Raconteur/Forum Present ME & ORSON WELLES w/author Robert Kaplow June 25, 2010

NPR alum Robert Kaplow’s novel Me and Orson Welles, a beautifully rendered and hilarious valentine to the burly thespian, was recently turned into a movie by indie filmmaker Richard Linklater (Dazed & Confused, School of Rock). Set in 1937 New York, Kaplow's novel tells of a teenager hired to star in Welles' production of Julius Caesar. The film starred Zac Efron, Claire Danes, and Christian Mckay as Welles. The New York Times described McKay's performance as one of "seductive power and full bore charm," Roger Ebert called the picture, "one of the best movies about theater I've ever seen," the New Yorker's David Denby included it in his "Top Ten Films of the Year," and The San Francisco Chronicle, said: "Christian McKay, as Orson Welles in Me and Orson Welles, gives what I believe is the most exact and uncanny screen portrayal of a historical figure, EVER." Kaplow will introduce the film with a short reading from his book and follow the screening with an onstage conversation with The Star Ledger's Peter Filichia. Find out how a cantankerous bouncer at a local New Brunswick band bar discovered the unagented actor playing Welles (seriously) and what exactly the "O" stands for in Robert O. Kaplow. Books on sale at The Raconteur and The Forum. Tickets $15. Tickets now on sale at The Rac.

WELLES WEEK kicks of Weds with double feature screenings of beautifully restored 35mm prints of Touch of Evil, The Stranger, & The Third Man. Visit www.forumtheatrearts.org for showtimes.

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