On Sunday evening, Mary and I attended the 100th anniversary celebration of Laurence Olivier (1907-2007) held at the Olivier Theatre at the National. Of course it was a glorious occasion of self-indulgence with some of our greatest thespians making their entrance and exits on the hallowed stage. The largest cheers were for Claire Bloom after a snippet of her performance with Olivier in Richard III was shown on the big screen, and for Dickie Attenborough who has become the grand old man of the theatre. I was disappointed that Dame Joan Plowright, who was at the unveiling of the Olivier statue, did not take a bow herself at the end. But it was, nevertheless, a magnificent evening.
I firtst saw Olivier playing Coriolanus at Stratford when I was 17, and had waited in the returns queue to pay 5 shillings (25p) to stand at the back. I saw him several times after that at the Old Vic and the National Theatre, but the last full length great production I saw him perform was Long Days Journey Into Night with Ronald Pickup - who was on the stage on Sunday night - Denis Quilley and Constance Cummings, which was certainly among the half dozen finest performances I have ever seen on the London stage. I look back on that era which included John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson and Michael Redgrave, and wonder if we have the same calibre of actor performing on the English stage today. I think the answer is probably yes, because one could point to Anthony Hopkins, Ian Mckellen, Anthony Sher, and Richard Griffiths. But it's only a matter of judgement, and perhaps whatever generation you come from, you consider the past was better.
I firtst saw Olivier playing Coriolanus at Stratford when I was 17, and had waited in the returns queue to pay 5 shillings (25p) to stand at the back. I saw him several times after that at the Old Vic and the National Theatre, but the last full length great production I saw him perform was Long Days Journey Into Night with Ronald Pickup - who was on the stage on Sunday night - Denis Quilley and Constance Cummings, which was certainly among the half dozen finest performances I have ever seen on the London stage. I look back on that era which included John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson and Michael Redgrave, and wonder if we have the same calibre of actor performing on the English stage today. I think the answer is probably yes, because one could point to Anthony Hopkins, Ian Mckellen, Anthony Sher, and Richard Griffiths. But it's only a matter of judgement, and perhaps whatever generation you come from, you consider the past was better.
3 Comments:
It's hard not to envy seeing any of the greats of the old school; isn't it true that few impressive recent actors are able/willing to take-on the epic challenge of a high profile theatre run?
As a point of interest, my best friend's father was hugely impressed by Olivier, in the simple way that he saw him asking after the family of the resident rail guard at Stratford-Upon-Avon's station.
This triggers a further first-hand memory of a very decent man, Lord Attenborough;
I attended the Scottish premier of his film, Chaplin as a film reviewer, but, in the midst of all the frenzied brouhah when he first arrived at the cinema, I quickly (and idioticaly) took him aside to ask if he would be willing to film the script of Sir David Lean's last uncompleted project, (supposedly brilliant) called Nostromo.
The Great Man should really have put me in a Strait-Jacket and called for the police, but, instead, he kindly said, "Lady Lean asked me the same thing at dinner several nights ago"
THAT'S class...........
frank comiskey - interesting story, many thanks.
Lord Attenborough, now there's a man with class!
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