Forgotten LGBT Heroes of the Theatre: Micheál MacLiammóir and Hilton Edwards

Far be it from me to gossip — as you all know I am discretion personified — but I was being a bit of a silver surfer the other day and stumbled across quite an interesting theatrical titbit online. You didn’t hear it from me but it is rumoured that, in his youth, the esteemed Irish actor of the last century, Micheal MacLiammoir, had an affair with General Eoin Duffy who, during the 1930s was the head of the quasi-fascist Irish blueshirts. Fancy that? Although, there is no evidence to substantiate this claim, other than idle gossip and tittle tattle, this got me looking back at the career of MacLiammoir and his partner Hilton Edwards. What follows, is a brief account of their story. If you care to pull up a pouffe, pour yourself a tipple of your choice and light yourself a well deserved fag, I’ll begin…

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The Gate Theatre in Dublin has long been heralded as a mecca for the arts in Ireland. If I was to walk on its hallowed ground today, or any day over the last year or so, however, I would probably find it the quietest it has ever been in its 92 year history. Sat at the back of the stalls, in the darkness of the auditorium, you might hear the eery, far off applause and laughter of the many audiences that have passed through its doors over the years gone by… glance up at the stage and you might catch glimpse of the many great actors that have trod the boards and started their careers there — James Mason, Micheal Gambon, Orson Wells… stroll along the backstage corridor and you might just encounter two largely forgotten legends in theatre history and founders of the Gate Theatre. Their names? Micheal MacLiammoir and Hilton Edwards. Both of them actors. Both of them impresarios. Both of them gay and a devoted couple to boot! Living and working at a time where homosexuality was illegal, they both have quite an interesting story so stick around to find to out more!

Born in 1899 in Kensal Green, Alfred Willmore started his career as a child star alongside the likes of a young Noel Coward, gracing the stage of London’s many theatres. As a young man in the 1920s, Willmore travelled Europe with his brother-in-law’s company of actors and was particularly captivated by Irish culture, so much so that he learnt to speak and write in Irish fluently. Little did the world know that this young man, with no Irish family or connections would go on to change his name, his accent and his backstory to become the Micheal MacLiammoir that Ireland loved and accepted as their own son. Having adopted this new identity, MacLiammoir met his fellow actor, Hilton Edwards, a fellow Londoner and member of the same company. It was this point in the mid-20s that they fell in love, started living as an openly gay couple and decided to pursue their shared ambition of opening a theatre. MacLiammoir yearned to establish a theatre in Ireland, whereas Hilton did not care where it was, famously saying ‘ I don’t care about nationalism, I care about theatre’. So, in 1928, the Gate Theatre began its life, establishing a global reputation for quality, starting the careers of many great actors and hosting hugely successful performances throughout the last century.

I think Edwards and MacLiammoir’s significance to LGBT history and successes in the theatre world are poignantly summarised by Brian Merriman, writer and founder of the International Dublin Gay and Lesbian Theatre Festival, when he says that the couple ‘were strong in their presentation of historical, Shakespearean and romantic characters for decades in the theatre and yet they were known as ‘The Boys’. Boys don’t run theatre companies, avoid bankruptcy, persuade investors, employ artists and establish and sustain a national theatre at The Gate…But ‘boys’, the talented young men drawn to the escapism of theatre in a hostile society, knew no matter what your status or achievement, a gay artist could never be a man but remained a ‘boy’ forever’.

As established figures, Hilton largely worked as producer, behind the scenes, whilst Micheal became publicly remembered for his flamboyant appearance. Later in life, during the 50s and 60s, he would often appear on television in bright, effeminate clothing, adorned with jewelry, his face powdered, his eyebrows drawn on and with a toupe perched on top of his head. He was not vilified, criticised or called out for this. Many have recognised his ‘performances’ on chat shows and other public appearances as paving the way for modern drag performances, with many Irish queens of today and of years gone by looking back to him in admiration as a trailblazer for gay men everywhere.

In the divided and devotely religious Ireland of the last century, the lifelong partnership between Edwards and MacLiammoir endured and surprisingly became a widely accepted and prominent feature of Irish society circles. The couple ‘held court’ at their home in Harcourt Terrace where you can just imagine Micheal beringed, bewigged and with a face full of makeup entertaining and regaling those who visited them with theatrical gossip and entertaining anecdotes. One of the performances that MacLiammoir is most remembered for is his one-man show ‘The Importance of Being Oscar’ in which he told the story of the great playwright Oscar Wilde in a series of excerpts from his plays, poems and novels. This performance luckily survives on tape (the link to the performance on Youtube can be found at the bottom of this article). In that recorded performance you can really see Micheal as he his remembered and get a picture of the man as he truly was — the essence of theatre, high-campness and ostentation. Seen strolling through Dublin arm in arm, the couples’ homosexuality was there for the world to see. They didn’t care and neither did their public.

In 1978 MacLiammoir passed away. The esteem in which the couple were held is reflected in the way that he was mourned across Ireland. The president, the taoiseach and several government ministers attended his funeral and Hilton, as his partner for over 50 years, was publicly recognised by society as chief mourner. They were a devoted couple who achieved so much and should be remembered not only in Ireland but across the world for their contribution to both theatre and to LGBT history. Let’s raise a glass to the Boys and hope that their beloved Gate Theatre can open its doors once more in the not too distant future. Cheers!

‘The Importance of Being Oscar’ can be found at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zbjYzf4K7o