Many people seek unusual ways to celebrate a big birthday, but it’s unlikely that anyone has beaten Sir Ian McKellen to the idea of marking 80 years on this earth with an 80-stop theatre tour of the country of their birth. He found something personal to say about each venue; if any proof were needed that his affection is returned, well over half the dates have sold out, within a week of him announcing them. Profits will allow venues to pay for soundproofing, outreach and other initiatives.
The tour begins in January at his local theatre the Space in east London, and ends at the Olivier Theatre at the National. But dates in between include Aberystwyth, Belfast, Coventry, Leicester and Orkney. At 8.30pm on 25 May, 80 years to the minute after he arrived into the world, he will be on stage at Bolton’s Albert Halls theatre. Two belatedly added performances will take him to his birthplace, the former mill town of Burnley. He will perform there at modern venues; the grand, Grade II listed Burnley Empire theatre of his youth is now derelict and soon to be auctioned off, with bidding opening at £1.
Some might be tempted to see an allegory of national decline in its sad history. But much as we should cherish our old theatres, Sir Ian’s tour is a testament to the enduring vigour of the acting community that once filled them and the way it sustains itself through generations. He has said that, growing up in Lancashire, he was grateful to companies who toured beyond London and has always enjoyed repaying that debt. Wigan’s Little Theatre, also on the schedule, is where he saw his first Shakespeare as a boy in the 1940s.
He promises to entertain his audiences with Tolkien, perhaps some Hamlet or King Lear and quite probably some good old-fashioned audience participation. His multifaceted career has seen him take to film with brio after devoting decades to the classical stage, and he is a shining example of an actor who has converted star power into social capital. He publicly came out as gay in 1988, co-founded the lobby group Stonewall UK and has since been a spokesman and role model for the gay community on both sides of the Atlantic. At a moment when political campaigning often appears to be the business of fools or masochists, it is refreshing to see it being pursued with such grace.
Sir Ian once quipped that his gravestone should read “Here lies Gandalf. He came out,” marking his two proudest achievements. To these can now be added an 80th birthday tour that will take a lifetime of accumulated skill back to the people, wherever they may be in Britain.
