Barrymore (Play)

Updated June 26, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

Plummer is triumphant in this chronicle of the blurry, brilliant life of John Barrymore. The occasion for this one-on-one discourse with the notoriously self-destructive actor? It's the spring of 1942, and he's preparing for a screen test for Richard III. In this intriguing — and sometimes crudely funny — stream of consciousness, Plummer's Barrymore lurches from self-parodying anecdotes and outbursts of iambic pentameter to profound insights, just to let you know it's not the alcohol talking. The fascinating portrait convinces on two levels: First, it's not likely there's anyone more unnerving or charming than Barrymore, and second, there's probably not anyone more fit to flesh out the role than Plummer.