# The Ian McKellen Thread



## Barliman Butterbur (Nov 16, 2004)

No one is more fascinating to me than Sir Ian McKellen, who has his own fascinating website at http://www.mckellen.com/, where he has published The Grey Book and The White Book: the diaries he kept during the time when he was in New Zealand shooting _The Lord of the Rings: absolutely required reading_ for all TTFers!

Anyway, I thought he deserved a thread of his own, so that he could be discussed at length, at depth, and at leisure.

For openers:

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*Knight of the realm, dame of the stage*
(Filed: 15/11/2004)

He's done Shakespeare, he's world-famous as Gandalf – now Sir Ian McKellen is about to play Widow Twankey. He talks to Benjamin Secher

"I've stopped smoking and taken up Pilates," says Sir Ian McKellen, his 65-year-old eyes twinkling behind professorial glasses. "Now all I need is a frock."

Having famously sported the wizened beard of Tolkien's Gandalf and the hunchback of Shakespeare's Richard III, McKellen is shaping up for his most surprising role yet. When he appears at London's Old Vic Theatre in next month's Aladdin, the actor, long considered one of the finest classical performers of his generation, will be trussed up in the pantomime embonpoint of Widow Twankey.

"I am intrigued as to what happens when a man puts on a frock," says McKellen, without the hint of a smile. "Playing the dame is not about being a convincing woman. She may be a motherly figure - that's why the children in the audience adore her - but she is also a man."

McKellen pauses to consider this conundrum, thoughtfully stroking the silver sheen of his whiskery chin. A second later, erupting into growling laughter, he rocks back in his chair, his blue plastic clogs left dangling from his toes.

"This is dangerous, dangerous stuff, isn't it?"

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The full (and satisfyingly long) article is at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/mai...5.xml&sSheet=/arts/2004/11/15/ixartright.html

Barley


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## Barliman Butterbur (Nov 28, 2004)

*McKellen rewards honest stranger*
Saturday, November 27 2004, 16:47 GMT -- by Daniel Kilkelly

Lord of the Rings star Ian McKellen has rewarded a stranger who handed in his lost wallet.

McKellen lost the wallet, which contained £500 cash, in Hyde Park. Luckily, it was found and handed into the local police.

The actor has now sent two free tickets to see him star in Aladdin, to the Good Samaritan. 

Source: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/article/ds17288.html

Barley


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## Narsil (Nov 28, 2004)

Barliman Butterbur said:


> No one is more fascinating to me than Sir Ian McKellen, who has his own fascinating website at http://www.mckellen.com/, where he has published The Grey Book and The White Book: the diaries he kept during the time when he was in New Zealand shooting _The Lord of the Rings: absolutely required reading_ for all TTFers!
> 
> Anyway, I thought he deserved a thread of his own, so that he could be discussed at length, at depth, and at leisure.



I'm nearing the end of The Grey Book. Very interesting. I'm amazed he had the time to write all this down!


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## aragil (Dec 6, 2004)

> from 'The White Book':
> In this way I revisited the Gates of Mordor today , where The Mouth of Sauron once more threw down Frodo’s mithral vest. And Gandalf meets despair.


 Hmm. I think _I_ know something that will be in the EE (quiet, Arvedui!)


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## Barliman Butterbur (Dec 8, 2004)

*McKellen and others discuss panto dame*

'You can't wear glitter - it's not a drag act'

*What makes a great panto dame? Rupert Smith asks six veterans and one newcomer to give up their secrets*

Wednesday December 8, 2004
The Guardian

Paul O'Grady as the Wicked Queen in Snow White
'We do not want to see your knickers, thank you very much'... Paul O'Grady as The Wicked Queen in Snow White

Ian McKellen, playing Widow Twankey in Aladdin

In my case, playing dame certainly won't be a female impersonation: with my hands, how could it be? I'll be appearing in frocks, with padding to give me a female body shape, but I'm certainly not pretending to be a woman. I'm approaching it more in the tradition of the stand-up comic who puts a frock on. But unlike a stand-up, I don't have a ready-made personality that will engage the audience, like Les Dawson did. I'm focusing more on playing the character of Widow Twankey, which I'm approaching in the same way I would any acting part. She's a complex character: a survivor who's been round the world, a north-of-England woman who's wound up raising her son in Peking and would do absolutely anything to protect him. That maternal urge is the strongest element of her character.

I've wanted to play dame for about 40 years. I loved panto as a child: it's the first form of theatre that most children experience, so we must do it properly. The dame is a nice, complicated character for an actor to play - but even so, it's not that far from Shakespeare. There's soliloquy and direct address to the audience, there's spectacle, transformation, rude jokes and cross-dressing. I think I'll manage.

The whole very funny article is at http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/features/story/0,11710,1368859,00.html

Barley


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## Barliman Butterbur (Dec 8, 2004)

*Castle Hill Productions Takes "Emile" for January Roll Out*

by Brian Brooks


Sir Ian McKellen in a scene from Carl Bessai's "Emile," which Castle Hill Productions will open in New York in January. Image courtesy of Castle Hill Productions.

New York and Florida-based film company, Castle Hill Productions has acquired U.S. theatrical rights to Carl Bessai's "Emile," starring two-time Academy Award nominee Sir Ian McKellen ("Lord of the Rings") and Deborah Kara Unger ("Thirteen," "Between Strangers"). The distributor plans a January 7th roll out at the Quad Cinemas in New York, followed by a Los Angeles release thereafter. Casstle Hill Productions' president of marketing and distribution Mel Maron negotiated the deal with Dan Norem of Monarch Home Video.

A Castle Hill release describes the film as centering on Emile (McKellen) who "is given the opportunity to travel to Victoria, B.C. from England to receive an honorary degree at the university. He goes knowing that it might be his last chance to reconnect with his only living relatives. His niece Nadia (Unger) and her daughter Maria (Theo Crane) hold the 'key' to Emile's tragic past and the guilt, which has taunted him his entire life. The film starts to develop along two paths -- in the present Emile struggles to connect with his estranged family, and in the past he plays back his memories of leaving the farm where he grew up with his two brothers."

Complete article at http://www.indiewire.com/biz/biz_041208castle.html

Barley


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## Eledhwen (Dec 9, 2004)

*BBC Link to Ian McKellen's panto*

From the BBC Website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4026551.stm
Sir Ian becomes panto Dame 

Lord of the Rings star Sir Ian McKellen is preparing for his latest role - as a pantomime dame. 

Sir Ian said: "Pantomime has everything theatrical - song, dance, verse, slapstick, soliloquy, audience participation, spectacle, cross-dressing and a good plot, strong on morality and romance. 

"What more could you want for a family outing?" 

He added: "It's all a bit of an adventure for me, but I believe there's more pure theatre in a pantomime than you get in Shakespeare, and if it works, it's unforgettable."


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## Barliman Butterbur (Dec 9, 2004)

*Join Sir Ian McKellen, Maureen Lipman and Sam Kelly for a unique Q&A event*

(Filed: 08/12/2004)

As media partner to The Old Vic Theatre Company's first season, The Daily Telegraph is delighted to present a question and answer session with the stars of Aladdin.

Lipman, Kelly, Crompton and McKellen

The event, with Sir Ian McKellen, Maureen Lipman and Sam Kelly, hosted by Daily Telegraph Arts Editor, Sarah Crompton, takes place at The Old Vic on Tuesday, January 18 2005 at 5pm.

Aladdin is one of the most famous stories from the celebrated collection of folklore, The Thousand and One Nights. The story of Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp was the source for the first stage version at Covent Garden in 1788. Since then Aladdin has been a permanent feature of the English pantomime scene. The Old Vic's version includes all the popular characters and pantomime ingredients, with Ian McKellen as the dame Widow Twankey, Maureen Lipman as Dim Sum and Sam Kelly as the Emperor.

Complete article at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/mai...to.xml&sSheet=/arts/2004/12/09/ixartleft.html

Barley


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## Barliman Butterbur (Dec 9, 2004)

*He's behind you!*

The Back Half
Michael Coveney
Monday 13th December 2004
Panto - Michael Coveney gets in festive mood with Britain's queen of comedy

What is it about pantomime that gets everyone going? Ian McKellen has been agonising about the problems of a knight playing a dame - he is Widow Twankey in Aladdin at the Old Vic this Christmas. It must be hard if you are an actor rather than a personality. When the late Les Dawson came on as a dame, after all, he was really just Les Dawson in a frock; he wasn't acting.

...

...is ... puritanism appropriate? The mix of TV stars and pop idols has its own charm. And however good McKellen may or may not be at the Old Vic, the real stars of panto are lowbrow, high-stepping veteran dames such as John Inman and Danny La Rue (appearing, respectively if not respectably, at Richmond in Surrey and Cardiff). As for personality, the special ingredient McKellen fears he lacks, you should not miss Brian Conley's Buttons in Cinderella (this year at Plymouth), one of the great popular turns of our day.

...

McKellen thinks that if your hero is born in Baghdad (as was Aladdin), then you can't help mentioning the news. But the point about pantomime is that whatever the show, the news is always with us. No other theatrical event, not even David Hare's Stuff Happens, binds its audience and actors in such a common language of culture and democracy. And the hundreds of thousands who turn up each year all over the country don't need to be told as much by the likes of me or McKellen.

Complete story at http://www.newstatesman.com/site.php3?newTemplate=NSArticle_Arts&newDisplayURN=200412130043

Barley


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## Barliman Butterbur (Dec 11, 2004)

Kate Winslet plays streetwise rodent:

[Hollywood News]: London, Dec 10 : Hollywood starlet Kate Winslet is all set to play a sewer rat in Aardman Animations' 'Flushed Away', opposite Hugh Jackman. Winslet will provide her voice for the film by the creators of award-winning films 'Chicken Run' and 'The Wallace and Gromit Movie'.

According to Female First, 'Flushed Away', scheduled to be released in 2006, *also stars Sir Ian McKellen of the 'Lord of the Rings' fame as an evil toad.* The tale of the movie revolves around 'rodent' Rita, the character played by Kate, who befriends with a high society rat, played by Jackman.

Complete story at http://www.newkerala.com/news-daily/news/features.php?action=fullnews&id=46991

Barley


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## Barliman Butterbur (Dec 14, 2004)

*When dames work knights*

By Sarah Hemming
Published: December 14 2004

Pantomine dame Cinderella, eat your heart out. This year's most eagerly anticipated transformation scene will take place on the stage of London's Old Vic, where, thanks to the magic of pantomime, a famous knight will become a dame.

On Friday, Sir Ian McKellen adjusts his stays and takes to the boards as Widow Twankey, the sorely put-upon washerwoman in Aladdin. The renowned Shakespearean actor has said he will fulfil a lifetime's ambition by hitching up his skirts and chasing round the stage in this eccentrically British part.

Anyone who saw Sir Ian snarl "Split my infinitives!" as Captain Hook in the National Theatre's Peter Pan will not doubt his comic timing. And, after playing Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings, he should be able to tolerate any amount of absurd false hair from the wig department. But what other attributes might our 65-year-old virgin dame need?

Complete article at http://news.ft.com/cms/s/42f38e20-4d75-11d9-b3be-00000e2511c8.html

Barley


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## Eledhwen (Dec 15, 2004)

It's an opportunity for him to get in touch with his feminine side . There are probably few parts Ian McKellen can't play, and its a pity his filmography isn't longer; all his fans wouldn't fit in to see his live theatre performances even if the run rivalled The Mousetrap.


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## aragil (Dec 15, 2004)

My impression is that Sir Ian has always considered himself a stage actor first, an cinema actor second, and damn the audience size!!


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## Barliman Butterbur (Dec 15, 2004)

Eledhwen said:


> ...all his fans wouldn't fit in to see his live theatre performances even if the run rivalled The Mousetrap.



A prediction? I'll publish the reviews as soon as they come in.

Barley


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## Barliman Butterbur (Dec 18, 2004)

*Leading Theatre 'Sorry' as Aladdin's First Night Is Cancelled*

By Vik Iyer, PA

A legendary theatre was forced to apologise tonight after the first performance of its Christmas panto, Aladdin, was cancelled.

The panto at The Old Vic in London was called off for the evening due to technical problems, with bosses promising refunds or alternative bookings where possible for disappointed theatregoers.

Ian McKellen and Maureen Lipman are among its stars.

Vivien Wallace, marketing director for the Old Vic theatre company, said: “It has been cancelled because of technical difficulties.

“The show will be going on tomorrow.”

She said it was important the show got everything right, including health and safety issues.

She added: “People will be able to get refunds or will be booked into other performances where we can.

“We are very sorry about this – it was not a decision done lightly.”

In a statement, the theatre said Aladdin was a demanding show with complicated staging.

It said the dress rehearsal this afternoon threw up a number of technical problems which had to be addressed and could not be resolved before this evening’s performance.

Producer, David Liddiment, said: “We very much regret that people will be hugely disappointed, children in particular.”

On Thursday, there was more trouble for London’s West End when Nathan Lane had to pull out of a performance of The Producers because of back problems.

The American star has been playing to packed houses since the Mel Brooks musical opened last month.

But last night, during a performance that was attended by the Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles, Lane was replaced by his understudy.

Lane, 48, stepped in at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, after Richard Dreyfuss quit before the show opened because of injuries.

Source: http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3901685

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Evidently, not even Gandalf could solve the problems...

Barley


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## Barliman Butterbur (Dec 18, 2004)

*McKellen makes panto dame debut*

*Sir Ian McKellen made his first appearance as a pantomime dame on Saturday afternoon after a planned debut was called off.*

Friday night's planned opening of Aladdin, at the Old Vic in London, was cancelled due to "technical problems" following a dress rehearsal.

A theatre spokesman said disappointed theatre goers were offered refunds.

Sir Ian's debut as Widow Twankey was much anticipated. When he agreed to do the role he said it was an "adventure".

Aladdin also stars Maureen Lipman and Sam Kelly.

'Spectacle'

Last month, Sir Ian said: "Pantomime has everything theatrical - song, dance, verse, slapstick, soliloquy, audience participation, spectacle, cross-dressing and a good plot, strong on morality and romance.

"What more could you want for a family outing?"

Sir Ian is one of the British theatre's most distinguished actors and he is well-known to millions around the world as wizard Gandalf, from The Lord of the Rings.

He added: "It's all a bit of an adventure for me, but I believe there's more pure theatre in a pantomime than you get in Shakespeare, and if it works, it's unforgettable."

The panto is part of actor Kevin Spacey's first season as artistic director of the Old Vic.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/4106931.stm

Barley


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## Barliman Butterbur (Dec 20, 2004)

*Aladdin*

**** Old Vic, London. Also reviewed; Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, ** Victoria Palace, London

Michael Billington
Monday December 20, 2004
The Guardian

Ian McKellen as Widow Twanky in Aladdin at the Old Vic, December 2004
'A decidedly frisky dame'... Ian McKellen as Widow Twankey in Aladdin. Photo: PA

Sir Ian McKellen and Lily Savage go head to head, as it were, in this season's London pantos.

It may be an unfair comparison since McKellen is playing Widow Twankey and Lily a Wicked Queen. But I not only warmed more to the knight's Dame but found Aladdin infinitely more enjoyable than Snow White: the former, although rough and ready, feels like a genuine family panto and the latter more of a showcase for a star.

The great thing about McKellen is that he brings on a genuine whiff of old music-hall: all that time in his northern youth spent watching Norman Evans and Suzette Tarri has clearly not gone to waste.

His Twankey, although resident in Peking, audibly hails from Wigan where she was a leading light in amdram and was used to giving her all to the student prince. But, appearing first in what looks like a pink and orange wigwam, she is also a decidedly frisky dame: as she cheerfully tells a visitor, "I've got something cheesy bubbling in my oven."

As with many classical actors, including Olivier, there has always been something of the pub entertainer about McKellen. And here he lets down his hair and lifts up his skirt to reveal a nifty pair of legs and an appetite for double entendre: when told by decorators that "your front porch could do with a good lick", McKellen adopts a suitable look of mock-outrage.

The whole article (plus a picture of McKellen as the Widow Twankey which you MUST NOT miss!) is at http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/reviews/story/0,11712,1377238,00.html

Barley


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## aragil (Dec 20, 2004)

*Re: Aladdin*



Barliman Butterbur said:


> His Twankey, although resident in Peking, audibly hails from Wigan where she was a leading light in amdram and was used to giving her all to the student prince.


What in the hell are they talking about?


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## joxy (Dec 21, 2004)

The subject is pretty remote from the forum and from the film thread but I suppose we must allow B B a touch of the festive spirit!
While we're doing that it would be appropriate to put in a good word for Spacey who is quite a success in his new role in UK theatre.


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## Barliman Butterbur (Dec 21, 2004)

joxy said:


> The subject is pretty remote from the forum and from the film thread but I suppose we must allow B B a touch of the festive spirit!
> While we're doing that it would be appropriate to put in a good word for Spacey who is quite a success in his new role in UK theatre.



Not _just_ a festive spirit! I'm putting up threads for the main actors in PJ's movies so that we may follow their careers as they sally further forth into the world of Thespia.

(Have you seen the thread on Gollum? It's at http://www.thetolkienforum.com/showthread.php?t=16821 . Go there and read up on his medical condition; avail yourself of the opportunity to purchase a talking Gollum doll!)

Barley


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## Eledhwen (Dec 22, 2004)

*Re: Aladdin*



aragil said:


> Barliman Butterbur said:
> 
> 
> > His Twankey, although resident in Peking, audibly hails from Wigan where she was a leading light in amdram and was used to giving her all to the student prince.
> ...



Wigan = town in the North of England (with strong regional accent that McKellen presumably uses for this act)
amdram = amateur dramatics



> _from Guardian Unlimited_: And, at the centre of it all, we have a great actor who understands that, as Max Beerbohm said, pantomime is "an art form specially adapted to English genius".


... so most of this forum probably wouldn't understand what was so funny.


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## Barliman Butterbur (Dec 22, 2004)

*Aladdin, Old Vic, London*

By Sarah Hemming
Published: December 21 2004 02:00 | Last updated: December 21 2004 02:00

"I'm his mother," Widow Twankey informs us as she takes the stage just after Aladdin. "I know - it's unbelievable isn't it?" But here the mischievous twinkle that accompanies the question refers not only to Twankey's illusions about her appearance but to the sheer absurdity of the sight before us. For this Twankey is Sir Ian McKellen, knight of the realm, arrayed in curlers, zip-up boots and fake fur of a preposterous colour. Imagine George Orwell in a yellow hair net and you are on the way. McKellen's dame, despite living in old Peking, hails from Wigan - she's a northern matron of the Hilda Ogden variety: battle-worn, tongue like a razor, heart as big as Blackpool Tower.

McKellen has waited for 40 years to play this part and his utter glee is infectious. He just loves it - the corny jokes, the saucy asides, the daft costumes - and his performance has a warmth that is irresistible. He's outrageous, but never offensive. I found him most fetching in his pink bloomers, fluffy slippers and Bet Lynch earrings; my companion could not contain herself when he adopted an Abba look in a startling white catsuit and golden platform boots.

McKellen's lovely performance is at the heart of an attractive show. Billie Brown's script is delightfully witty and features some nice topical references - a magic "Blunkett" that will fast track you to your chosen destination, for example - and John Napier's designs, inspired by the drawings of 12-year-old Flo Perry, are pretty and bright. Sean Mathias, directing, has done his homework and there are plenty of traditional pantomime routines. This is all to the good, though at the press showing the homework was sometimes too evident: the production was a bit stiff and peppered with little technical glitches. Some of the younger performers - even Joe McFadden's fresh-faced Aladdin - need to trust themselves more in the audience participation scenes: acting in a panto requires the confidence and determination of a market-trader. But such ease should come with doing it.

Like the old lamp, all this show needs is a little spit and polish to reveal its full glory.

Source: http://news.ft.com/cms/s/8d419df2-52f5-11d9-8845-00000e2511c8.html

Barley


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## Barliman Butterbur (Dec 24, 2004)

*A Peculiarly British Christmas Tradition*

Friday, Dec 24

Pantomime: a peculiarly British Christmas tradition pleases audiences
Updated at 12:41 on December 23, 2004, EST.
In this picture released by Old Vic Productions, Sir Ian McKellen, top, one of Britain's leading classical actors, appears as Widow Twankey, in the Old Vic production of the pantomime Aladdin, in London, Dec.18.(AP/Old Vic Productions) In this picture released by Old Vic Productions, Sir Ian McKellen, top, one of Britain's leading classical actors, appears as Widow Twankey, in the Old Vic production of the pantomime "Aladdin," in London, Dec.18.(AP/Old Vic Productions)

LONDON (AP) - Onstage, a revered classical actor with a knighthood and two Oscar nominations to his name is strutting his stuff in a multicoloured mini-dress, tossing out double entendres with a wink to the crowd.

In the audience of the Old Vic Theatre, adults and children are alternately cheering, hissing and shouting at the stage.

It must be panto season again.

For millions of Britons, the Christmas holidays are incomplete without a trip to see a pantomime - a raucous traditional entertainment that combines fairy tale, vaudeville, standup and drag revue in an exuberant, eccentrically British mix.

"Brits have a reputation for being unemotional and stiff-upper-lip, but when you see them at a panto, it's unbelievable," said Peter Lathan, author of a book about the genre, It's Behind You! The Story of Panto.

"Everybody lets themselves go. It's the freedom to go mad and be a kid again."

Each December, hundreds of pantomimes open in venues around the country, from humble community halls to regional and West End theatres. Their casts can include jobbing actors, pop singers, faded TV stars and even - in the case of the Old Vic's Aladdin - Sir Ian McKellen, in a campy comic turn a million miles away from his wizard Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings films.

The tradition has crossed the pond to Canada in recent years, too, with another version of Aladdin, produced by Ross Petty and starring Jennifer Dale and Bret (Hitman) Hart, being staged in Toronto this season.

In Britain, it's estimated more than 10 million people attend a pantomime each year, and they're a lifeline for many theatre companies. While most commercial stage shows lose money, pantos usually make a profit. Qdos Entertainment, the country's largest panto producer, has 32 shows running this season and turnover of about $48 million (Cdn) a year.

Pantomime has its roots in the stock characters and bawdy humour of the Italian commedia dell'arte and the French harlequinade, as well as the English music hall.

The ingredients gelled in the 19th century, when pantomime also gained its association with Christmas. The plots are drawn from well-known fairy tales and children's stories such as Aladdin, Snow White and Cinderella. Characters include a plucky hero, or "principal boy," (often played by a woman), a broadly comic Dame (always played by a man) and a larger-than-life villain (sometimes played by a minor celebrity).

There are old jokes leavened with topical jibes, wince-inducing innuendo, slapstick, song and dance. Audiences delight in taking part - hissing the villain, shouting "He's behind you!" in warning to the hero. Audience members are frequently hauled onstage to join in. Someone always gets covered in foamy goop.

It's all as British as Christmas pudding, and elicits similar reactions - delicious comfort food to its fans, it can be indigestible to the uninitiated.

Lathan said pantomime's mixture of chaos and familiarity was key to its appeal.

"It's like sitting down for an evening's craic (fun) with old friends - the old friends are the jokes," he said. "You know what's coming, you wait for the punch lines."

At the same time, he added, "it's very anarchic. It pulls together so many different kinds of performance - from standup through to dance to singing and physical comedy. You name it, it's in there."

Then there's the cross-dressing. The Dame - bold, blousy, a little bit rude - is every panto's star turn. McKellen has said he leapt at the chance to play Widow Twankey, Aladdin's tart-tongued mother.

McKellen revels in the role, modelling a series of eye-popping outfits - including a skintight, gold and white pantsuit and a psychedelic faux-fur coat - and savouring the songs, the smut, even the inevitable Lord of the Rings jokes. The audience, young and old, eats it up.

"This is dangerous, dangerous stuff, isn't it?" McKellen mused to The Daily Telegraph recently. "Just when the children in the audience are at an age when they are trying to sort out the notion of gender, along comes a man in a frock to kick it all sideways and say, 'Anything goes!' That's what is so wonderful about pantomime: anything goes."

Aladdin should be a much-needed crowd-pleaser for Old Vic artistic director Kevin Spacey, whose first season got off to a rocky start this fall with the critically panned play Cloaca.

Most pantos rely on celebrities to help draw crowds - though few have as big a star as McKellen.

This year, audiences can see a cornucopia of soap stars, boy band members and reality TV alumni tread the panto stage. Ever wonder what happened to the stars of long-cancelled Britcoms like Are You Being Served? and 'Allo, 'Allo? They're in panto in Richmond and Llandudno.

Some panto purists have condemned the casting of Big Brother contestants and the like as a sign of panto's decline. But Lathan said it is simply changing with the times.

"In the 1890s you had people complaining bitterly that it was the end of panto as we know it because they started bringing in music-hall stars like Marie Lloyd," he said.

Panto, Lathan added, "is as healthy as it's ever been."

On the Net:

Panto information pages: www.britishtheatreguide.info/links/panto1.htm

www.its-behind-you.com

Old Vic Theatre: www.oldvictheatre.com

Source: http://www.cjad.com/content/cp_arti.../CanadianPress/EntertainmentNews/e122313A.htm

Barley


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## Eledhwen (Dec 24, 2004)

I'm not worried about the contamination of panto by 'big brother'. As long as the leading man is a woman, and the dame is a man, and great actors like McKellen love taking part, then panto is safe.


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## Barliman Butterbur (Jan 2, 2005)

*Serving Up Giddiness in London's Silly Season*

The New York Times
January 1, 2005
CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK

By BEN BRANTLEY

LONDON - Dame Edna Everage should be shaking in her stilettos. A new star has risen on the horizon of theatrical damehood, and she is wondrous to behold. Deep of voice, brawny of frame, fierce of face and fleet of dancing foot, the newly self-ennobled Dame Twankey bestrides the stage of the Old Vic Theater here like a Pucci-wrapped colossus. You may of course know her better by her civilian name: Lady Ian ... oops, I mean, Sir Ian McKellen.

The reigning Shakespearean actor of his generation, also famous as the gray-bearded Gandalf in the "Lord of the Rings" movies, has put on a dress for the holidays. Actually, make that 10 dresses, each more spectacularly tacky than the last. More important, in Sean Mathias's happily haphazard new production of "Aladdin," the classic children's frolic, Sir Ian, in the traditional role of Aladdin's bodacious mother, has been given the perfect Christmas gift: a chance to ham it up as ripely as he likes without anyone telling him to tone it down.

Once again it is pantomime time in London, an occasion for balmy songs and bad puns and unconvincing cross-dressers. This means there are at least several large-scale productions of the diversions called pantos, which combine elements of the fairy tale and the music hall into one fruity Christmas pudding. Though officially for children, such shows also allow older theatergoers to commune with the giggly inner 5-year-old that is so essential to the British character.

Not that grown-ups have to go to a panto to plug in to this cheerful childishness. Allegedly adult alternatives playing in the West End include a special Christmas version of "Round the Horne ... Revisited," a staged reincarnation at the Venue Theater of the popular radio show of the late 1960's, and a revival at the Savoy Theater of Sir Noël Coward's "Blithe Spirit" that homes in on the slapstick beneath the surface sophistication.

Those who prefer their theater somber can always join the ticket line for the Donmar Warehouse's re-envisioning of the 1989 musical "Grand Hotel," set in Berlin in the 1920's as a dark prophecy of Nazi Germany, acted out before an Otto Dix-style mural of the decadent and the damned. (Even as staged with purposeful grimness by the excellent Michael Grandage, with inventive choreography by Adam Cooper, the show still registers as a poor man's "Cabaret.")

Among new works, the standouts include the engrossing "Fix Up" at the National, a beautifully acted, full-fleshed domestic melodrama of Anglo-Caribbean identity under siege by the exciting new playwright Kwame Kwei-Armah ("Elmina's Kitchen"), whose characters eloquently define their times without hardening into symbols. And the resourceful team of Declan Donnellan (director) and Nick Ormerod (designer) has resurrected the seldom-seen theatrical curiosity "The Mandate" (also at the National), by the Soviet playwright Nikolai Erdman, a frantic and ultimately rather sad farce from 1925 about displaced Russian aristocrats trying to figure out just who they are in the age of Stalin.

For the most part, though, giddiness is served without academic agendas or sinister subtexts in these early days of winter, which have become the special silly season in the West End. (The political and economic news about the theater in Britain, on the other hand, has been sobering: planned cutbacks in government arts subsidies and the much-debated early closing in Birmingham, in response to religious protests, of Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti's "Behzti," set in a Sikh temple.) Even singing the blues becomes a font of comfort and joy in "Simply Heavenly," a genial revival of the 1957 show by the poet Langston Hughes, with music by David Martin. Directed by Josette Bushell-Mingo, this production from the Young Vic, restaged at Trafalgar Studios, has the homey, hopeful nature of an Andy Hardy movie relocated to Harlem. Based on Hughes's syndicated columns about a wide-eyed, good-hearted hedonist named Jesse B. Semple (Rhashan Stone), the musical provides an easygoing romantic narrative, some fetchingly sung and danced jazz lite and two high-voltage supporting performances from Clarke Peters and Nicola Hughes that almost tear open the show's papier-mâché structure.

The Peter Hall Company's production of "Blithe Spirit," directed by Thea Sharrock, is one of those attractively and unimaginatively upholstered productions of brittle classics that become must-have middlebrow tickets every few years. Most notable for Penelope Keith's startlingly brisk and no-nonsense interpretation of the madcap medium Madame Arcati, Ms. Sharrock's take on Coward's 1941 comedy of a man visited by his dead wife's impish spirit delivers bright badinage, dazed double takes and marital melees at the same efficient clip.

At the Arts Theater, the journalist Toby Young is doing a lively if robotic imitation of himself in a stage version of "How to Lose Friends and Alienate People," adapted from his memoir about pursuing the life de luxe in New York as a writer for Vanity Fair magazine. The show ends happily, you'll be glad to know, as Mr. Young realizes that Americans lack the redeeming virtue of irony and he returns to cozy old England.

So is that the art of British irony that's being practiced in "Round the Horne ... Revisited"? Whatever it is, it's not exactly delicate, which is the pleasurable point of this calculatedly vulgar rendering of a radio revue that delighted British listeners three decades ago. Groaning puns and dripping double-entendres ("Joy knew no bounds; they had to throw her out"); grotesque caricatures who include an incorrigibly obscure balladeer and a pair of gay jacks-of-all-trades: these hoary ingredients are served by a fine-tuned five-member ensemble as if they were rare vintage claret.

The same chipper reliance on bottom-drawer humor infuses the Old Vic's revamping of the panto staple "Aladdin." In addition to Sir Ian, it features Roger Allam ( recently in the London production of "Democracy") as the maniacally laughing villain. While "Aladdin" establishes the requisite warm complicity with its younger audience members, adults may find enchantment in the pure delight with which Sir Ian and the glittery-eyed Mr. Allam keep turning up the volume on their celebrated stage presence.

"I've been there, I've done that, had more lives than a cat," Sir Ian sings in a regal strapless gown and a smoggy baritone, while a backup of male dancers wriggle in sequined hot pants. "It's not over." And by degrees, a number that at first seems at best a sendup of Stephen Sondheim's "I'm Still Here" turns into a genuinely moving tribute to the brazen indomitability of those addicted to limelight. Panto, after all, is really just show business as usual.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/01/t...an.html?oref=login&pagewanted=print&position=

Barley


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## Barliman Butterbur (Jan 7, 2005)

*Shakespeare Society Holds Ian McKellen Film Retrospective Feb. 7*

By Robert Simonson
06 Jan 2005

The Shakespeare Society, which has hosted film retrospectives of the Bard-related work of Laurence Olivier, Claire Bloom and Derek Jacobi, will give Ian McKellen the star treatment on Feb. 7.

Actor and director Roger Rees and theatre critic John Simon will provide commentary on McKellen's work. The evening will boast clips from Macbeth, Richard III, Othello and McKellen's solo Shakespeare film.

The event will take place at 6:30 PM at The Kaye Playhouse on Manhattan's Upper East Side. 

Complete article at http://www.playbill.com/news/article/90479.html

Barley


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## Barliman Butterbur (Jan 16, 2005)

*The Grey and White Books*

Ian McKellen kept profusely detailed diaries of his experiences as Gandalf (the Grey and the White) during the shooting of the movies. They may be read at http://www.mckellen.com/cinema/lotr/index.htm . 

(They are fascinating. They are the kind of thing I was _hoping_ to read when I made the mistake of buying Sean Astin's monumental monologue of self-absorption [_There And Back Again: An Actor's Tale_]. To state the obvious: there's no comparison.)

Barley


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## Barliman Butterbur (Jan 19, 2005)

*Cake fit for a king*

*Ruth Gillespie*
Ian McKellen cutting the Twelfth Night cake

Ian McKellen, who is currently appearing as Widow Twankey at the Old Vic, was called upon to cut the Twelfth Night cake at the South Bank theatre as part of an annual celebration organised by the Vic Wells Association to mark the Epiphany - the night that heralds the arrival of the Kings in the Nativity story. The theatre celebrates the event every year on the Saturday closest to the 12th day after Christmas.

Source: http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/6137

Barley


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## Barliman Butterbur (Jan 23, 2005)

*Dougal is more than just a dog*

January 22, 2005

Ben MacIntyre

It is time to solve one of the mysteries of popular culture: what on earth is The Magic Roundabout about?

NO CULTURAL artefact evokes 1960s Britain more powerfully than The Magic Roundabout. Simply to hear the theme tune is to taste Marmite toast and Robinson’s Barley Water on a schoolday afternoon, somewhere in a mythical Middle Britain when Harold Wilson was Prime Minister.

The Magic Roundabout was watched by eight million people for five minutes a day between 1965 and 1971; it straddled a place between children and adults; it ran after Blue Peter, and just before the evening news; superficially innocent and naive, the script was also sophisticated and knowing, charmingly simple from one angle, but also surreal, psychedelic, occasionally very peculiar, and addictive. When the BBC moved it to an earlier slot in 1971, there was a storm of protest, from adults. “I should like to know how the BBC thinks I am going to regain my equilibrium after teaching all day if there is no Magic Roundabout to come home to?” demanded one letter to the Radio Times. Children saw a tale set in a magic garden with a dog, a rabbit, a snail, a little girl, and a moustachioed thing on a spring called Zebedee that proclaimed when it was time for bed; adults, often, saw much, much more.

Next month a full-length Magic Roundabout film is released, with voices by Kylie Minogue (Florence), Robbie Williams (Dougal), *Sir Ian McKellen (Zebedee, or Lord of the Springs),* Bill Nighy (Dylan) and Joanna Lumley (Ermintrude). After 40 years, the Magic Roundabout has come round again, and an entirely new generation will be introduced to this enchanted world, no longer in grainy, stop-frame footage but computer-generated animation. This therefore seems an appropriate moment to address one of the most potent and long-running mysteries of popular culture: what on earth did The Magic Roundabout mean? 

Full article at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,1068-1451091,00.html

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## Henniden (Jan 30, 2005)

Originally posted by Barliman
[QUOTEI made the mistake of buying Sean Astin's monumental monologue of self-absorption [_There And Back Again: An Actor's Tale_]. To state the obvious: there's no comparison.)
[/QUOTE] 

You like throwing money through the window, don't you? What were you expecting from an ex-Goonies star? The only diaries which could be actually worse then his, would be Liv Tyler- Arwen diaries, if she ever decided to write them...
sir Ian, instead, would be able to write well about anything, and his Gandalf post was often hilarious. However, as much as I love Gandalf, I still think his greatest part was Richard III.


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## Barliman Butterbur (Jan 30, 2005)

Henniden said:


> Originally posted by Barliman
> 
> 
> > made the mistake of buying Sean Astin's monumental monologue of self-absorption [_There And Back Again: An Actor's Tale_]. To state the obvious: there's no comparison.)
> ...



What are the Goonies? Heretofore, the only thing I knew about Astin was that he is Patty Duke's kid. And Richard III — the one of Shakespeare set in the Nazi 30s? He was terrifying!

Barley


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## Henniden (Jan 31, 2005)

"Goonies" is a rather family movie from 198.. something, about boys searching for a pirate tresaure. Astin was doing the principal character, a bit of prodigy child.
I hope "terrifying" stands for compliment? It's my absolute favourite cinematographic Shakespeare, and McKellen is far better than Oliver, IMO.


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## Barliman Butterbur (Jan 31, 2005)

Henniden said:


> I hope "terrifying" stands for compliment?



Absolutely!

Barley


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## Barliman Butterbur (Jan 31, 2005)

*McKELLEN'S MAGIC ROUNDABOUT TO GET SEQUEL*

Film bosses are plotting a sequel to animated movie THE MAGIC ROUNDABOUT - even though the first installment has not yet been released.

The creators of the $24.3 million (GBP12.8 million) film - based on the cult 1960s BBC TV series - have already signed up SIR IAN McKELLEN to return as the voice of ZEBEDEE and KYLIE MINOGUE to reprise her vocal duties for FLORENCE.

Although movie-makers have no idea how popular The Magic Roundabout - released next month (FEB05) - will prove to be with cinema-goers, they're convinced the public will demand more.

Executive producer CAMERON McCRACKEN says, "We have been developing a sequel for about the past year.

"We have heaps of ideas."
30/01/2005 10:29

Source: http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/mndwebpages/mckellen.s magic roundabout to get sequel

Barley


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## Barliman Butterbur (Feb 13, 2005)

*Psych hospital sets mood for Asylum cast*

Canadian Press

Friday, February 11, 2005

BERLIN -- The stars of the gothic thriller _Asylum_ said Friday they didn't have to stretch much to get a feeling for the mental institution where the film is set because they shot the movie in the claustrophobic surroundings of a recently closed psychiatric hospital.

Asylum, directed by David Mackenzie and starring Natasha Richardson and Ian McKellen, is one of 21 movies competing for the top Golden Bear award at this year's Berlin International Film Festival.

"The claustrophobia of the set is one of the vital things that gives the film such resonance," Hugh Bonneville, who plays Richardson's rejected husband, told reporters of the hospital set in Leeds, England. "It was a scary place to film."

Richardson stars as the 1950s wife of a psychiatrist who falls in love with a hospital inmate, with devastating results to herself and her family.

The movie unflinchingly portrays the downward spiral of her character, Richardson said.

It "explores the dark places I like to splash around in," she said. "We have all had times where we were standing at the edge of the abyss, and thought we'd better step back. She doesn't step back - she throws herself right in."

Mackenzie, who explored similar territory of sexual obsession and doom with his previous film, 2003's Young Adam, said he had felt little pressure to put more of a Hollywood sheen on the dark film.

"Everyone understood that's what the movie was and went ahead with it," he said.

McKellen, who had been scheduled to attend the event, cancelled because of sinus troubles, the filmmakers said.

A jury headed by Independence Day director Roland Emmerich will choose the winner of the festival Feb. 19. The event, which opened Thursday, closes Feb. 20. 

Source: http://www.canada.com/entertainment/movies/story.html?id=6df1fe3b-2a05-4c42-adeb-e528d2a43bfe

Barley


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## Barliman Butterbur (Mar 5, 2005)

*Peers and showbusiness fight terror law*

JAMES KIRKUP
POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT

MINISTERS last night vowed to stand firm over their plans for new terror laws, even after a bombardment of criticism from the House of Lords and a string of celebrities.

Sir Ian McKellen, the actor, and star of The Lord of the Rings films, yesterday topped a list of famous people opposing the Terrorism Bill by adding their names to a petition from the human rights group Liberty.

The bill would allow ministers to impose "control orders" restricting the freedom of movement of terror suspects.

Other names putting pressure on Tony Blair’s plans included actors Miriam Margolyes, Simon Callow, Honor Blackman and Vanessa Redgrave, fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, playwrights Harold Pinter and David Hare, musician Peter Gabriel and novelist Vikram Seth.

Read the whole story at http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=236892005

Barley


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## Eledhwen (Mar 5, 2005)

He's a busy chap. This is from aportal.Telegraph article last year. (did I miss this film?):-



> Two rival Hollywood producers are racing to get separate versions of William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice onto the big screen, fearing that the one completed second could be a box office disaster.
> 
> Stars including Sir Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Joseph Fiennes and Al Pacino are caught up in the race, which began when it was discovered that two film adaptations were under way simultaneously. The producers are convinced that the scenes of unrequited love and racial tension in the play, which was written in 1596, will make a film version enormously popular.
> 
> ...


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## ASLAN THE GREAT (Mar 5, 2005)

i'm a hard core fan of ian


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## Barliman Butterbur (Mar 10, 2005)

*McKellen to appear on Coronation Street*

Associated Press

March 10, 2005

CREDIT: The Canadian Press, File
Sir Ian McKellen (shown in the Vancouver-shot drama Emile) plans to take a spot on England's long-running Coronation Street.
ADVERTISEMENT
Click here to find out more!

LONDON -- Ian McKellen is fulfilling a long-held ambition: an appearance on long-running British soap Coronation Street.

McKellen, who played the wizard Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings movies, will appear in 10 episodes of the show, producers said Thursday.

"We are delighted that an actor of Ian McKellen's calibre has agreed to appear in the show," said producer Tony Wood.

McKellen, 65, already has two Academy Award nominations, a reputation as Britain's finest living classical actor and a knighthood from the Queen.

He said last year his one remaining goal was to appear in Coronation Street, a much-loved soap about everyday life in the northern English community of Weatherfield. He will play Mel Hutchwright, a flamboyant romance novelist with a host of secrets, in episodes due to start airing in May.
© Associated Press 2005

Source: http://www.canada.com/entertainment/story.html?id=c62cef3d-d62e-4bd2-b929-31d5b8b1b279

Barley


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## Eledhwen (Mar 12, 2005)

That will make Coronation Street much more interesting. I remember it in the days of Violet Carson and Pat Phoenix; and I remember my Mum disapproved of us watching it in case we 'caught' the accents  I'll tell my 12 year old, as I dont' watch much telly at that time of day; maybe I will now.


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## Barliman Butterbur (Mar 12, 2005)

Eledhwen said:


> That will make Coronation Street much more interesting. I remember it in the days of Violet Carson and Pat Phoenix; and I remember my Mum disapproved of us watching it in case we 'caught' the accents  I'll tell my 12 year old, as I dont' watch much telly at that time of day; maybe I will now.



If those of us "across the pond" are lucky, maybe they'll carry it on PBS — although I doubt it.  

Barley


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## Eledhwen (Mar 12, 2005)

Barliman Butterbur said:


> If those of us "across the pond" are lucky, maybe they'll carry it on PBS — although I doubt it.
> 
> Barley


I heard from a friend that Corrie is shown in the States on some cable channel, but you get old episodes. Ian McKellen's anticipated role in the series featured in a question in tonight's "Test the Nation" interactive quiz (tonight's subject is Entertainment).


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## Barliman Butterbur (Mar 13, 2005)

*Sir Ian comes to British Soaps!*

18 articles about Ian's joining "Corrie" right here!

Barley


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## Barliman Butterbur (May 3, 2005)

*A seamless transition from Shakespeare to the Street*

IAN BELL May 02 2005

Gandalf has come down in the world. As they would probably feel obliged to say in Coronation Street, it's a long way from Middle Earth to Manchester, and no mistake. Despite it all, Sir Ian McKellen made the transition from Shakespeare to soap last night without missing a beat.

This may have been because, as a trained thespian, he can do outstandingly bad acting with the worst of them. In _The Lord of the Rings_ movies he went over the top so often he could have been staging a re-enactment of the battle of the Somme. All he had to do on his visit to Weatherfield was to confirm every traditional British suspicion concerning artists and intellectuals. They are, are they not, as camp as a caravan park?

McKellen's second advantage was the current state of _Coronation Street_ itself. These days the soap is a Lancashire Carry-On movie without the biting satirical wit.

McKellen was playing Mel Hutchwright, author of _Hard Grinding_ – no, please, even I can't be bothered to bat that one out of the park – an author of no repute who was the first guest of the street's new book group. Ken Barlow and the rest of the familiar faces were uncertain as to his gender. "I am here to reassure you," boomed McKellen, "that I am, most definitely, all man."

Full article at http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/38372.html

Barley


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## Eledhwen (May 4, 2005)

I saw Ian McKellen with the writers' group in the pub. His acting was, as always, superb. I may have been looking for it; but it seemed to me that some of the regular cast were acting alongside in a state of hero-worship.


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## Barliman Butterbur (May 4, 2005)

Eledhwen said:


> I saw Ian McKellen with the writers' group in the pub. His acting was, as always, superb. I may have been looking for it; but it seemed to me that some of the regular cast were acting alongside in a state of hero-worship.



I wish we could get this program in the US!

Barley


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## Eledhwen (May 5, 2005)

I forgot you don't get it! Maybe some obscure cable channel has it. It's been going in the UK since December 1960. I expect Ian McKellen's been a fan since then.


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## Barliman Butterbur (May 5, 2005)

Eledhwen said:


> I forgot you don't get it! Maybe some obscure cable channel has it. It's been going in the UK since December 1960. I expect Ian McKellen's been a fan since then.



My hope is that PBS will pick it up. They're running a wonderful series about Hetty Wainthrop, matronly (and quite unlikely) British private investigator, and her assistant played by Dominic Monoghan!

Barley


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## e.Blackstar (May 5, 2005)

Here's all I have to say on Ian McKellen:

Huzzah for old gay British actors!


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## Barliman Butterbur (May 6, 2005)

*McKELLEN FINDS ACTING TEST*

Movie star SIR IAN McKELLEN has found the ultimate acting test, starring in a long running British soap opera.

The OSCAR nominee and theatre star is fulfilling a lifetime ambition appearing in CORONATION STREET - but admits he's struggling with the fast pace of a five-episode-a-week show.

The LORD OF THE RINGS star says, "I found learning without rehearsing difficult and didn't much enjoy having to make too many decisions on my own."

McKellen - who appears in 10 episodes as author MEL HUTCHWRIGHT - also struggled adapting to the "quickness of reading through a scene" and problems of "blocking positions for actors and cameras".

He adds, "The regulars seemed content and sailed through each scene." 

Source: http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/mndwebpages/mckellen finds acting test

Barley


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## Barliman Butterbur (May 11, 2005)

*McKellen: 'Corrie is like Disneyland'*

Tuesday, May 10 2005, 14:49 BST -- by Daniel Saney

Sir Ian McKellen has stated that he feels lucky to be appearing on Coronation Street.

The veteran actor joined the soap last month as novelist Mel Hutchwright for a ten-episode storyline.

itv.com quotes him as saying: "It's a job but it's a special job.

"It's a little bit like going to Disneyland where they try on their rides to give you the impression that you taking part in the film on which the ride is based.

"But this ride actually is the Street and you can't quite believe your luck that you are not there as a tourist you are there not quite as a resident but as a visitor who is meant to be there.

"But you settle in quite quickly because it is just a bunch of actors doing a job but they are extremely famous actors and very, very good actors.

"You can't just wander into the Street and throw off any old performance, you've got to work hard." 

Source: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/article/ds21131.html

Barley


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## Barliman Butterbur (May 11, 2005)

*Gandalf chooses Grange when he fancies a break*

Published on 10/05/2005

STAGE, screen and Corrie star Sir Ian McKellen is a regular visitor to Grange and a huge fan of the Lakes.

The star, who famously played the role of Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, is often in the town visiting his step-mother when he takes a break from his hectic schedule.

In the Tolkien classic Sir Ian plays the wizard who counsels and guides Frodo (Elijah Wood) on his journey to destroy the ring.

Knighted in 1990 the actor is one of the country’s finest Shakespearean actors and claims he only became really famous after admitting he was gay at the age of 50.

In addition to his prodigious stage career, including roles as Richard II and Hamlet and a Tony Award for Amadeus, in 1981, McKellen has appeared in several films, most memorably in the lead roles in Scandal and Richard III and lately the fantasy classic X-Men.

This month the 65-year-old fulfilled his life-long ambition to be a Coronation Street cast member.

He can currently be seen playing a dodgy writer of bodice ripping novels as Mel Hutchwright, who has been invited to address Weatherfield's book club.

Taking a break from filming Sir Ian likes nothing better than to spend time in Grange and explore the Lake District.

He said: “I haven’t actually lived up north since 1958 when I left Bolton in Lancashire for Cambridge University but I often visit Grange where my stepmother lives, but it’s her house not mine.

“I always find it exhilarating to be near Morecambe Bay and the mountains of the Lake District National Park whenever I can.”

Source: http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/viewarticle.aspx?id=208545

Barley


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## Barliman Butterbur (Jun 4, 2005)

*'X-Men 3' close to finding director*

Friday, June 3 2005, 17:54 BST -- by Daniel Saney

20th Century Fox and Marvel Fox have reportedly narrowed down their choice of director for X-Men 3 to two names.

Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake) was previously supposed to be helming the production, but he pulled out earlier this week because he did not want to spend as much time away from his family as the project would have demanded.

Ain't-It-Cool-News reports that the short-list for his replacement comprises of John Moore (Behind Enemy Lines) and Brett Ratner (Red Dragon).

Stars Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Famke Janssen and Alan Cumming will reprise their roles in the movie, whilst Kelsey Grammer and Vinnie Jones have signed up to play Beast and Juggernaut. 

Source: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/article/ds21569.html

Barley


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