self-destructive celebrities. Smart, sexy, and typecast early in her career as the ice-cool femme fatale, she was thrust into the limelight at an early age. Naïve and unprepared she left in her wake a polarised industry who either loved or loathed her.

She took tea with Eleanor Roosevelt, piloted her own plane from coast to coast, was famously sued by her own mother and bankrupted by the IRS before a rapid descent into scandal, alcoholism and a premature and lonely death.

Now, 40 years later, trapped somewhere between Paramount and Purgatory she wrestles with stardom, booze, men, and her spectacular decline into obscurity.

‘A stunning performance... a fascinating story excellently told and well worth seeing’ - Dominion Post.

‘Highly recommended on all levels. An absolute must see in my books’ - TheatreScenes.

‘Perfectly titled, paced and pitched to reflect the rise and fall of a real Hollywood icon, the performance by Alex Ellis as Veronica Lake is simply stunning - a triumph of voice and nuance’ - Waikato Times.