Books: Tynan on Theatre: Part II

Tynan on Shakespeare:

            A lot of the plays mentioned, were actually the ones I haven’t quite ticked off my ‘to-read’ list. They were all Shakespeare, of course, and all performed between 1951 and 1959.

            This is a very short section, with two Hamlets, two Othello’s, two king Lears, a number of History and some Titus and McB thrown in for good measure. What I found most interesting in this section, because they plays are unchanging, though cuts may differ from one production to another, these reviews were so much more focused on the acting, direction and sets than the work discussed in “British Theatre”. I actually learned a lot about the characters in this section, and how an actor can influence a character.

            Nuggets of Knowledge Learned:

-       Lady McB is too masculine a role to be played by many women – some may be able to get away with it, though

-       In the 1950’s, it was ok for white men like Richard Burton and John Neville to play Othello

-       It isn’t necessarily a bad thing to focus more on the character and their wants and needs than the poetry in the writing

-       Sir Lawrence Olivier will succeed where all others will fall short. End of Story. Every time.

This was one section that I think I liked almost best out of the entire collection, it raed quickly and I got more excited and intrigued with each review. There were many actors and director listed in this section that, learning about theatre, we were told of often and heard their names spoken with special reverence. Sir Lawrence Olivier, whom most theatre students know of, mostly know of him as someone admired for his greatness, and his black&white film of Hamlet. In these reviews, we read about his portrayal of MacB. It is a difficult character to be sure, I only know of a few who have attempted it and won acclaim rather than mockery. Patrick Stewart for instance, who I might venture to say, has come into equal standing in dramatic ability as the last Sir Lawrence Olivier.

We also see the names: Michael Redgrave, Sam Wanamaker, John Gielgud, Paul Scofield and Vivien Leigh (yes, from Gone With the Wind). Michael Redgrave: a famous name to be sure, according to Tynan, the best King Lear seen on an English stage in a long time. Sam Wanamaker: the man behind today’s Globe Theatre (more on this later). John Gielgud, famous for his performance in Shakespeare when he was young, famous for his direction of Shakespeare as he aged, directed Michael Redgrave in Hamlet in Stratford-upon-Avon. Paul Scofield, the only man well-equiped to play Hamlet in the 1950’s while Tynan was writing this. And Vivien…well, maybe she had better stick to her American Southern Belles and leave Lady McB to the men…

Now, my little issue with Sam Wanamaker being mentioned here is that it forces me to question my professors in London and the stories of the Globe’s creation as it was recounted to me. I was lead to believe that Sam Wanamaker was an American actor (which was true) who hadn’t been to London until the 1990’s. I was told that he arrived in London, got into a cab and asked to be taken to a Globe Theatre, but instead was taken to the plaque outside of the original location. I was told that, upon seeing this plaque, he was horrified and started out on his mission to recreate Shakespeare’s Globe in London… But if this book is correct, which I very much believe that it is, how could Mr. Wanamaker not have known that the English did not have a Globe Theatre in London? I don’t necessarily doubt the whole validity of the story, but rather the timeline that was recounted to me.

Other than being confused about timelines, and feeling shame for knowing more about these plays (hence why I have Othello and many other plays that have been filmed in my Netflix queue), this was a great mini-section. If you are an actor, this is worth reading for the advice, if you’re a future reviewer, it’s worth reading for the reference and general great knowledge one will find in a Tynan review. 

One thing I will say that this section taught me, in England, and in almost any theatre community, one is likely to see more Hamlets, Lear’s and Othello to last a lifetime. A critic must be able to watch these plays with a fresh eye each time, comparing and contrasting performances is not bad, but we must allow the actors to fly or fall without our own views or exhaustion of an over-performed play causing any further damage. Tynan does this splendidly, he comes to a play informed and knowledgeable, but focused with a fresh eye for detail.