Ian McKellen: On Stage (One Night Only)

[LightsOut90]

Posted: 6/20/19 at 1:18am

Seems Ian McKellen is doing his solo show for one night only at the Hudson theater.

tickets just went onsale!

http://www.thehudsonbroadway.com/whatson/ian-on-stage/

[#1Elphie]

Posted: 11/3/19 at 10:57am

This is a couple days away. I have a ticket and am curious if anyone here saw it in the UK and might share their thoughts. 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 11/3/19 at 11:27am

I saw it a couple weeks ago and thought it was WONDERFUL.

[persephone88]

Posted: 11/6/19 at 1:46pm

Anyone else there last night?

I thought it was a thoroughly enjoyable evening. McKellen is a wonderful storyteller and he was so engaging with the audience. The performance was for charity, and the egress from the theatre afterwards was REALLY slow - because he was standing near the exit doors with the collection bucket and so many people wanted to hug him as they passed.

We had cheap seats in the side mezz, and because (I believe) he did not use a microphone, it was a bit of a struggle to hear at times between his accent and the audience laughter. At intermission, we spoke to our usher, and they moved us to wonderful seats in the center orchestra that very close. The staff at the Hudson couldn't have been nicer.

[Joe Mayo]

Posted: 11/6/19 at 2:00pm

persephone88 said: "Anyone else there last night?

I thought it was a thoroughly enjoyable evening. McKellen is a wonderful storyteller and he was so engaging with the audience. The performance was for charity, and the egress from the theatre afterwards was REALLY slow - because he was standing near the exit doors with the collection bucket and so many people wanted to hug him as they passed.

We had cheap seats in the side mezz, and because (I believe) he did not use a microphone, it was a bit of a struggle to hear at times between his accent and the audience laughter. At intermission, we spoke to our usher, and they moved us to wonderful seats in the center orchestra that very close. The staff at the Hudson couldn't have been nicer."

Very cool.

I'm going to the premier tonight of "The Good Liar" at the AXA Theater. Not sure how accessible he will be there, but he's a legend for sure.

[StardustsChild]

Posted: 11/7/19 at 10:27am

I was lucky enough to attend with my mother, who knew very little about McKellen outside of recognizing him from the Graham Norton show. It was an absolutely wonderful night - he opened with the Balrog scene from LOTR, and immediately grabbed the passion in the room and didn't let go for the entire night. The panto section in particular was hysterical, and I watched a 75+ year old woman scramble to catch a banana he threw up into the dress circle. 

My favorite moment of the night however, was in Act 2, when McKellen went through every single play by Shakespeare. At one point he pulled out Tolkien's personal copy of Macbeth and recited an extensive speech. In truth I couldn't tell you the specific selection, or for how long it went, because from the first two lines I couldn't focus on anything but the visual of watching him. I could barely hear him I was suddenly drawn to focus so hard (this was not from an issue with projection, although the previous poster is correct, he chose to be un amplified).

Watching him through the soliloquy, I watched him transform into at least 50 distinct different people. The only way I have found to describe the experience was somewhere between a religious experience and an artistic acid trip. It was as though his very being was in flux. It was incredible, and it brought me to tears. He had a false ending following it, and I was immediately to my feet. That he again came out and gave the gift of the Thomas More speech was an embarrassment of riches. He is truly deserving of being the final actor (that we know of) to originate a Shakespearean role. 

I am 90% sure they were filming the entire night, and if it is publically released, I cannot recommend it enough.

EDIT: pulled out my copy of Macbeth and I'm pretty sure it was the Dagger soliloquy in Act 2, if anyone is interested in reading through it. 

Updated On: 11/7/19 at 10:27 AM