As an actor Paul McGann is revered the world over for his slick technical expertise, superb stage presence and general niceness and it is this accessibility that saw the Concert Room at St George’s Hall packed to the rafters on what was, it has to be said, a foul, freezing, wet and windy February evening for this, the seventh In Conversation event to be staged here.
Born in Kensington, McGann came to prominence playing Marwood in the cult movie Withnail & I alongside Richard E. Grant in 1987 and McGann regaled the audience superbly with anecdotes from the movie – such as Grant being a T-totaller playing a drunk, which completely unnerved Director Bruce Robinson.
“Withnail is a bit like a Smiths album in as much it’s ageless even though it is set in the 1960’s,” McGann said. “We get old, but the work stays young and that’s the beauty of it in a lot of ways.”
Of course the In Conversation series is notable not only for the guests - who thus far have featured Janice Long and David Morrissey – but also for the choice of the guest’s five favourite pieces of music which are then played live by local artists.
Tonight’s selection ranged from Moonage Daydream by David Bowie performed superbly by Paul Donnelly, to 2 pieces from Tallis & Purcell which, given McGann’s own musical upbringing in and around choirs, was fittingly and poignantly performed by The Amadeus Choir. Indeed so popular were the latter that the crowds stayed behind afterwards in the foyer rather than rush away into the chill night air, as they serenaded the crowds as they passed and paused.
The Monocled Mutineer (1986), Paul McGann’s most notable TV success was covered in depth and, from Mike Neary’s superbly researched questioning, the actor’s love and passion for the project and its real life focus is clear – that of Percy Topliss who was born in Chesterfield on August 22nd 1896 and died, shot dead while on the run, on June 6th 1920. Accused of murder in 1920, he was to be the first person in modern English history to be found guilty in his absence by inquest. He had his tongue cut out before burial, and was buried in an unmarked grave in Penrith's Beacon Edge Cemetery on June the 9th. “This job was the most satisfying of my career and undoubtedly changed my life”. A fact underlined by a sublime performance of The Lads in their Hundreds by Lizzie Nunnery and Vidar Norheim.
There were other snippets too. That McGann was the original choice of Sharpe, later made famous by Sean Bean – “I did my knee ligaments in playing footy on the beach and that was that” – and that he is the longest running Doctor Who “by virtue of the fact that I did a one-off TV special in 1996 and then the Doctor disappeared until 2005 when Christopher Eccleston took the role on.”
But without doubt it the overall charm and wit and guile of the man that really shone through on the night and it was with heart felt applause that his departure was greeted at the end of very nearly 3 hours entertainment.
A superb night, brilliantly organised and, hopefully soon, more will be forthcoming.
8/10
In Conversation with Paul McGann
St George’s Hall Concert Room, Liverpool
Saturday February 4
Producer: Club Geek Chic
Host: Mike Neary
Artists:
Paul Donnelly – Moonage Daydream
Joe Stell & Matt Lamin – Don’t Explain by Billie Holiday
Lizzie Nunnery & Vidar Norheim – The Lads In Their Hundreds taken from Houseman
Thomas Lang – Lush Life
The Amadeus Choir
More Information: http://www.clubgeekchic.co.uk/
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