I, JOHN BROWN
Written by John Hall
Directed by Robert Chetwyn
Ian McKellen in the role of Andrew Acre
Arts Theatre, Ipswich, Suffolk
16 July 1963 - 27 July 1963
Words from Ian McKellen
A world premiere, always an excitement, although much of this mysterious, wordy play baffled the actors as much as the audiences. I was a neurotic schoolteacher. It starred James Cairncross (who had recently survived a 4-and-a-half year run in "SALAD DAYS"). Jimmy was a fund of theatre stories about the famous, the glamorous and the dead and reminded me that Ipswich was not perhaps the ultimate for ambitious actors. I wondered what it felt like, at 40 or so, to be back in rep; and walking home to our digs one night I said: "When did you stop hoping you might ever be a star, Jimmy?" Sweetly ignoring my impertinence, he replied: "More recently than you might think, Ian."
Comments and Reviews
World premiere