Orson’s Shadow starring Adrian Lukis (Laurence Olivier), John Hodgkinson (Orson Welles) and Gina Bellman (Vivien Leigh). Simon Annand photo
Orson’s Shadow will have its European premiere at London’s Southwark Playhouse on July 1.
The play, which runs through July 25, is set backstage at London’s Royal Court Theatre in 1960. It follows what happened when stage and screen legends Laurence Olivier and Orson Welles worked together for the first time on a production of Eugene Ionesco’s Rhinoceros.
Written by Austin Pendleton and directed by Alice Hamilton, the play stars John Hodgkinson (Welles), Adrian Lukis (Olivier), Gina Bellman (Vivien Leigh), Edward Bennett (Kenneth Tynan), Louise Ford (Joan Plowright) and Ciaran O’Brien (Sean).
Of the 2005 off-Broadway production, the Chicago Tribune called it “beguiling, full of wit, intelligence and salacious interest,” while the New York Times described it as a “deliciously funny, delightful backstage comedy.”
In 2006, Orson’s Shadow received a rehearsed reading at London’s Old Vic Theatre.
For tickets or more information, visit southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/the-large/orsons-shadow
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