5 replies to this topic

[Lynette]

Sad news of his death. A Trooper. a gifted actor.

[Epicoene]

Interesting that in a very recent interview he said he disliked every single one of the TV characters he had to play, in particular Tom Good.

His later stage appearances somewhat marred for me by his apparent purchase of ill-fitting false teeth which made his speech distractingly sibiliant.

Just by the way, as we are correcting spelling mistakes elsewhere, I think the correct spelling is Trouper, derived from theatrical "troupe" rather than from "troop" which only has the military meaning.

[Michael H]

I remember seeing him slightly miscast as Prospero as a tour featuring Rory Kinnear as Caliban in Norwich in about 2002-2003.

[Epicoene]

Michael H, on 22 February 2013 - 01:19 PM, said:

I remember seeing him slightly miscast as Prospero as a tour featuring Rory Kinnear as Caliban in Norwich in about 2002-2003.

I never thought he was quite as good in Shakespeare as was generally thought, but he was still good and obviously much better than (say) Richard Wilson. It is tough for a famous sitcommer to make the switch because it is very difficult for the audience (myself included) to disassociate him/her from their TV role, although many have the ambition, I remember Terry Scott turning to the classics late in his life. One problem seems to be status, they want (or are obliged) to play the leading roles but in reality they'd be much better in some of the supporting parts - in the Tempest Briers should have been Gonzalo not Prospero. In Peter Sallis' stunningly tedious autobiography he tells how in Much Ado based on how much they were paying him they made him play Dogberry (miscast) when he wanted to play Verges.

[xanderl]

I've just checked and his national service was in the RAF, so a trouper rather than a trooper

[Lynette]

Epicoene, on 22 February 2013 - 02:17 PM, said:

I never thought he was quite as good in Shakespeare as was generally thought, but he was still good and obviously much better than (say) Richard Wilson. It is tough for a famous sitcommer to make the switch because it is very difficult for the audience (myself included) to disassociate him/her from their TV role, although many have the ambition, I remember Terry Scott turning to the classics late in his life. One problem seems to be status, they want (or are obliged) to play the leading roles but in reality they'd be much better in some of the supporting parts - in the Tempest Briers should have been Gonzalo not Prospero. In Peter Sallis' stunningly tedious autobiography he tells how in Much Ado based on how much they were paying him they made him play Dogberry (miscast) when he wanted to play Verges.

Best Polonius. Brill Malvolio.