Silent film actress Alla Nazimova was one of the most prolific and highly-paid silent film actresses in Hollywood a century ago, becoming one of the first women to write, direct, and produce films. At her famous hotel on Sunset Boulevard, the Garden of Allah, Nazimova threw the biggest parties that attracted F. Scott Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and other big names.
“Her fame was comparable to somebody like a Madonna or Lady Gaga of her time – meteoric,” says playwright Romy Nordlinger.
Yet, 100 years later, no one knows Nazimova’s name. “Her story lies obscured in forgotten history,” Nordlinger says.
Now, Nordlinger brings her back to life in the new Garden of Alla play.