Page "John Reed (actor)" Paragraph 11

Reed said that, of all the Gilbert and Sullivan roles, he probably best loved Ko-Ko, noting, " Ko-Ko is almost me.

There's a lot of me in the character.

It lets me bring out my sense of humour and delivery of lines .... the character parts ... you must get your own personality through.

" On the other hand, Reed said, " Something takes over from me when I go on.

I become something different.

I'm basically shy, and I go and hide behind my characters.

" He also said of Ko-Ko, " it's such fun to do ... you make people laugh, and the children and everybody enjoy him.

And I suppose that's what our job is here anyway.

To entertain people.

" Reed also loved to play Jack Point in Yeomen, a tragicomic character.

" Jack Point is me in another age – just a strolling player.

I really believe I could die of a broken heart ".

Reed said that every comedian savours the chance to play a role like Point in which " you like to see if you can make ' em cry a little ".

He also noted that, generally, " I like anything where the dancing comes in ".

His least favourite role was Major-General Stanley in Pirates, a role that he gave up in 1969.

He also found two drawbacks to playing King Gama: " the heavy make-up ... hid every feature of his face except his eyes, and made it impossible for him to wear his glasses so that he could do his newspaper crossword while waiting to go on ".

Of the " younger " roles he played even in his later years with the company, Reed said, " I feel I'm so fundamentally a young person ....

I'm older than the part I'm playing, for instance, but I feel young.

" He loved performing for children and delighted in the gala " last nights " of each London season with the D ' Oyly Carte, where he would perform for glittering audiences of " Prime Ministers, Lord Chancellors and First Lords of the Admiralty.