# Orson's Shadow > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Orson's_Shadow > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Orson's_Shadow.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orson's_Shadow > Source revision: 1330745433 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) ***Orson's Shadow*** is a play by [Austin Pendleton](/source/Austin_Pendleton). The play received a [Lucille Lortel](/source/Lucille_Lortel) Award nomination for Outstanding Play and won the [Drama League Award](/source/Drama_League_Award) for Distinguished Performance. ## Plot The play, based on true events, is set in 1960 [London](/source/London). In his declining years, [Orson Welles](/source/Orson_Welles) is directing a production of [Eugène Ionesco](/source/Eug%C3%A8ne_Ionesco)'s *[Rhinoceros](/source/Rhinoceros_(play))*, starring [Laurence Olivier](/source/Laurence_Olivier) and [Joan Plowright](/source/Joan_Plowright). Olivier is fresh from his triumphant theatrical portrayal of [vaudevillian](/source/Vaudeville) Archie Rice in [John Osborne](/source/John_Osborne)'s *[The Entertainer](/source/The_Entertainer_(play))* and is about to reprise the role in [the film adaptation](/source/The_Entertainer_(1960_film)). He and Plowright are in the early stages of a romantic liaison; Olivier's tumultuous marriage to [Vivien Leigh](/source/Vivien_Leigh) is all but ended. Critic [Kenneth Tynan](/source/Kenneth_Tynan) also figures in the plot, which debates the merits of stage versus screen, the internal struggle that theatrical performers endure when contemplating a leap to films, and the ways that the studio system frustrated the careers of individual artists. It is a study of theatrical egos, each of the protagonists living more on the stage than in real life, each one feeling insecure while jockeying for power. ## Production history ### United States The play debuted at the [Steppenwolf Theatre](/source/Steppenwolf_Theatre) in [Chicago](/source/Chicago) in January 2000 and was performed at the [Westport Country Playhouse](/source/Westport_Country_Playhouse) that summer and the [Old Globe Theatre](/source/Old_Globe_Theatre) in [San Diego](/source/San_Diego) in September of that year.[1] The [off-Broadway](/source/Off-Broadway) production, directed by [David Cromer](/source/David_Cromer), opened on March 13, 2005 at the [Barrow Street Theatre](/source/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](/source/Tracy_Letts) as Ken Tynan, and Ian Westerfer as the stagehand Sean. Since its [New York City](/source/New_York_City) staging, *Orson's Shadow* has been mounted by a number of [regional theatres](/source/Regional_theatre_in_the_United_States), including [Marin Theatre Company](/source/Marin_Theatre_Company) in [Mill Valley, California](/source/Mill_Valley,_California),[2] Round House Theatre in [Bethesda, Maryland](/source/Bethesda,_Maryland),[3] Unicorn Theatre in [Kansas City, Missouri](/source/Kansas_City,_Missouri),[4] and the Gorilla Theatre in [Tampa, Florida](/source/Tampa,_Florida).[5] ### United Kingdom In 2006 it received a rehearsed reading at London's [Old Vic Theatre](/source/Old_Vic), and in July 2015 received its European premiere directed by Alice Hamilton at London's [Southwark Playhouse](/source/Southwark_Playhouse), as part of the Orson Welles centenary. The cast included [John Hodgkinson](/source/John_Hodgkinson_(actor,_born_1966)) as Orson Welles, [Adrian Lukis](/source/Adrian_Lukis) as Laurence Olivier, [Louise Ford](/source/Louise_Ford) as Joan Plowright, [Gina Bellman](/source/Gina_Bellman) as Vivien Leigh, [Edward Bennett](/source/Edward_Bennett_(actor)) as Kenneth Tynan, and [Ciaran O'Brien](/source/Ciaran_O'Brien) as the stagehand Sean.[6] ## External links - [Official website](https://web.archive.org/web/20060112195348/http://www.orsontheplay.com/index.html) (Internet archive copy; actual domain ownership lapsed.) - [Lortel Archives listing](http://www.lortel.org/LLA_archive/index.cfm?search_by=show&title=Orson%27s%20Shadow) - [2005 New York Times review](http://theater2.nytimes.com/2005/03/14/theater/reviews/14orso.html?ex=1172898000&en=a3e8d6c667a3a5c5&ei=5070) - [2015 Wellesnet review](http://www.wellesnet.com/review-orsons-shadow-makes-its-european-debut/) ## References 1. Citron, Cynthia. [Orson's Shadow Review](http://www.curtainup.com/orsonsshadow.html), Curtain Up. 2008 1. [Talking Broadway](http://www.talkinbroadway.com/regional/sanfran/s828.html) 1. [Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/07/AR2007020702520.html) 2007 1. ["Orson's Shadow at the Unicorn Theatre, a Review - Kansas City infoZine"](http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/18574/). *Kansas City infoZine*. Retrieved 23 July 2015. 1. Fleming, John. [When the Stars Start to Dim](http://www.sptimes.com/2007/03/01/news_pf/Weekend/When_the_stars_start_.shtml) March 1st, 2007 1. Stratford, Brice. [Review: 'Orson's Shadow' makes its European debut](http://www.wellesnet.com/review-orsons-shadow-makes-its-european-debut/), Wellesnet. July 8, 2015 --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Orson's Shadow](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orson's_Shadow) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orson's_Shadow?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.