DAVID COPPERFIELD (1962)
Written by
Joan MacAlpine (from Charles Dickens novel)
Ian McKellen in the role of David
Arts Theatre, Ipswich, Suffolk
4 December 1962 - 19 December 1962
Words from Ian McKellen
This adaptation ended with David’s marriage. The two-line part of Sophie was the first professional role for local amateur actress Jane Burgess (later Jane Lapotaire). On the first night, in front of her family and other supporters, I inadvertently strung two of my speeches together making hers a mute role for the evening! Jane reminded me of this in 1981 when we both won Tony Awards on Broadway (she for Piaf and I for Amadeus).
Comments and Reviews
"Individual performances are in good hands and David Copperfield, in particular, is played with convincing sincerity by Ian McKellen. In one scene, a word and a gesture from him makes briliantly clear the troubles that lay ahead." — Joan MacAlpine, The Evening Star