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Three months later, I played another old
Shakespearian, Holofernes the schoolmaster, in an end-of-term
musical from LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST. The larky prelate directed it in
a week: it was every actor for himself, this time. When we took the
show to the old Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, The Sunday Times said:
I decided to go on the stage when I left
Cambridge.
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In my first job, at the Belgrade
Theatre, Coventry (1961-62) we did the lot -
Shaw, Priestley,
Agatha Christie (twice),
a
revue and my first professional
Shakespeare, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING.
As Claudio, I wore far too much paint round the eyes - my one regret
about missing drama school is that I've never really understood
stage make-up.
At Ipswich (1962-63) I
returned to
HENRY V. The cast was small and there
were too few friends to urge unto the breach. To disguise this,
those soldiers we had, crouched in front of the tiny stage and, in
the dark, I whispered the final battle instructions, as if the
whole audience were my band of brothers. I think they heard
alright. No good if they can't hear the words. |
  
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