In August 2001 I saw My Fair Lady at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. It was my first theatre visit in twelve years. Due to my deafness, I had shunned the theatre because I did not feel I had the capability to follow stage productions. My friend asked me to accompany him to see My Fair Lady, and naturally, I dithered at first. He managed to persuade me by uttering the magic words: Oh Well, Jonathan Pryce is in it.
I have always admired Jonathan's acting, ever since I first saw my favourite film of all time, Brazil, back in the mid-Eighties. Although I thoroughly enjoyed his subsequent performances in films, such as Evita, Carrington, Glengarry Glen Ross, it did not even cross my mind to witness any of his stage performances: the very thought of going to the theatre simply filled me with trepidation.
I was so glad that my friend did not dissuade me from seeing My Fair Lady. I conquered my theatre phobia almost effortlessly; I fell in love with My Fair Lady; and the whole occasion completely overwhelmed me. Jonathan's performance as Henry Higgins was sublime. Thanks to him and this show, I became a regular, avid theatregoer. I soon realised it was my lack of confidence, not my deafness, which prevented me from going to the theatre in the first place.
I first met Jonathan in April 2002. I arrived at the Theatre Royal earlier than usual to avoid the dreaded rush hour. To my surprise, I saw Jonathan standing by his car opposite the theatre. Feeling tremendously nervous, I asked him for an autograph; he gladly scribbled his name; and we had a nice, quick chat. I was taken aback when he asked whether I could hear him well. I really valued his thoughtfulness, since people don't often ask me this question. He was delighted to hear how much I was enjoying My Fair Lady, and he shook my hand.
During our chat, although he was civil, I detected that he seemed to be privately despondent. (As a lipreader, I have to rely on facial expressions as well as mouths: this probably explains why many deaf people, like me, excel at observing other people's concealed emotions.) Perhaps, the fact that he was fast approaching the end of his My Fair Lady stint was beginning to sadden him. However, at that time, I had no idea that he was actually feeling unwell. Did he snap, or scowl, or roll his eyes with exasperation when I asked him for an autograph? No; being a true gentleman, he treated me with the utmost respect and listened to what I was saying with genuine interest. His commendable attitude made me decide that he is my numero uno hero.
Why did I feel nervous when I finally met him on that day? Perhaps, I was in awe at the prospect of meeting such a legend; perhaps, I was not accustomed to dealing with famous people. Or perhaps, a few weeks earlier, I had told my friend (the one who persuaded me to see My Fair Lady) that one day I just would like to shake Jonathan's hand and thank him for his wonderful performances, but my friend had warned me that it would not be a good idea. He explained that quite often fans are treated rather shabbily by their heroes. Thankfully, I took no heed of my friend's warning, and decided to take the plunge; Jonathan's friendly, down-to-earth manner dispelled my doubts instantaneously on that unforgettable day.
I saw the second performance of The Goat at the Almeida Theatre in January 2004. I was lucky enough to chat with him briefly prior to this performance. This time, I was not feeling nervous at all. He was pleasantly surprised when I asked him for another autograph, and he happily signed my copy of the programme of this play. After the play, I was in the foyer amongst countless patrons when Jonathan materialised at the stage door, approached me and shook my hand! I praised him on his sensational performance, and he joked about the goat's excellent "performance". When I returned home that night, I was in a daze: I could not believe that Jonathan had taken the trouble to socialise with me, albeit briefly, and had treated me like an old friend.
In February 2oo4 I saw the StageText-captioned performance of The Goat at the Almeida Theatre. Because this performance was a one-off captioned event, there were a lot of deaf people in the audience, which thrilled me to bits. I know of many, many deaf people who baulk at the idea of going to the theatre due to loss of confidence; I was exactly in the same situation in the past.
After the show, Jonathan and his partner, Kate (who is also friendly and polite) socialised with fans in the Almeida bar. Jonathan even complimented one member of StageText on his work, and shook hands with him. This member of StageText was stunned: he had not expected this gesture from such a celebrity.
Shortly, on his way out, several deaf people (many of whom could not speak) congratulated Jonathan, using their "thank you" gestures. Jonathan used his own sign language gestures, like giving thumbs-up, to say "thank you". This really made me feel so proud and humble. Lots of people find the prospect of communicating with deaf people quite intimidating. But, Jonathan made a grand effort, and judging by the expressions on these deaf people's faces, they were more than thrilled.
On the 10th of March I saw The Goat for the third time; this time, it was a sign-interpreted performance. After this performance, being a typical gentleman, Jonathan asked me whether I had coped well with the interpreter. I replied that I did not even need to rely on the interpreter, and that, in my opinion, the play was getting better and better. He looked both delighted and relieved.
I am privileged to have met Jonathan on several occasions. You hear a lot of stories about celebrities and their bad attitudes, but the same cannot be said about Jonathan. He is a genuinely polite person, who doesn't consider himself as a star.
Jonathan: thank you for being a wonderful entertainer, for being so good to your fans, and for igniting my new-found interest in theatre. You are a real credit to your profession.
How I wish I had been courageous to see his previous stage productions. Oh well, at least better late than never...
Fiorenzo Cecere
