Letters from an Actor

by William Redfield

The legendary 1964 Broadway run of Hamlet directed by John Gielgud is one of the most famous productions of Shakespeare’s most important play. Audacious for its time in concept and execution, it placed the actors in everyday clothes within an unassuming “rehearsal” set, with the Ghost of Hamlet’s father projected as a shadow against the rear wall and voiced by the director himself. It was also a runaway critical and financial success, breaking the then-record for most performances of a Broadway show. This was in no small part due to the starring role played by Richard Burton, whose romance with Elizabeth Taylor was the object of widespread fascination. Present throughout, and ever attentive to the backstage drama and towering egos on display, was the actor William Redfield, who played Guildenstern. During the three months of the play’s preparation, from rehearsals through out-of-town tryouts to the gala opening night on Broadway, Redfield wrote a series of letters describing the daily happenings and his impressions of them. In 1967, they were in 1967 collected into Letters from an Actor, a brilliant and unusual book that has since become a classic behind-the-scenes account that remains an indispensable contribution to theatrical history and lore. This new edition at last brings Redfield’s classic back into print, as The Motive and the Cue—the Sam Mendes-directed play about the Gielgud production that is based in part on the book—continues its successful run on London’s West End.

Genres: Theatre, Nonfiction

264 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1967

Reviews

[Elsiekate · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a series of letters that redfield wrote while rehearsing and performing in a production of hamlet that was produced in 1964 that starred richard burton and was directed by john gielgud. through some odd coincidence, one of my favorite books about the theater is a book by a man named richard sterne that was about the same production. (since the production of "hamlet" was filmed, there is the intention to view it at some point after having read all of this behind the scenes detail.)

i loved this book. my first thought is that the art of letter-writing really has declined since its heyday, hasn't it? that first unposted letter to the editor of the new york times that he writes--who would write that today. but perhaps the whole art has been sublimated into blog posting--why invoke the middleman of the editor of the nyt?

some of it is so so familiar, though on a much smaller scale. i've despaired of getting the direction that i need from someone who was directing me--it just wasn't anyone like john gielgud, shockingly enough. but the personalities shine through these letters and the affection that he has for these people. you really feel for him as he gropes around in search of what his performance will be. i'm so eager to reread my own book and see if sterne saw it the same way--i last read that book many years ago.

(the portraits aren't just of burton and gielgud and the people in the cast--he has a lot to say about other actors, especially olivier and brando.)

i looked it up for the hell of it--redfield died at age 49 of leukemia. i'm a little sad that he's not around to be a cranky old man complaining about the actors of today.

[Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

William Redfield's insider account of the Gielgud-Burton Hamlet is not only great fun, it's one of the most thought-provoking books I've ever read on the subject of art and artists. Track it down!

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Out of print these days, but lots of secondhand copies available out there. Redfield was a beautiful actor who died young - I don't think he even made it to fifty - and he's largely forgotten now except for his final screen performance as the pensive mental patient Harding in ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST, which he gave while in the final stages of the leukemia that killed him. But in his youth, he played Guildenstern in Richard Burton's HAMLET, directed by John Gielgud (Alfred Drake was Claudius, Eileen Herlie was Gertrude, Hume Cronyn played Polonius, and a very young John Cullum played Laertes) and the book is essentially his chronicle of that experience with those people. Redfield was a very witty man and an elegant writer, and the book is a fascinating look at a group of hugely gifted actors struggling to put together a cohesive performance without a great deal of help from a director who might have been expected to have more to offer.

[Bidalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must for all actors. It is truly inspiring and uplifts.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe it's out of print! Must-read for Hamlet enthusiasts and actors.

[Dominic H · Rating 4 out of 5]

I tracked down this book as one of two sources Jack Thorne gave for his forthcoming play 'The Motive and the Cue'. I have reviewed the other, by Richard Sterne, separately but this is a vastly better and very enjoyable book. It's cast in the form of letters from Redfield to a friend and as well as much interesting detail on the production there's lots of revealing information on what it is like to be an actor. When he played Guildenstern in the production (Gielgud wanted an older Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to match Burton's age) Redfield was 37 and vastly experienced.
What he has to say about the theatre of the time, about acting, about critics and all of the machinery that goes into delivering a play onto the stage is fascinating. He comes over as honest and authentic, slightly insecure, but an acute observer and a gifted writer. Gielgud's approach was centred on an interesting concept - of a production which simulated the final run through of the play in rehearsal - but he appeared to have no overarching method of delivering a fully thought through production. After the first few days his direction comes over as inconsistent tinkering, which Redfield amusingly records although it was clearly less than amusing at the time. Redfield comes over as liking both Burton and Gielgud, had a closer relationship with the former and is illuminating about the extent to which Burton did - or mostly didn't - take direction. What strikes one from reading the book though is that perhaps Burton was justified, not just being assertive or difficult. It seems miraculous that the production finally opened on Broadway to the acclaim it did.
Anyway highly recommended to anyone with an interest in the theatre. It will be fascinating to see what Thorne makes of it.

I should add that you can find all of the production on You Tube. (The link I found say it was an HD restoration in 4k, but it's still pretty fuzzy black and white, with very 'theatrical' sound). The production was filmed in an interesting precursor to NT Live etc and so doesn't just faithfully pretend to be a view from the stalls - there are close ups and cuts and so some sense of direction.
It's also very difficult to come to it objectively after reading the Sterne and Redfield books. But I think overwhelmingly one does feel a lack of coherence. You feel that none of the actors are acting as though they have any notion of an overall conception let alone anything tighter. And the performances are mixed in terms of quality as well as approach. It appears for example that Redfield was right to have reservations about his own performance. At this stage he has reverted to the Guildenstern as villain and slimy courtier that he was obviously most comfortable with but it's a curious mix of mannered and hammy. Hume Cronyn plays Polonious as some sort of devious but affable leprechaun. Eileen Herlie as Gertrude has a sort of self-satisfied air of someone who is comfortable in their tried and tested interpretation and sees no need to offer anything new (she was amongst other things Gertrude in the Olivier film - I don't think she is much better in that but as an
'older' interpretation I much prefer that production overall to this, men in tights and doublets and all). I could go on. I don't think it's fair to say Burton is a failure but he seems all at sea, trying out one thing then another and is just too old for the role. It becomes difficult to watch. Add to that the audience behaviour - applauding entrances, wanting to laugh at every single possible piece of humour in the text (and at many lines that in no interpretation could possibly be described as funny) and the fact that the whole thing is just terribly, terribly dated. In short there are no intrinsic merits.
Its success appears to have been wholly due to capitalising on the whole Burton/Taylor frenzy. I wonder what Burton and Gielgud thought when they had chance to reflect. I should think bewildered that they ever thought it might fly and amazed that they seem to have got away with it!

[Liz Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Letters from an Actor was written in 1964 and published in 1966 by the actor William Redfield, who is cast as Guildenstern in Hamlet, starring Richard Burton and directed by John Gielgud. The letters are written to a ("dear reader") literary agent, Bob Mills, as a target (a ruse?) for expounding upon the general challenges and rewards of being an actor and this specific production of Hamlet. If you are a Richard Burton fan you will deeply enjoy the up-close experience of being around him that Mr. Redfield imparts, from the rehearsals to the after-rehearsal drinks parties to the play’s opening nights in Toronto, Boston, and New York. Elizabeth Taylor fans will neither be disappointed because she makes quite a few appearances and Redfield comments on her appearance as well as the impact she has on the show even though she’s not in it. This production of Hamlet was in rehearsal during the period immediately before and after the Burtons' (first) wedding. The book is very much an insider’s view of the world of acting and actors (successful, working ones). William Redfield himself enjoyed a great career on stage, film, and television before his untimely death of leukemia at the age of 49 (too far in the future to have been a factor here). John Gielgud, a celebrated actor himself, directed this production and Redfield spares no criticism of his job (though as a person he is described as gentlemanly and brilliant)... Many of the actors complain about feeling unresolved about bits of business or line deliveries even as the first opening takes place, and surprisingly Gielgud doesn’t really help. Even Burton with his obvious gifting is very nervous before the openings. It’s fascinating that once the show opens in New York – just a couple of months after the Beatles had played on the Ed Sullivan show – audiences gave standing ovations and lined up at the stage door to await a glimpse of the Burtons. I would have been one of them. What a heady time it was. I highly recommend this book to any student of acting or fan of Richard Burton in particular.

[Cory Howell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read Richard Sterne's Journal of Rehearsals, about this very same Hamlet production, many times. Redfield's book, a series of letters about the famous Burton/Gielgud collaboration, is just as good, in a very different way. Sterne's book is more workmanlike, based on tape recordings he made of all the rehearsals. Redfield's book is more like a diary, full of ruminations on the craft of acting. An excellent read!

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the source material for the new play The Motive and Cue, recently premiered in London, directed and developed by Sam Mendes. The book is a first hand look at rehearsals for Hamlet starring Richard Burton directed by John Gielgud. Actor William Redfield co-stars with a cast of Who’s Who on Broadway.

[Mike Gardiner · Rating 5 out of 5]

An essential testament of actors’ neuroses, triumphs, what stars are, film vs theatre, art, commerce, and the elements of showbiz that have never and will never cease.

A must read for all in the profession.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Redfield played Guildenstern in the Gielgud-Burton production of Hamlet in 1964 and this is his correspondence about the experience, and about life in the theater--"more like a bullfight arena than some people imagine." He's an adept and thoughtful writer, but disgusting--he makes a pass at the Ophelia the first time he has her alone, suggesting she "get naked as soon as possible." At a dinner with Burton et al "it would have been a neat trick for the ladies to get a word in edgeways. Happily for the gentlemen, none of them tried." But why should I be surprised? That was 1964 and as I write, Trump is in the White House. Redfield is obsessed with his performance, albeit in a minor role, and criticizes Gielgud for muddy direction because he isn't paid enough attention. (In Gielgud's letters of the period, Redfield isn't even mentioned.) Redfield's description of actors at rehearsal and their thought processes as they work with a director (in this case a brilliant actor himself) is fascinating, fun, and sounds about right.

[Terry Curtis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very odd experience. The book is in the form of letters from Redfield while he was performing in the Gielgud-Burton "Hamlet." I nearly threw it down during the first few pages -- he's insufferable, snobbish about film acting, a man with whom I would never wish to have drinks (much less dinner). I've hated this sort of actor most of my life.

But -- as I've been told nearly from the day it's been published -- this is one of the greatest books about the craft and emotional life of an actor I've ever read. There is something to learn in every letter, often more than one thing per letter. I wish I had read it when I was younger and could have incorporated the lessons into my writing. I would recommend it to any producer or direct I know.

Given how personal the book is, reading it was a truly schizophrenic experience, but I am so damn glad I did.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating account of the rehearsal and production process of the 1964 "Hamlet," which was directed by John Gielgud and starred Richard Burton. The production was launched in Toronto and ultimately moved to Broadway. The actors balance trying to develop their characters as they enjoy the penetrating and lovely genius of Gielgud, while simultaneously bemoaning his frustrating lack of a unifying vision and direction. (Redfield, as Guildenstern, was never satisfied with his own portrayal.) It's full of so many thoughtful insights into acting, directing, Shakespeare's writing, theatre vs. film, and the personalities of those involved in the production (described in living color, but without gossip). It's an utterly brilliant book.

I am forever indebted to the Neglected Books blog for alerting me to the existence of this book:
https://neglectedbooks.com/?p=6242

[cheeseblab · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was watching all the film versions of Hamlet I could find a few months ago, I blogged that I'd love to see a "making of" featurette on the DVD of the filmed Gielgud-directed Burton stage version of the play. Well, a friend told me about this short book, which is essentially what I was asking for, only you gotta read it. Delightfully gossipy, if necessarily superficial, look at the newlyweds Dick & Liz, too. Wonderful book--though it doesn't address one of my favorite parts of the production, the presentation of the Ghost.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fascinating if you are at all into theatre and Richard Burton and want a glimpse into broadway acting in the 60's. I think it was the 60's anyway, been a while since I read the book. Anyway, you get the scoop on Richard Burton's relationship with Elizabeth Taylor, you get to know about Hamlet, and if you liked the book, you can watch Burton's performance on DVD, which I highly recommend.