Letter: Alan Howard’s double act with Christopher Logue

http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/mar/05/alan-howard

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Alan Howard’s extraordinary range as an actor enabled him to combine the great Shakespearean roles with work on an almost miniature scale. In 1984 he recorded for Radio 3 part of War Music, my husband Christopher Logue’s account of books 16-19 of the Iliad. After that they performed the poem together on stage many times, in London, at the Edinburgh festival and elsewhere. Alan took the lead while Christopher, sitting at a table behind him, would read short interlinking passages. I saw them do it many times but never ceased to wonder at the way that Alan – without props, scenery or music – deployed his astonishing voice to become within a few lines first Achilles, then the sea nymph Thetis, and then the whole Greek army pushing on to Troy.

Related: Alan Howard obituary

Later he and Christopher collaborated on a staging of the next part of War Music, Kings. Once again, Alan learned the entire text, something he said he liked doing while walking in the Hebrides. His memory rarely failed him, but when it did he would improvise a couple of lines, what he called “knitting”. His ear for metre and his grasp of the poem’s tone and imagery were so good that unless you knew the text by heart yourself – or noticed the expression of slight puzzlement that would cross Christopher’s face – nothing gave him away.

Related: Christopher Logue obituary

The British Council invited them to tour in Greece, where they performed in a variety of venues, some more suitable than others, including a school hall with a door that banged at regular intervals. Alan never missed a beat or lost his sense of humour, and though he knew his value as an actor he never behaved like a star. The last time I saw him was at the Purcell Room on the South Bank in London in December 2012. It was a memorial evening for Christopher, who had died in 2011, and it concluded with Alan performing the last part of War Music, the moment when Achilles, riding into battle, understands his mortality. It was as thrilling as ever, an apt and moving tribute to both men.