Audiences got the first glimpse at a triumphant and career-defining performance from Andrew Scott in “Elsinore” this weekend, but the Telluride player also delivers another important gift: legendary show business gossip.
Central to the plot is an infamous real-life moment in the history of the U.K. theater — when Daniel Day-Lewis stopped cold during a performance of “Hamlet,” before stalking off stage and never coming back. Ever.
“Elsinore” opens in 1989, during a production of “Hamlet” at London’s National Theater. During a fraught encounter between Hamlet and the ghost of his father, an actor freezes before exiting entirely. The incident shocks audience members and sends cast and crew into a meltdown.
“That’s not supposed to happen,” deadpans a sassy house manager, watching the disaster unfold in real time on CCTV. Director Simon Stone’s camera follows the actor as he storms to his dressing room, where a slammed door reveals Day-Lewis’ name on a placard. The Telluride crowd erupted in laughter and surprise at the reveal. It reminded (or informed) them that it happened in the first place.
“Elsinore” is the heart-wrenching true story of Scottish actor Ian Charelson. The star of “Chariots of Fire” had the chance of a lifetime to replace Day-Lewis as Hamlet in that same production, all while succumbing to complications from end-stage AIDS. He died 7 weeks after bowing out to rave reviews. Filmmakers and producers on “Elsinore” approached the matter sensitively, numerous sources told Variety, and screened a rough cut of the film for Day-Lewis’ reps before the Telluride premiere to get their blessing.
