I was lucky enough to catch Michael Pennington’s performances in RSC productions visiting Newcastle in the last decades of the 20th century. I still recall his lacerating self-disgust at the close of Seán O’Casey’s The Shadow of a Gunman: “O Donal Davoren, poet and poltroon, poltroon and poet!”
In complete contrast, there was a moment in his portrayal of Shakespeare’s Richard II, where he conveys the king’s irresponsibility with a smirking grin from a mouth that appears to be chewing gum.I felt a great sense of privilege when watching and listening to him.
