Thanks for this.
I grew up attending theatre with my parents, and living in L.A., the local PBS station, KCET, having ready access to exceptional actors in town, regularly produced amazingly good teleplays.
I've not yet managed to see "Waiting for Godot" live, but I've always wanted to, and the production with Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart must have been among the best. I've long loved both actors.
Another absurdist play I've always loved is "The Lady's Not for Burning, " by Christopher Fry, which has a rich and convoluted plot that, in the end, turns out to be far simpler than at first it seems.
There is a version on DVD with Kevin Branagh, which is good, but there is an earlier version produced by KCET in 1974 that was far better, starring Richard Chamberlain, Jacques Aubuchon, Eileen Atkins, John Carradine and a young Kristoffer Tabori, with the rest of the cast equally impressive, though lesser known.
The play was so good that my mom, my sister and I watched it nearly every time it was televised, and we were always glad we had. It is set in medieval times, about a war worn soldier who wants to die, and an accused witch who wants to live. It is dark comedy at its best.
Around the same time, though likely a year or so later, we saw Fry's play "Ring Round the Moon" on stage starring Michael York, who of course played D'Artagnan to Chamberlain's Aramis in the 1973 Alexander and Ilya Salkind film version of "The Three Musketeers."
We saw Chamberlain himself live in a number of plays, as he was a regular on the L.A. and Broadway stage, and he was always excellent.
He gave the most nuanced performance I've ever seen of the lead role in "Cyrano de Bergerac."
Years later, after moving to Florida, I saw him star in "The Sound of Music," and was disappointed that he seemed mostly tired and over it all, giving a half-hearted performance; far from what I'd come to expect from him on stage.
Hopefully, I just caught him on an off night, though he died not too long afterward.
RIP to a truly fine actor.
Yes, the McKellen/Stewart production of Godot must've been spectacular - I'm a huge fan of both, too. :)
I really encourage you to go see Godot, if you can :D Or even reading it is pretty hectic (and fun!)..
I had not heard of 'THe Lady's not for Burning', but I will check it out soon - I love the theater of the absurd, it's so fascinating, while at the same time mind-boggling.
Wow, that is quite a recommendation. To be fair, I've never been a Branagh fan, so... As for Richard Chamberlain, I only think I've seen a few movies with him, sadly neither this nor 'The three musketeers', though I heard that was amazing. I've got to see that sometime :D
Maybe you caught him in a bad mood, in The Sound of Music? Happens...and if you say he was great in the others, then something else must've been the problem...:)
Thank you for taking the time to read and comment! :D