Review: ORSON'S SHADOW at Cyrano's Theatre Company

Okay, stop me if you have heard this one: Laurence Olivier, Orson Welles, and Vivien Leigh walk into a rehearsal space... No? Turns out this actually happened. Watch what drama unfolds in Cyrano's Theatre Company's adaptation of Orson's Shadow by Austin Pendleton, directed by J. David Dahl.

Orson's Shadow is a drama-filled comedy recounting a moment when critic Ken (Alex Lannin) brings together Laurence Olivier (Jay Burns) and Orson Welles (David Haynes) for the play Rhinoceros. Welles has faded into obscurity as his last success Citizen Kane becomes a distant memory. Larry grapples with his first great love Vivien Leigh (Stefanie Suydam) slipping deeper into bipolar disorder while he falls in love with Jan Plowright (Danielle Rabinovitch).

Burns captured the audience immediately with a veiled threat that the characters would be breaking the fourth wall and we would be properly chastised for using our phones should that occurred. Burns' every movement was like a dance-carefully and skillfully practiced. He was completely exhausting-which, given his character, is high praise! Haynes' fully developed his character, adding nuances like carefully twirling a wine glass in his fingers, or lightly tapping his foot. Particularly enthralling was his monologue on suspense. Jeremy Gaunt, who played a youngster working on the play, pulled off a believable Irish accent. Suydam glamorously wins over the audience with her charm, which makes the pain she suffers through even more heartwrenching. Rabinovitch gracefully carried off her role as the "other woman" while making you feel nothing but compassion towards her.

The intimacy of the black box theatre lent well to the setting primarily took place in the backstage of a theatre. Some scenes used the actual theatre's exposed walls. Apart from an excessively long, and (in my opinion) unneeded set change, the tech was faultless. Music-reminiscent of the 1940s Hollywood films-slowly faded in and out in a way that could have been hokey, but instead lent to the overall feel of the play.

The show surprisingly delighted me. The actors bounced off each other naturally with the comedic dialogue. The script-about some of the most iconic stars lives were intermingled-was intriguing. During the climax of the show a wonderful thing happened-something so rare in theatre. The inner voice in my head shut down as the music in the theatre literally swelled. Every piece of me focused on the drama unfolding onstage. Each actor and actress meticulous. The lighting hit their faces, giving them a classic Hollywood look. As the music died, the audience stood up clapping. If you want to see great local theatre, this is it.

Don't miss Orson's Shadow at Cyrano's from now until April 1st. Tickets are available at CenterTix.com.

Photos courtesy of Cyrano's Theatre Company

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