Bette Midler is Sue Mengers. In I’ll Eat You Last, the funny, outspoken actress plays the infamous 70s talent agent with such clarity and wit, that you can’t help but believe her throughout. Midler is the sole performer in the production and, while the set is visually interesting, she herself hardly moves from the couch for the duration of the play. But if you think this would make for a boring or static production, you clearly haven’t seen Midler act to her fullest, which is exactly what she is doing in the John Logan play, which opened last night (Wednesday, April 24) at Broadway’s Booth theatre.

The setup is simple – the play is set in 1981, when Mengers, who represented stars of Barbra Streisand, Faye Dunaway, Michael Caine and Gene Hackman is already losing relevance. But she isn’t one to moan about it – not on the surface at least. Middler is the perfect actress to bring the quippy, somewhat cynical, occasionally foul-mouthed Mengers back to life. She is an actress experienced enough to not only fill up the stage, but to also possess enough knowledge of the harsh world of Tinseltown, giving her character some essential depth. I’ll Eat You Last captures the essence of a woman who has experienced Hollywood to its fullest and lived to tell the tale.

Bette Midler, Booth Theatre
Midler has been collecting praise from fans and critics for her spot on performance.