The 27th annual Ian Charleson Awards, run by the National Theatre and The Sunday Times, were presented at the National last Monday, celebrating the work of actors under 30 in a classical role, defined as plays written before 1918. The prizegiving was introduced by the theatre’s artistic director, Rufus Norris, who said the actor’s spirit and talent feel “even more powerfully resonant” this year. “Many of you here today will remember him as a great friend and colleague.”
One such was this year’s guest of honour, Sir Ian McKellen — who started by proclaiming, with a twinkle, that these “are the best theatre awards, because they have money attached”. He had special memories of Charleson, his co-star in a one-off performance in 1989 of Bent,