Downton Abbey star Julian Ovenden honours late writer Kevin Elyot as his most famous play returns to stage

 
Cast member: Julian Ovenden (Picture: Dave Benett)
Dave Benett
The Weekender

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Downton Abbey star Julian Ovenden and his fellow My Night With Reg cast members raised a toast to late playwright Kevin Elyot after their triumphant revival of his most famous play, only two months after his death.

Ovenden expressed his sadness that Elyot, who died after a long illness three days before the start of rehearsals, had not lived to see the first major production of the play since its premiere 20 years ago.

But, speaking at the opening night party at The Hospital Club, the 37-year-old added: “I can’t think of a better way to honour him and his work than to do this play well. I know he was pleased it was being revived and it’s a real shame he’s not here.”

Ovenden, who plays Lady Mary’s suitor Charles Blake in ITV’s Downton Abbey, also plays the love interest in Elyot’s drama about gay friends at the time of the first terrifying emergence of Aids.

He said: “It’s a very important piece. It’s obviously intrinsically about the gay community in that period of time, but underneath that it is about friendship, about love, it’s about lying and infidelity.

“To people who might think it’s a period piece, I still think it has a lot of resonance and relevance to today’s society.”

He said the 250-seat Donmar Warehouse was the perfect intimate setting: “There is nowhere to hide — for me, especially, as I take my clothes off so there is really nowhere to hide.”

Donmar artistic director Josie Rourke said: “Tonight in our theatre, one of the great moments happened when a play that people knew was fantastic passed into a play that will be done and done and done again because it is extraordinary.”

Director Robert Hastie said it was “the most unbearable sadness” that Elyot was not there, but added: “I’m sure everyone in the theatre but, of course, especially those who knew him, felt Kevin’s presence there tonight.”

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The audience for last night’s opening performance included Mark Gatiss, Alan Hollinghurst and Joan Bakewell.

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