In Grace Pervades by David Hare, Fiennes plays theatre titan Henry Irving, then assumes his mantle with his own season at Theatre Royal Bath
“… in preparing to portray Irving in Grace Pervades – a new play by David Hare about him, Ellen Terry and Terry’s two illegitimate children – I sought another means of getting to the heart of him.
Reading contemporary descriptions of Irving in performance, by those who saw him on stage, is more satisfying, and makes it possible to build a sense of him. He was a slender man, precise and detailed in indicating the physical qualities of a role. His pictorial feeling for the characters he played was emphasised by great attention to his make-up. He was said to have had an odd gait and a mannered pronunciation, but was clearly able to grip an audience with what they read in his face and body….”
“As an actor, I look to be reassured by the nurturing hand of the director. Sometimes that assurance is not on offer, so instead you look for signals – often from fellow actors – that you are swimming in the right current. In this case, in our rehearsals for Grace Pervades, the brilliantly perceptive Jeremy Herrin has been offering precise notes with gentle consideration. I value his guidance as he helps me and Miranda Raison (playing Terry) through the fine detail and nuance of Hare’s dialogue. I’m also paying attention to how he encourages and crucially allows the energy of scenes to evolve without imposing or insisting. I absorb this, and also remember how other directors I have worked with brought together the elements of a production.
Next week, I will have to turn and become – I hope – that enabling person for the cast and creative team of As You like It. Immersed in Henry Irving: The Actor and His World, Laurence Irving’s forensically detailed 1951 biography of his grandfather, I can’t help reflecting on the totality of Irving’s vision, shaped by years of uncertainty and penury – the idealism and perfectionism that drove him to capture his audience. It’s hard not to be inspired by him.”