Berkoff

One summer afternoon, years ago, we got it into our heads that our visit to London would not be complete without a WestEnd play. The only thing on that evening with decent seats was Steven Berkoff's "MasterClass in Evil: Shakespeare's Villains". I'd heard of his name but could not place him, other than a vague awareness that he specialised in baddies ..
So with no expectations whatsoever we proceeded to be totally blown away by an acting performance with no props, just an awesome presence who commanded the entire space in the theatre.

When I heard that he was to perform at our local theatre, I almost salivated. This time his "One Man", another feat of pure acting (well two actually), showcases his comedic talents.
Berkoff's rendition of "The TellTale Heart", entering the mind of the madman .. I never imagined Poe could be so humourous~! I will always recall his vocal replication of sawing through flesh and bone ..
~ and "Dog", an energetic performance. Those familiar with footie hooligans will smile inwardly as well as laugh outwardly as he plays both thug and his pitbull.


I have since identified several films in which Berkoff has pivotal roles, all impressive, but somehow, he is more, in person, than onscreen ..








hm, this is becoming rather bloglike, not my intention here .. but I felt it time to be rid of that tag ~