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Christopher Plummer Reprises His Role as John Barrymore for Great Performances

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Fans of Broadway and theater history will enjoy Great Performances’ presentation of Barrymore, premiering January 31 at 9 p.m on West Virginia PBS. Actor Christopher Plummer re-creates his Tony Award-winning performance for this film adaptation of William Luce’s Broadway play.

Set in 1942, Barrymore shines a dramatic spotlight on the acclaimed—and notorious— John Barrymore, capturing the famously combative star in the final months of his life as he struggles to prepare for a backer’s audition to stage a revival of his 1920 Broadway triumph in Richard III.  Once among the most acclaimed stage actors of his generation, as well as a central member of Broadway and Hollywood’s most famous acting dynasty, Barrymore is now in the twilight of his career, no longer a leading box office draw and wrestling with the ravages of his life of excess.  With equal parts lacerating wit and piercing despair, the faded icon revisits the highs and lows of his theatrical triumphs and remarkable life.