It's not every day that you walk into a room and discover that the trio jamming in the corner just happens to be led by the great Louis Stewart. Such are the persuasive talents of Michael Colgan, director of the Gate Theatre, who hosted a party on Wednesday evening to mark the theatre's 70th birthday and to unveil its latest additions: handsome new foyers designed by Ronnie Tallon and a sparkling, stainless steel lift for theatre-goers unable or unwilling to climb the centre staircase. There are lifts and there are facelifts and the Gate Theatre has both.
Colgan took centre-stage to thank actors, supporters and sponsors for the Gate's continued success. The next phase of development? The facade is to be cleaned, the portals enlarged and yes, at long last, the actors' facilities will be improved. Maeve Binchy took great pleasure in formally opening the new lift, delighted, she said, that Bernard Ward - "one of the nicest men in all of Dublin" - would no longer be called upon to help anyone up the long, mean staircase. Aer Lingus was to be commended for funding the lift and she still looks forward, she said determinedly, to the day when Aer Rianta provides much needed facilities for the disabled or "not so fleet of foot", at all our airports.
Wednesday evening marked 70 years to the day since Micheal MacLiammoir and Hilton Edwards - 28 and 25 years old respectively - were backstage preparing for the very first, first night at the Gate - the opening of Peer Gynt. No prizes for who played the leading role. "You can imagine the mayhem," said Colgan. "You can even imagine the smell of wet paint." There were no previews in those days, and there was certainly no money. Boiled eggs comprised le plat du jour. But what a legacy.
Many of the theatre's most devoted supporters were on hand, including board members Mary Finan and David Blake Knox, Dan Loughrey of Aer Lingus and architect Ronnie Tallon. Attendant actors included Johnny Murphy, one of the few people paying proper attention to the music; Barry McGovern, with children in tow; Alan Stanford; John Kavanagh, Donna Dent and Susannah Harker.
The new foyers are elegant, airy; the first level links into the existing bar; the top storey brings you straight into the back of the auditorium. The walls are lined with Tom Lawlor's powerful portraits of actors in character, and in the Beckett Foyer, there is a portrait of the playwright by Louis le Broquy, on loan from the artist.