Review of Me and Orson Welles (2008) by Kevin C — 22 May 2010

Robert Kaplowâ??s source novel and Linklaterâ??s sprightly adaptation sprinkle a little fiction on Wellesâ??s very real, radical staging of â??Julius Caesarâ?? and offer a sideways view of one of the most precocious, flawed talents of the 20th century. In 1937, Welles was just 22, pre-â??War of the Worldsâ??, pre-â??Citizen Kaneâ??, but already a darling of the New York theatre scene and able to wrest art from chaos on a wing and a prayer. Efronâ??s Richard â?? played with an attractive, puckish energy and loosely based on a real character â?? is a window on Wellesâ??s world at just enough of a distance from the great man that the directorâ??s loud personality doesnâ??t dominate. All roads lead to Welles, but we also witness a brief affair between Richard and Mercury staffer Sonja, during which Richard learns that the public and the private are one and the same in this theatrical hothouse. Even the loss of his virginity infringes on Wellesâ??s mantra: â??There is one simple rule: I own the store!â??

McKayâ??s turn as Welles is hugely enjoyable, the right mix of extreme confidence and a dash of vulnerability. Physically and vocally, heâ??s very convincing: his Welles is a bullish presence among his actors but he also displays cracks in the great manâ??s armour: he whispers a sincere â??thank youâ?? to his producer andd tells Richard how heâ??s adapting â??The Magnificent Ambersonsâ?? for radio: â??â??Ambersonsâ?? is about how everything gets taken away from you,â?? he says, a reminder that Welles lost both parents by the time he was 15.

Whatâ??s most admirable about Linklaterâ??s production is that it never loses sight of the play at its heart. The crescendo is not a romance or any other distraction, but the outcome of rehearsals during which we and the cast believe a disaster is pending. Thereâ??s a strong ensemble flavour, characterised by the simultaneously selfish and clubbable tendencies of the actors, which makes for a lightly comic experience but also for a portrait of a theatre company that feels warm and true.