Me and Orson Welles

In 1937, a cheeky Zac Efron secures a small part in the young Orson Welles' contemporary staging of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar at the Mercury Theatre.

I've read that Efron agreed to this role in 'Me and Orson Welles' rather than appear in a remake of 'Footloose' because he wanted to show that he could do more than the image he has established from Disney's 'High School Musical' series.

The irony is that in 'Me and Orson Welles', Efron plays a seventeen years old high school student who acts, sings and dances.

Sounds familiar, doesn't it?

In fact, Efron does a decent job but it is hard to argue this is the breakout role he is seeking. The real star turn, as it needs be given the real life character, is by Christian McKay who portrays Welles. McKay bears a good facial resemblance to Welles and possesses the manner and theatrical voice to convincingly recreate that fine artist.

There are plenty of fine period touches and the film contains an interesting soundtrack uilising many of the great melodies of the day.