Two British knights, Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Patrick Stewart, played fierce rivals in the popular 2000 film, “X Men.” Now the ‘Two Sirs’ – as they have been (ahem) dubbed – are rehearsing for a double-header of a theatrical run on Broadway in productions of Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot” and Harold Pinter’s “No Man’s Land”.
Kicking off its run with two previews last week, the double-header enjoyed a healthy box office taking of around $202,787, filling the Cort Theater to about 93% of capacity.
Not bad!
“Waiting For Godot” tells the story of two wanderers who wait by a tree to meet with Godot, whom they hope will change their lives forever. “No Man’s Land” concerns two elderly writers who meet in a London pub and continue drinking through the night, until their relationships are exposed by the return of two younger men.
Both the British thesps had praise for New York. “There is a community here, on the Broadway stage,” Stewart, a new-ish Brooklyn resident, said. “There is not, in the same way in London. It’s one of the aspects of working on Broadway that I love.”
McKellen added: “New York, conscious of its own image, has decided that part of that image is theater. However Disney-fied Times Square’s become, for those who love it, the theater is really, really, really central and important in a way that it isn’t in London.”
“I preferred it when it was a bit dirtier and bit more dangerous,” says Sir Ian who’s not a fan of the general sprucing up of the Broadway district and the considerable commercial development that’s taken place in the neighborhood.
He says, “Now it looks a little bit like Disneyland, that’s a pity. They’re brushing up the garbage in the streets every half hour. It’s a little like being indoors.”
It is rare, if not unprecedented, that two of the world’s greatest stage actors star together on Broadway and this is not to be missed for those heading to the Big Apple! For showtimes visit: www.shubertorganization.com/theatres/
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