Njengoko uyazi, kunqabile ngendlela engathandekiyo xa abagxeki bevumelana omnye nomnye malunga nayo nayiphi na into eninzi, kubandakanya nokuba umhlaba uthe tyaba na. (Inene, kunjalo.) Ke xa ndingavumelani ngamanye amaxesha noBen Brantley, umgxeki oyintloko weqonga weThe New York Times, ayisiyonto yobuqu, ndiyakuqinisekisa. Injalo into yokuba uMnumzana Brantley ungumgxeki wokuqala weqonga kwimbali yeqonga lokwakha ubuhle bonke kumalungu omzimba.
Ngaba siza kuqala ngomlenze wasekunene ka-Eileen Atkins? waqala ngo-Okthobha u-25 uphononongo loMntu ongalindelekanga. Kufana, njengomlenze wakhe wasekhohlo, mncinci kwaye ubumbekile, kwaye akuthandabuzeki ukuba usebenze lo mdlali mhle kule minyaka idlulileyo njengento yokuma.
Abakho baninzi abantu abaye bacinga ngaloo nto ngaphambili. Kodwa nguBen. Imilenze yinto yokuma. Zisuka nje, ke ngoko siyayibona inkangeleko yomzimba wakhe inesibindi. Umlenze wasekunene kaNks. Atkins, nangona kunjalo, ngumlenze obalulekileyo.
UBen uqhubeka echaza ukuba kutheni. Kodwa kwiNdoda engalindelekanga, umdlalo we-cigarette-slim ngu-Yasmina Reza ovulwe phezolo e-Promenade Theatre, UNks. Atkins ujika umlenze wakhe wasekunene ube yinto eqaqambe ngakumbi: isalathiso sokungamampunge, unxunguphalo kunye negunya lomfazi ukudlala.
Kwaye apha, ukuba ndingathi, bendinenyawo ezingalunganga. Kuba ndiyazi ukuba u-Eileen Atkins ungomnye wabadlali abaphambili eNgilane, kwaye ukuba angakwenza konke oku ngomlenze wakhe wasekunene, zeziphi iindawo eziphakamileyo ezingafikelelekiyo anokufikelela kuzo ukuba ukhetha ukwenza ngomlenze wakhe wasekhohlo? Kodwa ungazibuza, ingaba uzikala njani iincopho ngomlenze wakhe wasekunene?
UBen uza kusixelela. Ukwenza oku ngokukhomba iinzwane zakhe zasekunene ngaphandle, uyachaza, kwaye atshintshe ubunzima bakhe, ngomlenze kumgama ococekileyo nakwi-engile yeqabane lakhe. Olu hlengahlengiso oluncinci lomzimba lwenza ukuba uNks.Atkins ajongeke njengamazwe aphesheya njengomfanekiso we-Erte, kwaye uchaza isimilo sakhe njengomntu othe inkangeleko yesitayile yaba yingqondo.
Kwaye sinayo. Ngoku jonga amagxa ka-Alan Bates, iliso lokhozi uBen uyaqhubeka. Phambi kokuba siqwalasele ubuhle bamagxa kaMnu Bates, kubalulekile ukuba uqaphele ukuba ukungaguquguquki kukaBen kwesigwebo esibalulekileyo kwisebe lecandelo lomzimba kusondele kakhulu kuF. Ubungqongqo bukaLeavis bokukhathazeka ngokuziphatha kwisithethe esikhulu senoveli yesiNgesi. Ishishini lika-Ms Atkins lomlenze ojikelezileyo yayikwangumboniso we-Indiscretions kwi-Broadway kwiminyaka emihlanu eyadlulayo, wongeza, ngokwenza njalo wenza ikhonkco elibalulekileyo lenkcubeko.
Abaphengululi endle ngokungathandabuzekiyo baya kuyikhumbula i-epiphany yakhe yangaphambili ngaphezulu kweenyawo zikaMichael Gambon. IGreat Gambon, njengoko yaziwa njalo, yayisenza ulindelo lwayo olude olulindelwe kwi-Broadway kwi-David Hare's Skylight kwiminyaka emine eyadlulayo, kwaye uBen wayivula imfihlelo yobukrelekrele bakhe xa wabona ubuqili bakhe, uhambo olubuhlungu ngaphakathi komdaniso womnqweno. Bukela indlela axhasa ngayo ngokobuhlanga emva koko akhuphe isihlangu esikhazimliswe kakuhle esitulweni.… Wasincoma ngembeko. Kwaye ngobusuku endandizimase intsebenzo, iwaka lamahlo athe thaa kwiinyawo zikaMnumzana Gambon, ezinyaweni ezilusizi njengoko sonke sasilindele umzuzu obaluleke kakhulu wezihlangu.
Kwaye sabukela saza sabukela. Kwaye ucinga ntoni? Khange yenzeke!
Ukuba icandelo likaBen lomzimba linobuthathaka obuncinci, yinto nje yokuba abadlali abakhulu abanyanzelisi okanye bakhuphe isihlangu esenziwe kakuhle kwisitulo ngendlela efanayo busuku ngabunye. Banokuthi, umzekelo, bazicingele phambi kokuba ikhethini lenyuke, ndicinga ukuba ndiyakuyixhasa esofeni ngokuhlwanje. Banokucinga, Mhlawumbi ndiza kuya kuJoe Allen emva komboniso. Banokude balibale ngokupheleleyo ngeenyawo zabo, balibale amalungu abo omzimba.
Kodwa oku akuyichaphazeli ngokupheleleyo indlela ekhethekileyo kaBen. Umbuzo wokugxininisa. Ewe, waqala uphononongo lwakhe olungenakulibaleka Ubusuku bam ngeReg kumaxesha ambalwa edlulileyo. Ubuncinci indoda enye esemngceleni wobudala obuphakathi ayinanto yakuzixakekisa ngayo xa inxibe isuti yokuqubha ehlotyeni.
Nantsi indawo yomzimba eyabamba iliso likaBen yayingumthondo kaMaxwell Caulfield. Ngelixa kungaze kupholise ukuhlahlela amathe, u-Ben wakhankanya ukuba umlenze ongenakulinganiswa ka Mnu Caulfield, umdlali weqonga awayemthanda xa wayedlala u-Adonis ohamba ze elunxwemeni e-Louise Page's Salonika ngo-1985, waphinda waboniswa kwi-unabashed (yonke intshi ngaye) kubusuku bam ngeReg.
Ndazisola ngelo xesha lokuba ndandingaqhelananga nokusebenza okungalibalekiyo kukaMnu Caulfield njengoAdonis ohamba ze eSalonika. Ndakhe ndambona kwi-Grease 2 nakwii-Inspector Calls, kodwa wayelungile nangona wayenxibe ngokupheleleyo ngelo xesha. Ndiziva ndinokuba nento endinokuyenza xa kufikwa kumlenze wasekunene ka-Eileen Atkins, iinyawo zikaMichael Gambon okanye amagxa ka-Alan Bates. Kodwa kukho amaxesha apho umntu kufuneka avume intsimi kwingcali. Inyama kaMnu Caulfield, ubuncinci, u-Ben uqukumbele, akabuniki bungqina be-paunch okanye, ngaphandle kwempendulo yekati okanye ezimbini ezijolise kumlingiswa wakhe, ukugoba ngasemva.
Sathuthuzeleka kakhulu kukuyiva. Ukuba kuphela umlenze kaMnu Caulfield ongenakulinganiswa ongenakulinganiswa wawubonakala ebusuku kwi-Full Monty. UBen wayengenakudinga ukubuza ekuhlaziyweni kwakhe, Ngaba uyabona, uyazi, yonke into? Hayi, ubuncinci hayi apho bendihleli khona. Kodwa abadlali ngokwabo bahlala bexhalabile ngamalungu omzimba, ewe. Amehlo abo abalulekile-amehlo anokutsha. U-Olivier wayecinga ukuba impumlo yakhe ibaluleke kakhulu. Wayedume ngokungabinako ukungena isimilo ngaphandle kokuba wayenempumlo ngokuchanekileyo. Iimpumlo zobuxoki zamnika ukuzithemba, njengemaski eqondayo.
Kwelinye icala, uGielgud, onelizwi elincanyiswe nguThixo, wayeziva ekhululekile xa zifika iimpahla. Wayesazi ke ukuba ebefanele ukuba ngubani. Kunye noAlec Guinness, yeza nokuhamba. Xa wayengumfundi, wayelandela abantu angabaziyo esitratweni ekopa indlela abahamba ngayo. Kuye, yayisisitshixo somlinganiswa. KuRalph Richardson, ubunzima bokucinga babalinganiswa bakhe. Iindima zeza kuye ngohlobo lwabo lomzimba. Wayeza kuvavanya ngokoqobo umhlaba-okanye inqanaba-phantsi kwakhe, eguqula imilenze yakhe ukubona ukuba umlinganiswa wakhe waziva ekhululekile.
Ke, wonke umdlali weqonga unendlela yakhe ebonakalayo kwindima, amaqhinga akhe e-backstage kunye neemfihlo. Kodwa xa belungile kwaye bengabadlali abakhulu, asiqapheli. UBen uqaphela. Ubhiyozela amalungu omzimba amanye amalungu omzimba angazange ahlangane. Ngoku qaphela amagxalaba ka-Alan Bates, uqhubeke nokujonga kwakhona umntu ongalindelekanga. Zoyikeka ngakumbi kunokuba umntu ekhumbula ukuba bebevela kwii-movie zika-1960 (uGeorgy Girl, uKumkani weentliziyo) owenza uMnu. Akenzi nantoni na ecekeceke ngazo-kukugoba nje, ukujija nokunyusa amagxa.
Nanku ke! Ukujikajika, ukubhetyebhetye kunye nokuhlikihla kude-kodwa ungathobeki. Kwaye ngoku, u-Ben uqukumbela, loo magxa abonakalisiwe njengebheji ecoliweyo yokuzijonga kunye nophawu lokungaboni. Ngokucacileyo, lo ngumntu ohamba ngokubaluleka kwakhe ngelixa esenza ngathi akwenzi njalo.
Kuya kufuneka ndihloniphe kakhulu uBen apha. Ndacinga ukuba amagxa ka-Alan Bates anike enye yeendlela zabo ezilungileyo kwiKude kwisihlwele saseMadding ngexesha lemiboniso yokusenga iinkomo. Kwaye, mandivume kuko konke ukungafihli, ngaba ndifumanise ukuba umlenze wasekunene ka-Eileen Atkins wenze ukusebenza okungcono kunomlenze wakhe wasekhohlo. Mhlawumbi ndiyaphulukana nayo, kodwa bobabini babonakala befana, bengathathi cala kum. Ngokuchasene noko, ndiza kuthi imfihlelo yokusebenza kukaNks. Atkins kukujonga kwakhe, nokuzola okukhohlakeleyo.
Ewe, kwanele ngokwamalungu omzimba wabo. Ndihambile ukuya kubona idolo lasekunene likaJuliette Binoche eHarold Pinter's Betrayal. Kwaye umdlalo ka-Yasmina Reza malunga nabantu ababini abangabaziyo-ingonyama yoncwadi kunye nefeni elinywayo-abadibana kuloliwe? Ndakhe ndanikela ingxelo eLondon, xa Indoda engalindelekanga yayidlala khona noNks Atkins kunye noMichael Gambon, ukuba kum kukudibana ngokufutshane ngothando, isiqwenga esincinci kwimizuzu engama-70. Kuselithuba ngeli xesha kunye noNks. Atkins kunye noMnu Bates, abadlali abaziintlobo ngeentlobo zeemvakalelo abanokuthi babenomdla kuzo kwaye basenze umdla xa befunda incwadi yemfonomfono. Kuhlala kulungile ukuzibona. Masibamkele kwakhona edolophini ngezandla ezishushu.
