No Man's Land: Meeting Two Acting Legends

One of the many things on my NYC bucket list this semester is to see a few Broadway shows, and last Saturday, I went to the Cort Theatre to see No Man's Land, one of the "Two Plays in Rep" starring Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Billy Crudup, and Shuler Hensley-- and it was quite the experience.

Originally, a friend from my residence hall and I planned to get discount rush tickets from the Times Square TKTS booth to see Matilda: The Musical, but when we got there, it was sold out. Our second choice was Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, but even the half-price tickets were too expensive, so we decided it was better to see a play. I had seen on the Two Plays in Rep website that they sold same-day rush tickets for No Man's Land at the Cort Theatre's box office for as little as $36, so we walked over to check it out. Sure enough, tickets were available for the show that afternoon, so we went for it.

It was an interesting play--unlike anything I've seen or read before. It's a comedy with serious undertones written by Harold Pinter, and it's basically about two elderly writers (McKellen and Stewart) who continue drinking and talking into the night after having met in a pub. Two younger men (Crudup and Hensley) show up, and we learn more about each character as the play goes on.

Despite being dialogue-heavy, the 2 hour, 15 minute play moved quickly through both acts. McKellen and Stewart such naturals and have great chemistry with each other; I could tell they were having a lot of fun. And for two men in their seventies, they have the energy of guys in their twenties. At one point, Stewart had to fall on the ground and crawl across the stage, and he made it look so easy. Later, when McKellen was kneeling on the ground tying his shoes, he jumped to switch feet like it was nothing. Crudup and Hensley also gave wonderful performances, and they held their own alongside the two acting legends. It was one of those plays that left me with a lot of questions at the end, but I still really enjoyed it.

After the show, we went outside to wait for the actors to sign our Playbills. A sizable crowd had gathered, but I managed to get a good spot at the front and got autographs from all four actors! The best part was meeting McKellen and Stewart. Seeing both of them in person on stage and up-close after only having watched them on a movie or television screen was surreal. I'm going to risk sounding like a fan-girl here, but the highlight for me was when both of them smiled and said hello to me, and their sincere thank yous when I told them how much I enjoyed the show. It was refreshing to witness two people with decades-long careers being gracious and kind to their fans.

If everything works out, I'm going to try to see their other play in rep, Waiting for Godot. I've heard great things about that one, and it would be an interesting point of comparison to watch these same four actors play characters in a completely different play. Still, the fact that I've seen Sirs Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart grace the Broadway stage is something I'll never forget.