International NewsIan McKellen Celebrates 80th Birthday With 80-Venue Tour, Launching January 25The new solo show raises funds for theatres throughout the U.K.
By
Andrew Gans
January 25, 2019
International stage and screen star Ian McKellen, most recently on Broadway in the 2013 revivals of Waiting for Godot and No Man's Land, is celebrating his 80th birthday (May 25) with a new solo show that will play 80 stages throughout the U.K.
The tour kicks off January 25 at London's The Space and will continue through September 15 in the National Theatre’s Olivier. In between, McKellen—who is the subject of the recent documentary film McKellen: Playing The Part—will visit theatres large and small, many that hold personal connections, including amateur groups he knew as a child and notable playhouses he has played in as a professional actor over the last half-century.
In an earlier statement, McKellen said, “Live theatre has always been thrilling to me, as an actor and in the audience. Growing up in Lancashire, I was grateful to those companies who toured beyond London and I’ve always enjoyed repaying that debt by touring up and down the country myself, with the National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, Prospect Theatre, the Actors’ Company, as well as with commercial productions. Sean Mathias, the director and I have worked together for stage and screen, many happy times.”
PHOTO SPECIAL: Sirs Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen Hit the Town
PHOTO SPECIAL: Sirs Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen Hit the Town
Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen, currently on Broadway starring in rep productions of Waiting for Godot and No Man's Land, are making the most of their downtime in New York. The two old friends have been sharing their adventures via Twitter, under the hashtag #gogodididonyc.
The play comes on the heels of a broader cultural conversation about Dahl's work and the prejudice that was embedded in many of his most beloved stories.
