William Hutt: 1920 - 2007
Michael Therriault fondly remembers legendary Canadian actor.
Jun 27, 2007
Hutt's fascination with Wilde took an interesting turn when he discovered late actor Maxim Mazumdar in 1975 while adjudicating for The Quebec Drama Festival at The Pheonix Theatre in Montreal. Mazumdar had written and was starring in his own one man show Oscar Remembered. Mazumdar played Wilde's companion-turned-adversary Lord Alfred Douglas or as Wilde dubbed him, " Bosie".
After Oscar Remembered won top prize at the festival, Hutt invited Mazumdar to Stratford in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Oscar Wilde, for he too was no slouch when it came to the works of this rapier Irish wit. Hutt played the role Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Ernest that same season - an interpretation that will go down in theatre history. Hutt also directed Mazumdar or "Max" in the 1975 Stratford debut of Oscar Remembered. The show toured across North America and Europe and was adapted for television. Sadly, Mazumdar who also founded the Stephenville Theatre Festival,died before his time at the age of 34.
Years later, Hutt and worked with Michael Therriault. He quickly recognized in Therriault, the same passion and drive as his late friend Mazumdar, and Hutt seized the opportunity to re-mount Oscar Remembered directing Therriault as " Bosie."
The young actor has come a long way from his Oakville, Ontario, roots.
From Ariel in The Tempest , to Leo Bloom in The Producers, to his role as Tommy Douglas, for CBC mini series Prairie Giant, award winning actor Michael Therriault is becoming one of Canada's most saught after performers. He is currently wowing critics in London, England, with his portrayal of Gollum in the musical version of Lord of the Rings.
But Therriault will never forget the day Stratford artistic director Richard Monette and William Hutt first came to him with the idea for Oscar Remembered.
“I found out that fall just before the season ended and it was a really big shock." recalled Therriault. "Richard and Bill had been trying to set up ideas for an Oscar Wilde Festival and Bill thought of Oscar Remembered and he offered it up to Richard. Richard said sure and then they asked me if I wanted to do it.”
For Therriault, playing Wilde’s flamboyant confidant Lord Alfred Douglas – “Bosie” - remains one of the biggest challenges of his career. Oscar Remembered was Therriault’s first one man show or what Maxim Muzumdar coined as “monodrama.” After playing "Bosie" Thierrault feels “nothing is final,” and may one day revisit Oscar Remembered as “an exercise.”
“Bill knew the Victorian era very well and that was exciting. He discovered Maxim (Mazumdar) doing it and Bill directed him in Oscar Remembered 25 years ago. Bill had a huge history with the play and he knew I was going to need a lot of his help before I said I’d do it. We talked about it and I needed him to know that.."
The young actor also has a knack for playing creatures (Mordred in Camelot was his dynamic Stratford debut) and he was also cast opposite Hutt as adept 'airy spirit' Ariel in the 1999 production of The Tempest.
“To learn from Bill Hutt was a gift. You were in tears. I was in tears all the time.” recalled Therriault. “The amazing thing is Bill would do stuff in The Tempest just on instinct. Literally I would start to ball and I would have to hold it back and I had the luck of getting to watch him because I was on stage a lot with him just watching him and I got to see all these teeny changes that blew my mind and they were just so beautiful.”
Many theatre patrons and pundits alike were looking forward to the return of William Hutt who was coming of out of retirement to play Tobias in Edward Albee’s A Delicate Balance later this season. But Hutt wisely withdrew due to his failing health. Hutt also played an irascible heroin addict who was dying of cancer for Season Three of Slings and Arrows.
All of the Shakespeares, William Hutt will be remembered for various interpretations of King Lear but may be most revered as Prospero in The Tempest.
Hutt’s Prospero really was the stuff of 'dreams are made on' - playful and mighty, gentle, so magical, yet natural– a role as taylor-made for Hutt the actor as it was for Hutt the Man. Audiences and actors alike will always cherish what is surely destined to be William Hutt's sublime swan-song.
“Let your indulgence set me free.”
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