Keith Michell

Presenter0:00

This download is the only extract the BBC has of this edition of Desert Island Discs. The presenter was Roy Plumley.

Keith Michell0:08

What part of Australia are you from? I was born in the south, south in Adelaide.

Presenter0:12

Within the city itself?

Keith Michell0:13

Yes, I was born in the city, but then my parents moved to the country and I I grew up there, which people say the outpack, but it's not really. You can't call it the outpack. I've been there since.

Presenter0:23

Yeah.

Presenter0:23

Was there an artistic background in your family?

Keith Michell0:26

No, not really. My father used to encourage me to draw,'cause he used to like drawing.

Keith Michell0:30

Mother was um love poetry and things. Yes. They both en they were both w wonderfully encouraging to me all.

Keith Michell0:37

You went to art school.

Keith Michell0:40

Mm-hmm.

Keith Michell0:41

And then to the university. What did you read there? Uh I well I went to the um Art School of Arts I I started to be a teacher, art teacher and uh I did educational psychology and history and things at the university. You were an art teacher for a while?

Keith Michell0:54

Yes, I yes, I was. I taught for eighteen months and then had an audition with the old Vic.

Keith Michell1:02

Uh

Presenter1:02

How did that happen? There can't have been much opportunity in Adelaide Fourth Theatre going.

Keith Michell1:06

Uh no, there wasn't. Not no. I in fact the first proper theatre that I saw was was Olivier, this is quite something, doing Richard the Third and I decided then that I would be an actor. But I'd done a lot of amateur work and radio work. Um Stephan Dyson was directing at the ABC then and um

Keith Michell1:24

We did things like she stoops to conquer and

Keith Michell1:27

This was while you were still teaching? Yes, while I was still teaching. I used to do it at night.

Presenter1:28

Yeah.

Keith Michell1:30

Yeah. And also saved up some money to come over here.

Keith Michell1:33

It costs quite a bit.

Keith Michell1:35

Sorry. Uh

Presenter1:35

YouTube

Keith Michell1:36

This audition.

Presenter1:38

with the the Olivia company.

Keith Michell1:39

Yes. This was to join the company? No, it was to to uh come here and study with the um Ulvik School, which then was run by three wonderful men, uh Blenby and Shaw.

Keith Michell1:52

George Devine.

Keith Michell1:53

And Michel Saint-Denis. Yes. And it was quite an experience. And you won the scholarship?

Keith Michell1:59

I got admission, yes. There was no scholarship. No scholarship? No, my family hopped out. Yes.

Presenter2:03

Had you any friends in London?

Keith Michell2:05

No, not really, but um

Keith Michell2:07

I soon made some.

Presenter2:09

Had you enough to live on comfortably?

Keith Michell2:11

I li I think I I thi I think I must have lived on about a pound a week or thirty bar or something, which is a lot more than than in those days. Did you d have to do hard jobs to to keep yourself? I painted a few portraits of people, uh one of a student.

Presenter2:18

Post

Keith Michell2:25

A couple of different people and the term

Keith Michell2:29

Did you do any theatre jobs while you were a student? No, I wasn't allowed to because I was told I still had an Australian accent.

Presenter2:31

No.

Keith Michell2:36

Well, you completed your two years at the Olvic Theatre School. What was your first completely a professional engagement? That was with the Young Vic.

Keith Michell2:44

which was a development of the school. I played Bassanio and then I did a character performance, a singing character performance.

Keith Michell2:52

of Mary Thought in the Night of the Burning Pistol, which I hated doing really,'cause it was all padded and everything, you know.

Keith Michell2:59

But they liked me doing the character work. And Wendy Toy came and saw it and um she offered me a Charles II and it's her to bed.

Presenter3:07

This was reactally a

Keith Michell3:08

Um

Presenter3:09

Uh

Keith Michell3:09

Yeah.

Presenter3:09

Uh

Keith Michell3:09

The Uh

Presenter3:09

The musical version.

Keith Michell3:09

Yes, that we open to the new.

Presenter3:11

Uh

Keith Michell3:11

Uh

Presenter3:11

This was a starting role. Yes, it was a wonderful start. I should think so.

Presenter3:16

You started your career very auspiciously with a starring part in the West End. What happened there?

Keith Michell3:20

Uh

Presenter3:21

Yeah.

Keith Michell3:21

Then I went back to Australia with Stratford, the Shakespeare Company. What parts did you play? I played Orlando and Hotspur. Well, this is wonderful. Yes, it was rather yes, it was wonderful to be playing in that theatre that I'd seen.

Keith Michell3:36

Olivier do his Richard the Third. Yes, such a short time.

Presenter3:39

Time before.

Keith Michell3:40

Yeah.

Presenter3:40

Yeah.

Keith Michell3:40

Yes.

Presenter3:41

And you did the next season after.

Keith Michell3:43

Then I did yes, I did two seasons at Jefford. I did um Petruccio the first season uh with Barbara Jefford and then the following season uh with the Oliviers.

Presenter3:52

Yeah.

Keith Michell3:53

Yes, this must have been a tremendous season. Yes, it was. Very exciting.

Presenter3:57

About this time you were offered a very profitable Hollywood contract.

Keith Michell4:02

Oh, yes.

Keith Michell4:03

Yeah, yeah.

Keith Michell4:06

Yes, I did. Well, I wanted to do some more Shakespeare.

Presenter4:10

Yeah.

Presenter4:10

You went to the old Vic, where you really made something of a sensation. You you immediately became a a sort of Shakespearean matinee idol.

Keith Michell4:17

Yes, and I've always rather blamed the first night audiences, London First Night Audiences, for that, because all the response was coming from upstairs.

Presenter4:17

Yeah.

Keith Michell4:26

Automatically played up there on that particular performance. It was um.

Keith Michell4:31

Much ado about nothing.

Presenter4:33

Uh

Keith Michell4:33

What were the best parts you played at the Olvic?

Keith Michell4:35

Well, I played Benedict and uh Anthony

Keith Michell4:39

An ant may be about her for the first time.

Keith Michell4:42

Proteus and the two gentlemen.

Keith Michell4:45

And I rather enjoyed doing Aeron and Titus and Ronicus.

Presenter4:48

Now you could have stayed on at the Olvic and eventually had a go at the big parts, Hamlet and Macbeth and so on. Why didn't you?

Keith Michell4:54

By then I'd um done Yerma La Deuce uh in London for eighteen months. And it was either that or or do Ima in New York.

Keith Michell5:03

which I decided to do. Because I think um also I'd by then done uh quite enough Shakespeare. I think you can get awfully set and and in a rut with Shakespeare if you're not very careful. And there's something more stimulating about working in the commercial theatre.

Keith Michell5:19

You get a a bigger variety of styles, I think, in a funny sort of way.

Keith Michell5:25

The material may not always be as good.

Keith Michell5:28

But uh th that in itself is an exercise.

Presenter5:31

Well now some more highlights in your career. You were in the opening production at the Festival Theatre at Chichester.

Keith Michell5:36

Yes, that was a very exciting time. Rather pioneering because it was was the opening of a theatre. Yeah. And Olivier was

Keith Michell5:43

Directing the

Keith Michell5:44

Three plays. I played the lead in the chances, which is a part that David Garrick played two centuries ago.

Keith Michell5:54

And then what? You went to Australia again? Uh yes, I went to America, I did the rehearsal there, and then I went to Australia uh with a tour with Googie Withers and my wife, Jeanette Stark.

Keith Michell6:04

We did um scenes from Shakespeare. And there was a another very successful musical we've left out.

Keith Michell6:10

Uh which one? Oh yes, Robert and Elizabeth. Yes. He was forgotten.

Presenter6:12

Uh

Keith Michell6:12

No, no, I hadn't forgotten.

Presenter6:13

NAACA

Presenter6:15

And there was a play at the Gaddick Theatre in in in which you played Henry the Eighth.

Keith Michell6:18

Henry

Presenter6:18

Uh

Keith Michell6:19

For the first time, yes. This was the Anita Luce play. Yes, the fast with Dennis Jones.

Presenter6:20

Yes.

Keith Michell6:24

Hmm.

Keith Michell6:25

Yes, it was because of that production, I think, that I got the Henry VIII.

Keith Michell6:30

Um later on.

Presenter6:31

On television.

Keith Michell6:33

Yeah. Challenging part

Keith Michell6:36

Saint Henry at all All edge is north BIOP Uh

Keith Michell6:38

Yes, yes, it was an exorus dream really.

Keith Michell6:43

Play that range of age.

Presenter6:45

You worked in this country to enjoy that particular success.

Keith Michell6:47

But no I was no, I was appearing in um this festival of Don Quixote's that they were having in New York.

Keith Michell6:54

playing it for three months there.

Presenter6:57

Mana

Keith Michell6:59

Various people had played it all over the world.

Keith Michell7:02

A man from Japan I think is doing it at the moment. Yes. In English.

Presenter7:05

Uh

Keith Michell7:06

A new play to d

Presenter7:06

Uh in London before, of course.

Keith Michell7:08

I did.

Presenter7:08

Yes.

Presenter7:10

Well now currently you're in um Abelard and Eloise.

Presenter7:14

A play that's had a lot of rather sensational publicity.

Keith Michell7:19

It's not.

Presenter7:19

Uh

Keith Michell7:19

Not uh at all necessary, Ray. Whose idea was it to play the love scene in the new?

Keith Michell7:24

I think it was some

Keith Michell7:26

Everyone's idea. It just seemed to be right. In this day and age you don't have it.

Keith Michell7:32

People in bed without

Keith Michell7:34

With, you know, tights on.

Presenter7:35

Yes. But um this is a serious play. Isn't this public bringing the wrong kind of public in to

Keith Michell7:38

Yeah, so

Keith Michell7:40

No, the nice thing about that is, you see, that that that I think is that uh we are getting people who are coming just to see this scene.

Keith Michell7:48

But

Keith Michell7:49

They are being converted to the to the live theatre. I don't think otherwise they would be there at all.

Presenter7:55

Oh well this is good missionary work if it is working that way.

Keith Michell7:57

Yes, it is.

Presenter7:58

Because, you know, people who see the play don't mention the scene at all.

Keith Michell8:02

Uh

Presenter8:02

Yeah.

Presenter8:02

We haven't talked much about your painting. Painting was your first love. I suppose virtually you you've never stopped.

Keith Michell8:09

No, I've always um done both. Ever since a child I was or either I was practising on the

Keith Michell8:15

in the back yard dancing and singing and acting, or I was sitting down drawing, sketching. How many one man shows have you had in London last? I've had three here in London, all with the Whibley Gallery. Yes. Um in fact they started me off painting again.

Keith Michell8:29

It was while I was doing EMA and found I had my days free and I they they were then uh a little gallery and they were framing as well and they um saw my paintings and they said, If you ever want to have an exhibition then let us know and we'll arrange a one-man show for you.

Presenter8:44

Uh

Keith Michell8:44

Yeah.

Presenter8:44

Yeah.

Keith Michell8:45

And I was delighted at the idea and and Jenny and I got a boat, a banana boat, to Jamaica, and uh I painted for four months and came back with these pictures literally under my arm.

Keith Michell8:57

And um I had this first one men show made.

Keith Michell9:04

The these are uh entirely on the Don Quixote theme.

Keith Michell9:08

When I started to play it.

Keith Michell9:11

I became interested in the novel and also in the idea of painting the character. It was st what started off as a self-portrait developed into the first series I've done. There's about twenty of them, all quite large.

Keith Michell9:23

uh based on the show and on the Cervantes novel.

Presenter9:27

Uh

Keith Michell9:27

There, um

Keith Michell9:29

They're mostly in silver and white, and I'm using plastic paint now.

Keith Michell9:34

No acrylic paint.

Keith Michell9:36

Which is, um, a breakaway for me.