John Barton’s “Playing Shakespeare”

December 19, 2024 6:11 AM

In 1982, while working with 21 Royal Shakespeare Company members, including Judi Dench, Ben Kingsley, Ian McKellen, Roger Rees, Patrick Stewart, and David Suchet, John Barton recorded nine workshop sessions for London Weekend Television. - Wikipedia --- 1: The Two Traditions 2. Using the Verse 3. Language & Character 4. Set Speeches & Soliloquies 5. Irony and Ambiguity 6. Passion & Coolness 7. Rehearsing a Text 8. Exploring a Character 9. Poetry & Hidden Poetry

As a sample, here are Stewart and Suchet having a Shylock-Off.

posted by Lemkin (6 comments total)

Fun little footnote: In press interviews for Days Of Future Past, Michael Fassbender revealed to Ian McKellan that he relied on these recordings to dial in his "young Magneto" voice work. This is the sample he quoted to McKellan.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 6:52 AM on December 19 [4 favorites]

McKellen became his generation’s standard bearer for Macbeth in this 1979 TV production.

So when his friend Patrick Stewart was about to essay the role and asked him for advice about the soliloquy, McKellen told him the key word was ”and”.
posted by Lemkin at 7:22 AM on December 19 [2 favorites]

Excellent!! Thank you for this post!
posted by panhopticon at 9:57 AM on December 19 [2 favorites]

My favorite part of these, which starts around 15:00 on Part 8, is a monologue-off between Patrick Stewart (TV's Picard!) and David Suchet (TV's Poirot!) where they take turns with a particular monologue of Shylock from Merchant of Venice. They spend the ten minutes or so before that discussing their different takes on the character.

SPOILER: Despite the fact that Patrick Stewart is one of my favorite actors, Suchet absolutely wipes the floor with him. The contrast between the two performances is shocking - Stewart is obsequious and Suchet is menacing. It's an amazing example of how two people can deliver the same words in thoroughly different ways.
posted by Ben Trismegistus at 12:18 PM on December 19 [2 favorites]

Despite the fact that Patrick Stewart is one of my favorite actors, Suchet absolutely wipes the floor with him.

This is true.

However, Stewart’s Macbeth is even better than McKellen’s.
posted by Lemkin at 12:38 PM on December 19

Stewart is obsequious and Suchet is menacing

I don't see obsequiousness. Both Shylocks express incredulity born of anger, but Stewart plays it with a genuine surprise in what I think of as theatrical bigness. Suchet goes quiet to contrast, still incredulous, still angry, but the smaller performance has an intimate intensity that works better on camera; you feel his anger so much more, and it feels like his Shylock recognizes his opportunity much sooner. It'd be neat to see if they played things the same way if Suchet went first!

Caveat: I don't know from acting but I really enjoy process talk. Fantastic post, Lemkin!
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 1:00 PM on December 19 [2 favorites]