Actor Sir Tom Courtenay treats pub drinkers to Shakespeare

Star duet: Sir Tom Courtenay and Harry Hill on stage at the Half Moon in Putney
Sarah Rainey12 April 2012

Drinkers at a London pub were amazed when veteran actor Sir Tom Courtenay gave an impromptu performance of Shakespeare.

The star of Dr Zhivago and Billy Liar recited from Hamlet and Richard III to a surprised crowd at the Half Moon in Putney during two sold-out gigs by comedian Harry Hill's seven-piece band, The Caterers.

Regulars were celebrating last week's success in their campaign to save the 45-year-old music venue from closure by Young's brewery.

Oscar-nominee Sir Tom, 72, who also appeared in the Royle Family, has been friends with Hill for many years.

"It was the 50th anniversary of my audition for the Old Vic, so I made a big deal of it and brought out a bit of Hamlet," the actor said.

"I was just fooling around, and Harry doesn't like me doing Shakespeare, so it didn't really get going."

The pair performed a duet, in which Courtenay played the ukulele and kazoo, on Wednesday night. They also performed the night before, when he chose an excerpt from Richard III.

"I was quite nervous about playing my ukulele on stage but I was all right once I got started," he said.

"My wife bought it for me last Christmas and it's how I first met Harry — we have the same ukulele teacher. I haven't played in public since I was on the Royle Family a few years ago. I need a lot of practice, but I'm glad I did it."

A fall in takings and an increase in rent led to plans to convert the building into a gastro-pub, which would have put an end to its live music.

The Save The Half Moon campaign, which attracted hundreds of signatures and a Facebook group of more than 6,500 members, was victorious last week when landlord Young's promised to keep the original pub open.

Phil Chappell, a regular, said: "People were so surprised when Sir Tom started doing Shakespeare; it's not the kind of thing you normally hear in a pub.

"Harry was joking around and slagging him off in the background, saying: We'll get someone better on in a bit'."

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