Sir Ian McKellen is turning 80 years old this year and bring his “new solo show to theatres I know well and a few that I don’t”.

The show Ian McKellen – On Stage will be at The Grand on 20th May 2019.

Completely sold out practically as soon as it became available, the show is a much-anticipated treat.

The profits from Sir Ian McKellen’s show will be utilised to benefit causes specific to each venue.

Activism and LGBTQ Rights

Sir Ian came out publicly in 1988 on BBC Radio 3 as a gay man and he’s since been fighting for equal rights. Since protesting Margaret Thatcher’s “Section 28”, Sir Ian has actively expressed his position in the fight for social and legal equality for gay people around the world.

He has written and spoken out about gay issues in Cape Town, London, Washington DC, and a variety of Gay Pride Days. Sir Ian co-founded Stonewall UK, becoming mostly a listener as he describes it. The confirmation of the founding was done at his house through a press conference.

Although not all gay people approved at the time, due to the non-democratic and self-appointed nature of the Stonewall members, the last decades have seen how important the organisation has become.

First Steps in Acting

With his first professional appearance as Roper in A Man for All Seasons in 1961 at the Belgrade Theatre without having gone to drama school at all. From there he moved to London, starred on Broadway’s Amadeus as Salieri, and went on to become one of the most influential actors of our time.

Nominated for two Oscars and the winner of all main theatrical awards in both the UK and the US, Sir Ian McKellen has done a bit of everything in his acting career.

Sir Ian McKellen in Richard III, 1996

Ian McKellen – On Stage at The Grand

“The show starts with Gandalf and will probably end with an invitation to act with me on stage.”

The show is a version of 2018’s one-man show that Sir Ian presented at London’s Park Theatre. Nine months of a mixture of acting and anecdote, as the show has been described,

Similarly to his significant position in acting, Sir Ian is an important activist for LGBTQ rights. Listening to his passionate beliefs, stories, and acting know-how is alike to having a window to the history of the UK when it comes to not only acting but also legal rights.