Editing Michael Hordern (section)

====''Ivanov'' and ''Saint's Day''====

By the 1950s Hordern had come to the notice of many influential directors. In his autobiography, the actor recognised the decade as being an important era of his career. It started with a major role in [[Anton Chekhov|Anton Chekhov's]] ''[[Ivanov (play)|Ivanov]]'' in 1950. The production took place at the [[Cambridge Arts Theatre|Arts Theatre]] in [[Cambridge]] and excited audiences because of its 25-year absence from the English stage. The writer [[T. C. Worsley]] was impressed by Hordern's performance and wrote: "Perhaps an actor with star quality might have imposed on us more successfully than Mr Michael Hordern, and won our sympathy for Ivanov by his own personality. But such a performance would have raised the level of expectation all round. As it is, Mr Hordern is rich in intelligence, sensitivity and grasp, and with very few exceptions, the company give his impressive playing the right kind of support."<ref>T. C. Worsley; quoted in Hordern, pp. 88–89.</ref> The title character in ''[[Macbeth]]'', directed by [[Alec Clunes]], was Hordern's next engagement. Critics wrote of their dislike of Clunes's version, but the theatre reviewer [[Audrey Williamson (critic)|Audrey Williamson]] singled out Hordern's performance as being "deeply moving".<ref>Audrey Williamson; quoted in Hordern, p. 89.</ref>

The dramatist [[John Whiting]], trying to make a name for himself in the theatre after the war, was called by Clunes to take part in a theatrical competition at the [[Arts Theatre]] in London in 1951, for which he entered his play ''Saint's Day''. Several other amateur directors also competed for the prize, which was to have their play funded and professionally displayed at the Arts. Having seen him perform the previous year, Whiting hired Hordern for the lead role of Paul Southman, a cantankerous old poet who fights off three rebellious army deserters who threaten the tranquillity of his sleepy country village.<ref name="GUARDIAN1">[https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2002/oct/25/theatre.artsfeatures1 "Saint's Day"] by Michael Billington. ''The Guardian'', 25 October 2002, accessed 21 August 2015.</ref> The play proved popular with audiences, but not so with theatrical commentators.<ref>Hordern, pp. 89–90.</ref> Hordern liked the piece, calling it "bitter and interesting",<ref name="HORDERN90">Hordern, p. 90.</ref> but the press, who extensively reported on the competition throughout each stage, thought differently and condemned it for winning. This infuriated the actors [[Laurence Olivier]] and [[John Gielgud]], who wrote letters of complaint to the press.<ref name="HORDERN90" />