The theatrical world has recently lost three great men
THEATRE has its exits as well as its entrances. This week, I feel moved to pay tribute to three people who died recently: a great actor, Albert Finney; a theatrical allrounder, David Conville; and a dynamic producer, Duncan Weldon. I knew them all, to a greater or lesser extent, and feel their loss keenly.
Finney’s story, especially, fascinates me. I’ve seen various obituaries that describe him as the original ‘angry young man’ of British cinema and a specialist in kitchen-sink roles. It’s true that he first made an impact on screen as Arthur Seaton in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, but he was infinitely more than that. He could play the big heroic parts, such as Marlowe’s Tamburlaine and Pirandello’s Henry IV, was an accomplished farceur and excelled in the contemporary plays of John Osborne, Peter Nichols and Ronald Harwood.
An actor friend recalls being told by Finney that you have to go out on stage as if you ‘own the space’—that ability to relish the art of performing characterised everything I saw him do.
By a lucky accident of geography —I was brought up in Leamington Spa—I was able to watch his growth as a young actor at Birmingham Rep in 1956/7. He instantly revealed his exuberant inventiveness. I first spotted him in a whimsical Irish melodrama, Happy as Larry, in which he was one of a chorus of dancing tailors; with his stocky frame, mischievous grin and flattened centre parting, he was riveting.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der February 20, 2019-Ausgabe von Country Life UK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der February 20, 2019-Ausgabe von Country Life UK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
