There has been a lot of discussion recently, prompted by the start of President Obama’s second term, about the ‘Special Relationship’ between the United Kingdom and the United States. What seems to have been overlooked in the analysis of politics, economics and diplomatic relations is that the strongest and most culturally important link between the two countries is their shared passion for theatre.
For all the razzle-dazzle of Broadway, the London of Elizabeth II remains, as it has since the rule of Elizabeth I, the world capital of the stage. Transferring from London to New York is a huge buzz for British actors, but it is a chance to sample the delights of Manhattan rather than a cultural pilgrimage. For an American, by contrast, appearing in the West End is a badge of honour, recognition as a serious actor in the city that gave birth to English-speaking theatre and is still seen as its spiritual home.
Far from being some sort of cultural cringe, this is just one element in a transatlantic theatrical traffic — a mark of mutual respect and shared heritage. A striking symbol of this is Shakespeare’s Globe, on Bankside. Unmistakeably English, lovingly recreated and looking as though a time machine has just dropped it beside the Thames, it exists only thanks to the determination of Sam Wanamaker, an American actor and director with a profound love of Shakespeare’s plays.
Two 20th-century playwrights, the very American Tennessee Williams and the quintessentially English Noël Coward (who died 30 and 40 years ago respectively, on 25 February 1983 and 26 March 1973), serve as good examples of the transatlantic theatre traffic that continues to benefit the cultural and commercial lives of London and New York.
Tennessee Williams is widely considered to be America’s greatest playwright.
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