The Little Theatre Cinema, 7th June 2023
David Shopland gives a startling performance as Welles, fully capturing his swagger, arrogance and self-sabotaging insecurities
Orson Welles was one of the very few directors from Hollywood's golden age - alongside Hitchcock and De Mille - whose image and personality were as famous as their cinematic work. At the tender age of 26, Welles made his film debut with Citizen Kane, a movie which was regarded by the BFI for 50 years as the best film ever made - an accomplishment he struggled in vain to replicate through the rest of his career.
Raising Kane is the new 50 minute one-man show by Fake Escape Theatre, in try-out before its transfer to the Edinburgh Fringe. It explores Welles' story, from the loss of his supportive parents ("Orphan Welles"), through his formation of the Mercury Theatre and success - largely through bullish self-confidence and, yes, lies - at Dublin's Gate Theatre and then on Broadway, through to the making of Kane.
"a compelling account of the tenacity needed to make it big in Hollywood. "
Writer/actor David Shopland gives a startling performance as Welles, fully capturing his swagger, arrogance and self-sabotaging insecurities, all presented with his trademark laconic delivery. On a minimal monochrome set in front of a blank cinema screen, Shopland - similarly black and white in costume, down to his crumpled suit, grey gloves and lustrous pale face paint - gives vent to Welles' self-absorption but always presents him as a fully-rounded character with foibles of which he is all too aware.
Along the way he treats us to seamless impressions of those he worked with, and welcome moments of humour. The timeline is unclear (he is monochrome and in his thirties, yet makes reference to modern allusions such as the Pixar film Up), so we may suppose this is Welles' ghost looking back from present day. Either way, it is a compelling account of the tenacity needed to make it big in Hollywood. Furthermore, the theatrical setting in front of Bath's Little Theatre's cinema screen neatly highlights the dual love Welles had for the stage and the screen.
"a small miracle of a show"
And then, once Welles has completed making his magnum opus, there is a complete change of tone which hits the show from left field, taking it in an unexpected new direction and, in the process, adding depth, colour, humanity and resonance. It is a theatrical conceit which works beautifully, and leaves us with a small miracle of a show which reminds us of the importance of, well, really being ourselves.
★★★★★
Raising Kane was on at The Little Theatre Cinema on the 2th June, as part of Bath Fringe Festival.
Fake Escape will be returning to the Bath Fringe Festival on the 10th June, with their 10th Anniversary immersive show. Find out more.