Opinion: Why veteran actors like Ian McKellen love returning to the stage

The octogenarian, who is starring in a new reimagining of King Lear, is one of many performers demonstrating a lifelong commitment to theatre.

Summary

• Ian McKellen is starring in Lear at London's Yard Theatre
• Other great veterans such as Gary Oldman and Bonnie Langford have returned to stage
• Kristin Scott Thomas and Gillian Anderson are also back in the West End
• They follow in a wonderful tradition that includes Laurence Olivier and Peggy Ashcroft

Age really is just a number when it comes to theatre. The great Ian McKellen may be a (sprightly!) 87, but that isn’t stopping him from making a delightfully unexpected return to the stage this November. Nor is it the bright lights of the West End luring him back, or even a leading company like the RSC. Instead, McKellen is starring in a new version of Shakespeare’s King Lear at the tiny Yard Theatre in London’s Hackney Wick.

It’s testament to McKellen’s incredible commitment to the theatre, and in particular to supporting regional and fringe theatre, but also demonstrates that it is never too late for actors to tread the boards once again – as we’re already seeing this year, with the likes of Bonnie Langford, Felicity Kendal, and Gary Oldman. But just what keeps these performers coming back for more?

There are still tempting parts to play

McKellen was last seen on stage in 2024, playing Falstaff in Robert Icke’s Player Kings (a new modern-dress adaptation of the Henry IV plays). Alas, a fall from the stage cut McKellen’s run short, but thankfully it hasn’t deterred him permanently. Although he’s already played Lear before, twice, this new reimagining by Jay Miller and Simon Stephens, and in a bold, experimental theatre space, is clearly a tempting proposition.

Similarly, Gary Oldman (68) jumped at the chance to do Samuel Beckett’s elegiac masterpiece Krapp’s Last Tape – not just starring in the show but also directing and designing it, which demonstrates that this is a genuine passion project. It is also a work that benefits from a veteran actor’s wisdom and experience: as London Theatre’s review noted, Oldman “skilfully foregrounds Krapp’s yearning and regret”.

In a rather different vein, but no less apt, is 61-year-old Bonnie Langford’s scene-stealing supporting role as Mrs Bird in Paddington The Musical. This musical theatre legend is ideal casting for a production that champions showbusiness as much as our beloved bear: she gets to make knowing quips about being in Cats, and deliver an old-school, razzle-dazzle showstopper in which she proves she can still do the splits. It’s a celebration of an entire career.

This coming season sees fêted actresses taking on some of theatre’s most iconic grande dame roles in exciting West End and touring productions: Kristin Scott Thomas (66) playing Madame Ranevskaya in Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard; Gillian Anderson (57) starring as Martha in Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?; and Felicity Kendal (79), who’s currently having a ball in High Society, leading Noël Coward’s Blithe Spirit as dotty medium Madame Arcati. All are mouth-watering prospects.

This is an established tradition

Unless some other art forms, such as movies and TV, actors have always continued to perform on stage late into their careers. That might be because while Hollywood can be an ageist realm, with undue emphasis placed on how people look on camera, theatre has instead tended to highly value the contributions of veteran actors within a company. If anything, respect for them – and audiences’ affection – only grows with time.

Laurence Olivier continued to act on stage until health problems prevented it, starring in plays like Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night and Trevor Griffiths’ The Party in his sixties, and still tirelessly directing theatre shows alongside his performing. (As well, of course, as running the National Theatre.)

Other theatrical knights similarly extended their stage work, returning to the stage decade after decade. John Gielgud starred in a West End production of High Whitemore’s The Best of Friends aged 84, while Ralph Richardson, Paul Scofield and Alec Guinness all continued into their seventies.

The dames were also unstoppable, including Peggy Ashcroft, who finished with the wonderfully appropriate All’s Well That Ends Well aged 74, and Edith Evans, who finished with Dear Antoine aged 83 (although she had a postscript with her evening of prose, poetry and music, Edith Evans and Friends). More contemporary examples of this longevity include Maureen Lipman, who will be high-kicking into the West End in July in Peter Quilter's Allegra aged 80 and Judi Dench, who sang an unforgettable “Send in the Clowns” in concert Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends at the age of 89. It was the most moving rendition of that song – her voice frail but rich with emotion – that I had ever heard.

They all have more to give

McKellen isn’t just doing an enjoyable Shakespearean encore: he is also bringing much-deserved attention, and most likely swathes of new audience members, to the pioneering Yard Theatre. Such support is invaluable. It suggests a sense of the responsibility that these veteran stars feel towards their treasured medium; we have already seen McKellen put that into action when he toured his solo show to regional venues around the UK in 2019, while simultaneously marking his 80th birthday.

Ralph Fiennes (63) – although, like McKellen, a Hollywood star as well as a respected stage actor – clearly feels a deep and abiding connection to theatre. His latest acclaimed play, David Hare’s Grace Pervades, actually celebrates two titans of the stage, Sir Henry Irving and Ellen Terry, and a fascinating chapter of theatre history.

It seems even pop legends cannot resist the lure of the stage. It was recently announced that Sting (74) will star in a new production of his 2014 musical The Last Ship, which is docking in the West End this autumn, featuring a new book by Barney Norris. For performers and creatives alike with a true passion for the stage, theatre is a lifelong voyage.

Main photo credit: Ian McKellen (Photo by Guy J. Sanders). Inset: Gary Oldman in Krapp's Last Tape, Bonnie Langford in Paddington The Musical, Ralph Fiennes in Grace Pervades (Photos by Jack English, Johan Persson, Marc Brenner)