Reviewed
by Will Stackman
In
its latest incarnation, Austin Pendleton's Orson's Shadow, opens with Kenneth Tynan (Jason
Marr), seeking
Orson Welles (Steven Barkhimer), on the stage of a theatre in Dublin. The maestro has
been performing The Chimes at Midnight, his Falstaff play adapted from Henry IV, Parts 1 & 2. The ambitious
young critic is about to propose to his old friend that Welles should direct
Laurence Olivier (Tuck Milligan), in the London premiere of Ionesco's Rhinoceros opposite his soon-to-be wife,
Joan Plowright, (Helen McElwain). Of course there are problems: Sir Larry's still
married to Vivien Leigh (Debra Wise), who's descending further into madness; neither Welles
or Olivier really likes the play; and Tynan has a further agenda of becoming
Olivier's literary assistant for the soon-to-be National Theatre.
What
makes the play all the more interesting is, as the playwright freely admits, that
the action comes largely from his imagination. Tynan had nothing to do with the
production of Rhinoceros though he did become part of the National Theatre. How and why
Olivier chose Welles to direct him in the play is a bit of a mystery. The
strained relationship between the Oliviers was evident, perhaps based on her
having gone back to Hollywood to do Streetcar... for Kazan after having been
directed by her husband in London. Plowright did play Daisy in the piece after
her success in both The Chairs and The Lesson made her "up and coming."
Pendleton
began his acting career as the young nebbish in Arthur Kopit's Oh Dad, Poor
Dad... and was
invited by Vivien Leigh to repeat to role in London. He declined. He
encountered Welles when they both appeared in Catch-22. He's since done a variety of T.V.
and movie roles and regional theatre, appearing for the New Rep here for the
New Rep as a senile King Lear, the Marquis deSade in Quills, and of course as Vladimir in Waiting
for Godot, which
he did on Broadway where he played Estragon. Orson's Shadow has been gestating for quite a
while. After a few years of development it was first produced by Steppenwolf in
Chicago, where Pendleton is a member. After several regional productions the
play had a limited run of Broadway last season. And he's still working on it,
tuning its level of Absurdity to exploring the potential madness of the
theatre.
This
current cast, directed with finesse by award-winner Adam Zahler, places each character in their
own story. Barkhimer gives us Orson fighting for his career, hoping to somehow
film The Chimes at Midnight which he first conceived as a teenager. Milligan,
another Steppenwolf member, gives us aging Larry in a domestic turmoil at the
height of his career. Wise gives us Vivien acutely aware of her fragile mental
condition but a star to the end. Marr gives us the critic, sure of his opinions
but seldom of himself. McElwain gives us a down to earth Plowright, determined
to get Larry to go beyond the energetic and old-fashioned approach to acting by
which he's previously prospered. The play has no real plot but rather a series
of collisions between personalities, resolved only by the fate of each
principal. The ensemble work orchestrated by Zahler achieves the conclusion.
The
set by Janie E. Howland features a false proscenium, a purpose built collection of scenic
odds and ends and a faux plank floor. The effect of backstage between shows
allows for brief inserts of other locations. Molly Trainer's 1960's costumes capture the
characters, from Larry's conservative gray suit to Welles' magisterial black,
from Leigh's glamor to Plowright's working-class forthrightness. Jeff
Adelberg's
lighting, Scott G. Nason's sound, and Matthew CW Page's period props combine to achieve the New Rep's
usual quality production.