'Orson’s Shadow' at Theater for the New City

Photo by Lola Sáenz 

"Orson's Shadow," written and directed by Austin Pendleton (pictured above), is wrapping up its two-plus-week run on Sunday at Theater for the New City. 

The play debuted in 2000 and had its NYC premiere in 2005 at the Barrow Street Theatre, where it had a 349-performance run. 

The plot, via Theater for the New City: 

"Orson’s Shadow," based on true events, takes place on the stage of the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin and later on the stage of the Royal Court Theatre. In his declining years, Orson Welles is directing a production of Eugène Ionesco's "Rhinoceros," starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Plowright. 

Olivier is fresh from his triumphant theatrical portrayal of vaudevillian Archie Rice in John Osborne's "The Entertainer" and is about to reprise the role in its film adaptation. He and Plowright are in the early stages of a romantic liaison and his tumultuous marriage to Vivien Leigh is all but ended. The noted critic Kenneth Tynan becomes entangled in the conflicts between Welles, Olivier, and Leigh, adding tension and complexity to their relationships and influencing their decisions and perceptions.

You can catch a performance Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. (Thursday is a pay-what-you-can performance.) Find tickets here. 

Theater for the New City is at 155 First Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street. And be sure to check out the art in the TNC lobby gallery — when you go to the play or just stop by...