Shelley in a promo pic from the 1980s
Shelley appeared in the John Krizanc play Tamara from late-1989 to 1990. It was about the painter Tamara de Lempicka and her historical meeting with Gabriele D'Annunzio at his villa at Gardone Riviera. It was staged at the Il Vittoriale in Los Angeles. The play was unique because it had no "fourth wall", a theater term that means the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play. In this one, audience members could follow any cast member as the play went on.
a writeup about Shelley being in the play Tamara, 1989
Shelley had a lot of fun doing this one. She played Luisa Baccara, a character "who starts out crazy and gets crazier" according to her. "Basically, I get to chew the rug for two hours," Shelley humorously told the Los Angeles Times in November of 1989. She explained, "There's everything you have in a regular play - line, blocking, other actors. But it's also very different. For instance, if you and I have a scene in a room that's supposed to run three minutes, and it turns into four, then you're late - and the person downstairs you're supposed to meet is also late. So it can fall down like bowling pins." Asked why she did it, she said, "Why not? I love theater. I thought it would be fun, and it is."
Shelley in a promo pic from the 1980s
