LOS ANGELES -- A new, one-woman play about Vivien Leigh will be seen for five Mondays at the Tiffany Theatre beginning April 6.

Marcy Lafferty stars in her own drama, Vivien Leigh -- The Last Press Conference, which had its world premiere in August 1997 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The play was also workshopped at the University of Southern California, where Lafferty is a playwright-in-residence.

Directed by John E. Blankenchip, Vivien Leigh won good notices in its Scottish premiere. The London publication Stage wrote, "Relying almost totally on Leigh's own words, Miss Lafferty has created and gives a captivating and touching performance . . . she could hold a larger venue in the palm of her hand."

The Scotsman said, "Lafferty skillfully conveys Vivien Leigh . . . highly self-destructive and thoroughly hedonistic. Her romance with Olivier, which disrupted lives, meant more to her than winning the part of Scarlett O'Hara . . . but it appears that she exhausted even Olivier's prodigious energies. The script deals with her descent into madness, relieved by electric shock therapy."

Lafferty wrote, directed and starred in Vivien, The Movie, The Marriage, The Madness,which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Subject. The film was the impetus for the current stage production. Shows are Mon. at 8 PM through May 18 at the Tiffany Theatre, 8532 Sunset Blvd. For tickets, $15, call (310) 289-2999.

-- By Willard Manus
Southern California Correspondent