British born Harold Pinter is credited as one of the most influential playwrights of his generation.
Among his projects, he wrote the screenplay for “The French Lieutenant’s Woman,” which was based on a novel by John Fowles and made into a 1981 film starring Jeremy Irons and Meryl Streep.
Pinters' opinions stretched from the stage into other areas. As a youth, he experienced the German bombings of London during World War II and in 2003 he funneled his rage against the Iraq War into the poetry collection
“WAR.” In 2005 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. The selection committee called him a writer "who, in his plays, uncovers the precipice under everyday prattle and forces entry into oppression's closed rooms."
Diagnosed with cancer, Pinter was too ill to accept the award himself. That year he instructed actor Julian Sands on how his poetry should be delivered, detailing every switch in tone and pregnant pause. After Pinter’s death in 2008, Sands created the one-man show, “A Celebration of Harold Pinter,” with longtime friend and fellow actor John Malkovich directing.
The show features Pinter’s poems spanning more than 50 years and looks at the man as a poet, playwright, husband and political activist. Friday Sands will perform it live at Washington State University's Jones Theatre.
With more than 100 films to his credit, Sands brings much experience to Pinter’s multifaceted character. He broke out in the 1984 film “The Killing Fields,” then starred as the romantic lead in the Merchant-Ivory film “A Room With A View” opposite Helena Bonham Carter. His legacy as a horror actor includes movies like “Warlock” and “Vampire.” More recently he’s appeared in “Oceans 13,” “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and on TV in “24” and “Dexter.”
IF YOU GO
What: “A Celebration of Harold Pinter” featuring Julian Sands
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28
Where: Washington State University's Jones Theatre
Cost: $20 adults, $16 seniors (ages 60 and older), $10 non-WSU students and youth. WSU students admitted free with valid ID.
Tickets: TicketsWest outlets, (800) 325-SEAT; WSU's Beasley Coliseum and Rosauers in Lewiston. The Daggy Hall box office will open for sales and will-call two hours before the performance.
Of Note: The production includes mature language.
