The Magnificent Welles: The Rise and Fall of OW - Marcus Wolland in his one-man show

[arvium3]

Just caught this Seattle production on DVD. Wolland is a real pleasure to watch as he brings OW to life, recounting his story to date in a sweaty Rio hotel room as his control over "Ambersons" disentegrates. It's not just that Wolland, who wrote the play himself, looks so much like him. He had a real handle on OW's showmanship, but he showed his irascibility and frailty, too, in his conversations with Robert Wise, Joseph Cotten, and others when they gave him the bad news by phone about what he had hoped to be his greatest work. And this translated well into a teleplay with careful attention to the shots, not just a static camera for the full stage with the occasional close-up.
This 2002 performance just came out on netflix this week, although it can be ordered from stagedirect.com.