Editing Michael Hordern (section)

====The Old Vic====

[[File:Rex Harrison Allan Warren.jpg|thumb|left|[[Rex Harrison]], whom Hordern despised as a person but admired as an actor]]

Hordern's contract at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre lasted until mid-1952, and on its expiration, he secured a position within [[Michael Benthall|Michael Benthall's]] theatrical company at [[the Old Vic]] in London.<ref name="HORDERN94"/>{{#tag:ref|The 1952 company featured [[Laurence Harvey]], [[Ralph Richardson]], [[Margaret Leighton]], [[Siobhán McKenna]], [[John Gielgud]], [[George Devine]] and [[Mary Ellis]]. The designers were the [[Motley Theatre Design Group]] and [[Loudon Sainthill]]. The resident composer was [[Antony Hopkins]].<ref name="HORDERN94" />|group= n}} The company's first play, ''[[Hamlet]]'', starred [[Richard Burton]], [[Claire Bloom]], and [[Fay Compton]],<ref name="HORDERN96">Hordern, p. 96.</ref> and opened on 14 September 1953.{{#tag:ref| The cast included [[Richard Burton]] as [[Hamlet]], [[Claire Bloom]] as [[Ophelia]], [[Fay Compton]] as [[Gertrude (Hamlet)|Gertrude]], [[William Squire]] as [[Horatio (Hamlet)|Horatio]], [[John Neville (actor)|John Neville]] as [[Fortinbras]], and [[Clifford Williams (actor)|Clifford Williams]] as Player Queen.<ref name="HORDERN96" />|group= n}} Hordern called it "the perfect play with which to open the season" as it featured "fine strong parts for everyone and [was] a good showpiece for an actor's latent vanity".<ref name="HORDERN97">Hordern, p. 97.</ref> Shortly after opening, it was transferred to [[Edinburgh]], where it took part at the [[Edinburgh Festival Fringe|Fringe]] before returning to London. For his role of [[Polonius]], Hordern received mixed reviews, with one critic saying: "He was at his best in his early scenes with Ophelia{{nbsp}}... but towards the end of the performance he began to obscure less matter with more art".<ref>Hordern, pp. 96–97.</ref> After Edinburgh, Benthall took ''Hamlet'' on a provincial tour and the play had a successful run of 101 performances.<ref name="HORDERN97" />

In mid-1953 the Danish government invited Benthall and his company to Helsingør (Elsinore) to perform ''Hamlet'' for the [[Norwegian royal family]]. The play was well received by the royals.<ref>Hordern, pp. 97–98.</ref> On the whole, the actor enjoyed his time in ''Hamlet'' but behind the scenes, relations between him and Burton were strained. Hordern noted his colleague's "likeability, charm and charisma"<ref name="HORDENQUOTE98">Quote by the author; Hordern, p. 98.</ref> but thought that Burton had a tendency to get easily "ratty"<ref name="HORDENQUOTE99">Quote by the author; Hordern, p. 99.</ref> with him in social situations. Hordern described their working relationship as "love-hate"<ref name="HORDENQUOTE98" /> and admitted they were envious of each other's success; Burton of Hordern because of the latter's good reviews, and Hordern of Burton who received more attention from fans. When Burton left for Hollywood years later, he recommended Hordern to various casting directors; Hordern was subsequently engaged in six of Burton's films.<ref name="HORDENQUOTE98" />{{#tag:ref|The films were: ''[[Alexander the Great (1956 film)|Alexander the Great]]'' (1956), ''[[Cleopatra (1963 film)|Cleopatra]]'' (1963), ''[[The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (film)|The Spy Who Came in from the Cold]]'' (1965), ''[[The Taming of the Shrew (1967 film)|The Taming of the Shrew]]'' (1967), ''[[Where Eagles Dare]]'' (1968), and ''[[Anne of the Thousand Days]]'' (1969).<ref name="HORDENQUOTE98" />|group= n}}

''[[King John (play)|King John]]'' was next for Benthall's company and opened on 26 October 1953.<ref name="OLDVICPDF">[http://www.infotextmanuscripts.org/webb/webb_old_vic_hamlet.pdf "The Old Vic Company: The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark"], the Old Vic theatre programme: 1953/54 season, accessed 25 August 2015.</ref> The lead character initially went to an unknown and inexperienced young actor, but the part was re-cast with Hordern in the role.<ref name="HORDERN100">Hordern, p. 100.</ref> Hordern described ''King John'' as being "a difficult play in the sense that it has no common purpose or apparent theme".<ref name="HORDERN100" /> Simultaneously to this, he was commuting back to [[Pinewood Studios]] where he was filming ''[[Forbidden Cargo (1954 film)|Forbidden Cargo]]''.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120712170932/http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b6aa6a188 "Forbidden Cargo (1954)"], [[British Film Institute]], accessed 25 August 2015.</ref> The hectic schedule brought on a bout of exhaustion for which he received medical advice to reduce his workload.<ref name="HORDERN100" />