Shelley with her Tamara co-stars
John Fitzgibbon and Lonnie Burr
at Tamara's (the play) New Year's Eve party in 1989
Shelley appeared in the long-running play Tamara from late-1989 to 1990. Tamara is a play by John Krizanc, about the painter Tamara de Lempicka and her historical meeting with Gabriele D'Annunzio at his villa at Gardone Riviera. The play was staged at the Il Vittoriale in Los Angeles. It was unique because it allowed the audience to participate in the play itself. Audience members could follow any cast member as the play was going on. Shelley stepped into the role of Luisa Baccara, a character "who starts out crazy and gets crazier" according to her. "Basically, I get to chew the rug for two hours," she added.
a writeup about Shelley
when she was doing the play Tamara, 1989
Shelley had a lot of fun doing this one. 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." The Los Angeles Times described the play as "Great Fun. Bold. Outrageous!."
a newspaper clipping of the play Tamara, 1989
