Farewell Uncle Monty: Remembering Richard Griffiths

He was the avuncular character whose on-screen creations you always hoped would turn up at someone else’s family Christmas dinner. As Uncle Monty Richard Griffiths became an iconic figure amongst cult fans of the 1987 film Withnail & I and as Uncle Vernon he terrorised a new generation from the mainstream in the Harry Potter films. In between, he delivered another uncle-esque figure with disturbing proclivities who couldn’t help but elicit some disappointed sympathy from his audience in his magnificent Olivier and Tony award winning stage performance as Hector in Alan Bennett’s History Boys. These three uncles-on-his-shoulder guarantee that Richard Griffiths, who sadly died today at the age of 65, will remembered vividly and fondly by fans across generations, mediums, and film-going divides.

Part of the baby-boomer generation, Griffiths was born in North Yorkshire in 1947. His astonishing ability to communicate every nuance of his thoughts so vividly and immediately without uttering a word was no doubt fostered by growing up with two deaf parents, and it is one of his many strengths which marked him out from contemporaries and peers both on screen and stage. His stage career saw him master myriad genres and characters, from the larger-than-life Shakespearean clown to the self-questioning psychiatrist Martin Dysart in Thea Sharrock’s 2006 production of Equus. A favourite of Sharrock’s, he delighted audiences just a year ago in a limited run of her production of The Sunshine Boys, along with Danny DeVito, and for which he received his customary excellent notices. He was an equally strong and engaging presence on-screen; small-screen devotees will remember him particularly for his portrayal of Henry Crabbe – detective inspector and chef – in the 1994-1997 series Pie in the Sky.

Griffiths received an OBE in the 2008 Honours list in recognition of his long career across radio, stage, and screen, which had made him a much-loved name in British households. A man of wit, comic mastery, and wonderful emotional intelligence, let’s remember him with a fine glass of red and say “Farewell, Uncle Monty”.

Happy New Year!

A very happy new year from Breaking a Leg Hurts! 2012 was a great year for West End theatre with Matilda walking away triumphant from the Oliviers with 7 gongs, the new play Constellations (starring Sally Hawkins and Rafe Spall) set to make its own mark across this awards season, and Alan Bennett's new play People sold out at theNational's Cottesloe until April this year. We saw tiumphs of engineering, composition, music, and dance come together under the ever audacious and exciting direction of Danny Boyle to create certainly one of the most unique and intimate Opening Ceremonies recorded at the Olympic Games. Equally, whilst shops languished due to the mixed keep-off-the-streets-go-shop-shop-shop messages put forth in the run-up to the Games, the theatres made a killing; Yours Truly tried to go see a number of plays quite spontaneously over this period only to find that there were no tickets available for love or money. I found myself unable to resent this situation; it just goes to show that when it comes to attracting the tourists, our West End truly is the goose that lays the golden egg, as the mayor of London recently mentioned in defence of the arts.

This brings us, briefly, to the downsides of 2012. Cuts in the arts budget throw into uncertainty the future of smaller galleries, arts spaces, centres, and theatres. Provincial theatre, such a valuable aide in the continued education of actors young and old, has been struggling with this situation for years. Whether or not the shortfall really can be covered by private donations (or maybe, who knows, a revival of patronage) is something which remains to be seen. At the end of the day, however, what we have to remember is this: London may have been considered to be Europe's financial centre - perhaps it still is - but it is also the centre for world-famous theatre. To experience such a quantity and breadth of theatrical productions, styles, genres, and innovation in one place, the only alternative would be Broadway. People fly from other continents to see one show in London. That's what we as a country and community can do, have done, and will continue to do: world-leading theatre and culture for poorer for richer. Bring on 2013!