Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart star in live screening in Irmo
In the season’s first screening of the National Theatre Live series, Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart perform in “No Man’s Land,” exploring themes of old age, memory and companionship.
The plot centers around a summer’s evening, when two aging writers, Hirst and Spooner, meet in a Hampstead pub and continue their drinking into the night at Hirst’s stately house nearby. As the pair become increasingly inebriated and their stories increasingly unbelievable, the lively conversation soon turns into a revealing power game, further complicated by the return home of two sinister younger men (Owen Teale and Damien Molony).
“This play is one of those classics that theater friends and aficionados will enjoy immensely,” says executive director Kristin Cobb. “The NTL series is such a wonderful concept; I am eager to enjoy the live screening as well. We look forward to meeting both Stewart and McKellen fans and mingling with the theater enthusiasts who are fond of Pinter’s work!”
The stars – who are close enough that McKellen officiated Stewart’s wedding to jazz singer Sunny Ozell – have acted opposite each other in the “X-Men” franchise, with McKellen playing Magneto and Stewart playing Xavier and Professor X. Their “bromance” has been well-documented:
▪ At the London Women’s March, McKellen was photographed holding a meme with Stewart’s “Star Trek” character, Jean-Luc Picard, doing a facepalm. Mashable called it “a top-notch friendship troll.”
▪ In an appearance on “The Graham Norton Show,” McKellen told Stewart, “It’s time you died,” referring to Stewart’s character Professor X in the “X-Men” franchise.
▪ They post tons about each other on social media.
Coney Souvenir! #gogodididonyc @TwoPlaysInRep pic.twitter.com/0YUN89b1tV
— Patrick Stewart (@SirPatStew) October 2, 2013
National Theatre Live launched in June 2009 and has broadcast over 40 productions to more than 5.5 million people. Each production is performed in front of a live audience in London, recorded with multiple cameras positioned throughout the auditorium, and then screened in theaters across the globe.
If you go
National Theatre Live presents “No Man’s Land”
WHEN: 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 7.
WHERE: Harbison Theatre at Midlands Technical College, 7300 College St., Irmo.
TICKETS: $15 at www.HarbisonTheatre.org, 803-407-5011 or in person at the Harbison Theatre Box Office (9 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays). The box office will open two hours before each show.
National Theatre Live series
National Theatre screenings Harbison Theatre at Midlands Technical College
“No Man’s Land,” starring Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 7.
“Peter Pan,” 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 20.
“Amadeus,” starring Lucian Msamati, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 30.
“Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead,” starring Daniel Radcliffe, Joshua McGuire and David Haig, 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 20.
This story was originally published November 2, 2017 at 1:04 PM with the headline "Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart star in live screening in Irmo."