It's All True Staged in Ottawa

[Harvey Chartrand]

Ottawa's Great Canadian Theatre Company is presenting It's All True, a new play by Jason Sherman. It is yet another version of The Cradle Will Rock story. Toronto actor Richard Zeppieri plays the young Orson (and there isn't all that much of a resemblance with the 22-year-old wunderkind). Zeppieri's performance has been praised, though, and the play, directed by Stewart Arnott, is drawing good reviews. "Delights and amazes," raves The Globe and Mail, one of Canada's two national newspapers. For more information, visit www.gctc.ca.

[Jeff Wilson]

The inherent problem with staging this play (and any of the other plays with Welles as a character) is getting someone convincing to play Welles. The production of It's All True that I saw had a guy with a highish tenor voice playing Welles, which hurt any hope of being convincing, given Welles' voice being his most distinctive feature. The director's choice to have the guy play Welles as a whiny, foot-stamping baby made the play less tolerable overall. And why title the play It's All True, given the later project, which has nothing to do with the subject of the play, which is about The Cradle Will Rock? Dumb.

[71-1045893605]

I agree with Jeff. It's completely insane to put on a stage play, let alone produce a movie (RKO 281 comes to mind) where the actor who's portraying Welles doesn't even come close to sounding like him. Looking like Welles helps, but the actor must have the same diction, vocal patterns and deep booming voice. Without tooting my own horn...well, maybe I will, I have performed varous "one-man-shows" and "readings" portraying the young Welles, as well as, the elder Welles, and I must say, the reviews all commented how I SOUNDED just like Welles himself. I pride myself on this, having painstakingly researched all of Welles' radio shows, interviews and film projects. Plus the fact, well, damn it, my vocal range just happens to be similar to that of Welles (lucky me). With my moutache and goatee, I also (hauntingly) resemble Welles circa 1939 - 1942. Another example of a "Welles play" where the actor neither looks or sounds like Welles is "The Magnificent Welles", an absolutely amateurish performance that somehow is now being sold on DVD. I think there are so few "Welles-related" plays or movies because there aren't many actors/performers who have the Welles voice, mannerisms or resemblence that most Welles fans are accustomed to.

[Earth Calling Orson]

My two cents:

I agree pretty much with the general take on the recent "Welles" plays, etc...specifically "The Magnificent Welles". I also hate how OW was portrayed in "Cradle Will Rock". However, I am in the minority of Welles fans who liked "RKO 281". I wanted to hate it, but found it entertaining.

Although the "high tenor" voice of an actor playing Welles is unacceptable, I have to say that if an actor were to somehow catch the spirit and intensity of OW, I could forgive a less than convincing physical resemblance or vocal impersonation. I feel that the real problem is a lack of decent materiel for any actor to work with in terms of Welles on the stage or on film.

[Harvey Chartrand]

The only actor I can see playing Orson Welles is Dan Aykroyd, who is starting to look a bit like him, having put on considerable weight in recent years. I'm sure that Aykroyd's talent for mimicry would stand him in good stead, and that he would be able to nail Welles' rich, mellifluous tones, along with the Great One's brash manner.
I'm surprised Tim Robbins didn't think of casting Aykroyd as Welles in his film 'Cradle Will Rock' (what's with the missing 'The', anyway?)

[Michael]

I think Kelsey Grammer could possibly pull off playin Welles to. Right voice for it.

[R Kadin]

What about (now-deceased) Paul Shenar, who acted the OW role in "The Night That Panicked America"? It's a made-for-TV movie and a perfomance I remember rather fondly. (Okay, it HAS been years since I saw it last).

[R Kadin]

Ah, yes... no good nominating a dead guy. How about David Ogden Stiers from of TV's M*A*S*H*?

[Jeff Wilson]

It almost seems, given Welles' use of dubbing, that the ideal solution would be to find an actor who looks like Welles and dub with someone who sounds like him...maybe even slightly out of sync?

[71-1045893605]

A friend of mine who's also a screenwriter is trying to get Kelsey Grammer to read his Welles script. I personally feel Kelsey Grammer looks and sounds more like Bob Hope. That boat-shapped head of his and long nose makes him a dead ringer. As far as who could play Welles, that's one of the toughest questions around. I don't see Danny Ackroyd as Welles, not at all. Hell, why not pick John Goodman while you're at it. (Just kidding). I think an unknown actor would be best since the audience couldn't pidgeon-hole him with previous characters or roles. But, if I had to choose from a list of "known" actors I'd say: Kenneth Branaugh (with beard and pipe really does resemble Welles), Vincent D'Onforio (who actually did a Welles bit in "Ed Wood") and Chris Rock (who's brilliant "Head Of State" showed his Wellesian qualities) THAT'S A JOKE, PEOPLE!!! Whoever plays Welles MUST look and sound like him and have his mannerisms down perfectly. Jeff's idea of using a voice actor to dub the lines of another actor who looks like him could be done quite easily in today's post-MATRIX SFX world. I'm sure Industrial Light & Magic would put a bid for that job. Watch, some lame-ass TV movie about Welles' life will be announced next week starring "The Wonder Years" Fred Savage wearing a fat-suit!

[Oscar Christie]

Review of Chicago Production [quote]all true?

[Glenn Anders]

CRADLE WILL ROCK was Robbins' choice to escape any legal problems with either the Welles or Blitzstein estates. That's the best explanation that I can figure.

While we are imagining the Second Coming of Welles, why not get D'Onofrio or Schreiber, who look a bit like Welles, and are fine actors for the visuals. Then, fulfill Welles' dream by buying rights to Welles's Radio work, which was extensive. Computer-match dubbing could recreate in a new performance his professional voice, which changed only slightly in timbre during his lifetime.

It is an idea Welles would love.

Now, we only need a script and $30, 000,000 . . . .

Glenn

[savehollywood]

Kelsey Grammar has the voice and the look of an older Welles, but how to make him young?? I suggest Jack Black to play the part. I think he's got the charisma and is disarmingly talented (despite many of the movies he plays in would suggest).