Matters Theatrical

Today is an interesting day in theatre history. First, it's John Gielgud's birthday. Gielgud was one of the towering figures of British theatre for pretty much the entire 20th century, but sadly, he'll probably be best remembered as the butler in Dudley Moore's "Arthur" movies. My favorite role of his was Prospero in Peter Greenaway's film Prospero's Books. The day he died, West End theatres went dark out of respect.

Second, today is the day that John Wilkes Booth shot President Lincoln in Ford's Theatre. Less than 1/2 hour before the assassination, a tavern customer told Booth, "You'll never be the actor your father was." Booth replied, "When I leave the stage, I will be the most famous man in America."