Orson's Shadow

Orson's Shadow
OrsonsShadow.jpg

Orson's Shadow is a play by Austin Pendleton. The play received a Lucille Lortel Award nomination for Outstanding Play and won the Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance.

The play debuted at the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago in January 2000 and was performed at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego in September of that year [1].

The off-Broadway production, directed by David Cromer, opened on March 13, 2005 at the Barrow Street Theatre, where it ran for 349 performances. The cast included Jeff Still as Orson Welles, John Judd as Laurence Olivier, Susan Bennett as Joan Plowright, Lee Roy Rogers as Vivien Leigh, Tracy Letts as Ken Tynan, and Ian Westerfer as the stagehand Sean.

Since its New York City staging, Orson's Shadow has been mounted by a number of regional theatres, including Marin Theatre Company in Mill Valley, California [2], Round House Theatre in Bethesda, Maryland [3], Unicorn Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri [4], and the Gorilla Theatre in Tampa, Florida [5].

In 2006 it received a rehearsed reading at London's Old Vic Theatre .

Plot

Based on true events, it is set in 1960 London, where Orson Welles, already in the declining years of his career, is directing a production of Eugène Ionesco's Rhinoceros starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Plowright. Olivier, fresh from his triumphant portrayal of vaudevillean Archie Rice on stage and about to reprise the role in the film adaptation of John Osborne's The Entertainer, and Plowright are in the early stages of a romantic liaison developing at the end of his tumultuous marriage to Vivien Leigh. All four, and critic Kenneth Tynan, figure in the plot, which debates the merits of stage vs. screen, the mental and emotional struggle theatrical performers endure when contemplating a leap to films, and what occurs when their movie careers are hampered by the controls thrust upon them by the studio establishment.

It is a study of theatrical egos, each of the protagonists living mainly on the stage than in real life, each one feeling insecure while jockeying for power.

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Orson Welles — Welles in 1937 (age 21) photographed by Carl Van Vechten Born George Orson Welles May 6, 1915(1915 05 06) Ken …   Wikipedia

  • Orson Scott Card — Card at Life, the Universe, Everything at Brigham Young University in 2008. Born August 24, 1951 (1951 08 24) …   Wikipedia

  • Orson Scott Card bibliography — Orson Scott Card This is a list of the works of Orson Scott Card. (This list does not include criticisms, reviews, or things of the related written by him). Orson Scott Card is the author of The Ender saga and Homecoming Saga among many other… …   Wikipedia

  • Orson Welles — Orson Welles, März 1937 Fotografie von Carl van Vechten George Orson Welles (* 6. Mai 1915 in Kenosha, Wisconsin; † 10. Oktober 1985 in Los Angeles, Kalifornien) war ein US amerikanischer Filmregisseu …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Orson Scott Card — (2008). Orson Scott Card (* 24. August 1951 in Richland, Washington, USA) ist ein US amerikanischer Schriftsteller. Seine frühen Werke stammen aus den Genres der Science Fiction (z. B. Hot Sleep …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Orson Scott Card — en 2008 Activités Romancier, nouvel …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Shadow Complex — Desarrolladora(s) Chair Entertainment, Epic Games Distribuidora(s) Microsoft Game Studios Motor Unreal Engine 3 Pla …   Wikipedia Español

  • Orson Welles — Photographié par Carl van Vechten (1937) Données clés Naissance …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Orson Welles' Magic Show — Directed by Orson Welles Produced by Orson Welles Stefan Drössler (reconstruction supervisor) Written by Orson Welles …   Wikipedia

  • Orson Welles and People — Directed by Orson Welles Produced by Orson Welles Written by Orson Welles …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”