In his first Los Angeles stage appearance since his triumphant performance
as "Richard III" at UCLA's Royce Hall in 1993, Sir Ian McKellen
will bring his solo show "A Knight Out in Los Angeles" to the
Los Angeles Theatre Center for two weeks only, May 16 through June 1. There
will be three special preview performances at Highways Performance Space,
May 12, 13, and 14 at 8:30pm (all seats $20, call 213/660-TKTS).
"A Knight Out in Los Angeles," directed by Gregory Cooke,
is an evening of chat, reminiscence, and performance, telling the story
of two parallel journeys. Alone onstage, Sir Ian recalls his childhood
fascination with the theatre and his experience of acting in London's West
End, on Broadway, in Los Angeles, and beyond. He also confides his early
awareness of being gay and his momentous decision to finally come out of
the closet just before Queen Elizabeth II knighted him in 1991 for his
services to the performing arts.
"A Knight Out" was first peformed in America during the Gay
Games in New York (1994) and the show has since been seen in South
Africa and London. In the show, Sir Ian revisits his successes in Shakespeare,
with contributions from Armistead Maupin, Tennessee Williams, D. H. Lawrence,
and Oscar Wilde. He also gossips about his visit to Buckingham Palace and
his filming experiences in Hollywood.
This limited engagement of "A Knight Out in Los Angeles"
is Sir Ian's gift to local theatre and gay communities. All proceeds will
be distributed to the following organizations: GLAAD, the Ian McKellen
Scholarship in Acting at UCLA School of Film, Theater and Television, Highways
Performance Space and Gallery, The Gay and Lesbian Center Youth Services
Department, and the Hobart Boulevard School Shakespeare programme.
Photo by Gregory Cooke