Last week, Viv and Larry dot com contributor and awesome person, Lauren (the one who made that fabulous Vivien Christmas Tree tribute), was lucky enough to go to Pasadena to see the play “Orson’s Shadow,” which is based on incidents that occurred in 1960 when Orson Welles was directing Larry Olivier and Joan Plowright in Eugene Ionesco’s “Rhinoceros”. Here’s what she had to say on her LJ:

So my trip to Pasadena was beyond amazing, the show was great-there were a few parts where I was like WTF, that didn’t happen. But the ending made the whole play!
So Joan Plowright is explaining to the audience what happened to everyone blah blah blah…. “I’m the only one on this stage that’s still alive blah blah blah”
Blah
“Larry and I got married and had three healthy children- etc.”
“Then Larry contracted an muscular disorder-and he never returned to the stage-yet he somehow managed to make movies-to keep our family going.”

“And I can remember one night Larry was watching the tele, and That Hamilton Woman was on.” (Joan is crying at this point)
And he said ‘There! That’s true love’ and I know when he said that he didn’t see me. It was Vivien. Vivien Leigh. “

I wanted to cry then and there.
The guy that played Larry looked NOTHING like the real Olivier, but he did a very good job. And Sharon Lawrence who played Vivien pulled a great Blanche Dubois, but her Viv accent was so OFF. My mom said “Lauren, you’re too picky,” but who wouldn’t be. I know what she sounds like and if that’s not what I get then of course I’m going to complain.
We got moved down to the third row, we could see everything. Ken spat all the time I felt bad for the ladies in the front row.
Sharon didn’t look like Viv, but from the profile there was maybe something that reminded me of Viv.
The lady that played Joan Plowright looked just like her! It was so scary.
I also loved when Larry was talking to Orson Well’s and says “Orson I know you like Vivien-but you don’t understand, you don’t understand, I love her. And she’s in love with oblivion. I wish I could be oblivion.”
I wanted to cry there too.
Haha, so all in all, it appears she liked the pla. I thought I’d been to the Pasadena Playhouse–I thought it was this place in Santa Monica, but, no, it is actually in Pasedena, and that’s a bit too far for me to drive. Ah well, Lauren, I’m glad you told us about it, ad that you liked it! By the way, who’s Ken? Ken Tynan, rat-like theatrical and film critic? Or was that an actor’s name?

Lauren provided some photos from her super adventure:


Thanks, Lauren!

Read a review of the play at curtainup.com:
http://www.curtainup.com/orsonsshadowny.html

The play will be at the Pasedena Playhouse here in SoCal until Feb. 17, so see it while it’s hot!