Grace Pervades, written by David Hare, was a play written for actors and artists. It was so beautifully performed, with Ralph Fiennes stealing the show with his portrayal of real-life actor Henry Irving.
I loved what this show had to say about artists and our art and asking the question of “how much do we put into our art? How much of ourselves and our lives do we give up for our art?” The show tackles this concept by showing the dynamic of Ellen Terry and Henry Irving, as well as the lasting effect it had on Terry’s two children, Edith and Edward.
Henry Irivng devoted his whole life to his art, to acting, to telling a story for others to watch because that’s what people need. I know I’ll butcher it if I tried, but Irving’s line of people watching dramas because they don’t understand life and comedies because they do was extremely impactful. It showed that he viewed his work as a gift for others, not for himself. He spent his whole life in it, something that stayed with him until the very end of his life. His line of saying that Terry had lived the role he promised her, but her frustration that she didn’t want to live it, she wanted to play it, showed their different viewpoints in their art. His relationship with Terry shows how hard it is to watch someone give their all to their art, losing others in the process. Of course, they loved each other, but Irving would not rest, could not stop, not until the very end.
Also, I loved seeing the differences in Edith and Edward’s views on art and how we shape our life around it. Edith didn’t follow her mother’s career as an actor, but instead worked to build a theatre for other actors to perform their art. She focused on the future of acting and the art, while her brother did not do the same. He was focused on direction, on making acting the art that can’t change, on perfecting something that he will never believe is perfect.
I loved the questions it raised about our art and what we put into it. It was a love letter to artists and especially actors, anyone who wants to pursue any career in theatre.
I am, though, surprised that Voldemort didn’t kill anyone in this one.
Theatre in London U of A 