Sir alec guinness

[bhowells]

Anyone lucky enough to see our fourmost knights of the theatre on stage, Olivier, Redgrave, Sir Ralph Richardson or Gielgud.



I wasnt lucky enough to see any of these on stage, but I did see Sir Alec Guinness in the audience at a peformance of Educating Rita at the Picadily theatre in the West End.



I spotted him at the interval, there were a load of people queueung up to talk to this elderly gent, I didnt recognise him at first I tthought he was a member of the front of house staff.



Also saw Princess Margaret coming out the theatre in 1987 at a perfomancce of Agatha Chrsites And Then There Were None, Bill Kenwright who produced it was sitting in front of me.

[susanduic]

I saw all 4 of those knights on the stage-only Gielgud and Richardson stand out in my memory as they were in ground breaking material, of the time. Olivier though charismatic was too much Olivier and with Redgrave perhaps it was the the sparseness of the script, but really! At the time it seemed extraordinary that they were knights, or lords even, at all...............but now you need only reach the age of 50, do some Chekov and Shakespeare (in modern dress) and make a few films which do well in yank land to receive the ultimate accolade................I do regret not seeing Guiness, he was understudied on the night we turned up- but that only begins the list of if only's...........

[susanduic]

..............Paul Scofield in Staircase was the greatest performance I ever witnessed or expect to see........

[Wicked Lady]

I was fortunate enough to work for a theatre and saw Sir Alec perform many times during a run he had there. He was wonderful. Always the consumate professional even when flattened by flu. A very quite sort of chap. He tended to attract a lot of people with Star Wars 'issues'. Many a time I encountered a strange person at the stage door claiming to have taught Obi Wan Kenobi how to fight with a laser sword (or something). John Geilguld came through during the run - lovely man - very regal, but sweet. I'm sorry I never got to see the others. I met Michael Hordon once, he seemed nice.



I suppose all those chaps have gone now.



Who would be the new generation? Jacobi? Brannagh? Michael Maloney?

[narabdela]

I've been lucky enough to see Redgrave, Gielgud, Richardson, Scofield, Jacobi and McKellen on stage.



Scofield was a class apart.

[batman]

I worked with Sir Alec, but not on stage unfortunately ..... does that count?

[bhowells]

.......Paul Scofield in Staircase was the greatest performance I ever witnessed or expect to see........

I have seen very little of Paul Scofields work but was very interested to read an anecdote e about him in the Stage. A young actor once wrote to Paul Scofield to for advice, he not only replied to him but he sent him some money to help him on his way.



Seemed like a nice man.