Featured image- John Cleese holding up a pencil. Cleese explained to the audience that, contrary to the high tech young generation, when he writes he simply uses a pencil, a rubber and an exercise book. All images by Ben Apfelbaum.
John Cleese is the latest artist to appear in the Sydney Opera House’s excellent Culture Club : Exploring The Arts discussion series. Ann Mossop, head of Talks and Ideas at the House, came on stage to start proceedings, and then introduced Cleese and the evenings’ emcee James Valentine. Cleese responded to wide ranging questions by Valentine and in the last quarter of an hour, he fielded questions from the floor.
Sometimes celebrities can disappoint when they are put on the spot however this was not the case with Cleese. Cleese came across as warm and open and expressed his views on a range of issues.
Cleese spoke about his concern that the theatre world is too comfortable with the status quo and would rather put on a fresh production of an old show rather than take the risk on coming up with a new work. He felt this was the case with both sides of the ‘equation’ – on one side, the producers and other side, the audiences, who prefer to go with what they know.
On another note, Cleese expressed his dismay at how so many people in the industry come across as being so knowledgeable when their judgement turns out to be so flawed. A wonderful raconteur, he recounted the story of how when he first pitched his television series Fawlty Towers to the head of programming, he was told his show would never amount to anything.
He drew much laughter from the audience when he mockingly described the words that a University Professor used to describe his autobiography So, Anyway… ‘The book is very self indulgent’….
My favourite anecdote from the night. Cleese was dining at a restaurant in London when he spied in the distance Rupert Murdoch dining with wife Jerry Hall and friends. Cleese can’t stand Murdoch and was considering asking the waiter for a set of sharp knives and committing a dastardly deed. His plans were spoiled when Jerry Hall came over to him and had a brief chat to him. Cleese reprimanded Hall, ‘how can you marry such a monster’ to which Hall replied, ‘Oh, he’s ok.’ Cleese ended the anecdote with the quip, they call her ‘Jerry and the Pacemakers’…
Cleese is in Sydney presently overseeing the World Premiere production of his stage adaptation of his classic Fawlty Towers television series, directed by Caroline J Ranger, which opens at the Roslyn Packer theatre this Thursday night.
Cleese told the audience, ‘I have been coming to Australia for forty years and I am well aware of the talent in this country and I knew that I could find the performers and the creative team needed to make this new production.’
John Cleese In Conversation proved to be a very entertaining and, at times, enlightening addition to this years’ Culture Club series.
Germaine Greer is the next artist to appear in this impressive series. Greer will appear at the Drama Theatre, in conversation with Caroline Baum, on Tuesday 30 August at 6 pm. The topic is Shakespeare The Radical.
http://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/cultureclub.aspx
https://www.roslynpackertheatre.com.au/whats-on/productions/2016/fawlty-towers