Best known to the general public for his charming, flamboyant and ultimately moving performance as Gareth in the film “Four Weddings and a Funeral”, Simon Callow is also renowned for a diverse range of stage roles - Amadeus, The Merry Wives - The Musical, Waiting for Godot, as well as numerous characters in movies and on television.
On the Edinburgh Fringe over the years he has performed his own quintessential one man shows – Oscar Wilde, Charles Dickens, and this year he steps into the shoes of his literary hero, William Shakespeare – The Man from Stratford.
It’s the love of words as well as acting which inspires him, switching easily from actor to author, penning several biographies and plays. Following on from his first autobiography, “Being an Actor”, the new second instalment, “My Life in Pieces” takes us on a journey from childhood in Streatham to working in the box office at the National Theatre, where he observed the finest actors of the day including the classic theatrical tradition of Sir Laurence Olivier. Totally inspired, he was hooked by the theatre.
This Book Festival conversation with Magnus Linklater, began with an exhilarating reading about the first play he was taken to aged four years old. His description of standing in the queue outside a theatre, not knowing where he was going is very amusingly told. The red velvet seats, the lights, the magic, Nana the dog, pirates and the little boy, Peter Pan, is a captivating memory which still haunts him to this day.
We hear anecdotes about Olivier in performance – “sexual, electrifying energy,” and the hard work of Regional Rep having to learn understudy roles and an exhausting schedule for the Christmas pantomime.
The audience sit in awe as we listen to his magnificent Shakespearian actor’s voice, each word, each syllable pronounced with resonance and relish. Magnus Linklater realises time is running out and asks if we have any questions, but there is silence. We are happy to listen to Mr Callow tell us another story of his colourful, passionate, actor’s life.