Gorilla Theatre's latest show, Orson's Shadow by Austin Pendleton, is a reimagining of actual behind-the-scenes events that occurred during the 1960 London production of Ionesco's absurdist comedy, Rhinoceros. Cajoled into directing the endeavor by friend and theater critic Kenneth Tynan, Orson Welles soon finds himself in a fierce clash of egos with the play's star, Sir Laurence Olivier. Neither man trusts the other or truly likes the play, and both are so consumed with insecurities and the enormous pressure to reinvent themselves that the drama they're supposed to be performing takes a back seat to the psychodrama they're living. And it doesn't help that Olivier is in the midst of leaving his mentally unstable wife, Vivien Leigh, for his much younger co-star, Joan Plowright. Orson's Shadow explores all the uncomfortable possibilities and reveals the frailty of the larger-than-life personalities involved. Through March 18, 7 p.m. Thurs., 8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 3 p.m. Sun., 4419 Hubert Ave., Tampa, $20-$25 adults/$15-$20 students and seniors ($10 student rush tickets available 30 minutes before curtain), 813-879-2914, gorilla-theatre.com.
This article appears in Feb 28 – Mar 6, 2007.