An Afternoon With Sir Roger Moore

Since Sir Roger Moore last graced the city of Belfast with his, well, Saintly presence (you knew I had to say it!) the former James Bond has come through quite a few mishaps, to put it mildly.

In the last fourteen years, he’s had a heart attack, a pacemaker fitted and hearing aids put in (ouch). But he has also been made a knight. There's nothing like an unexpectedly pleasant announcement of prestige at the end of self-depreciating recollection of pain to lighten the mood, and it's exactly the start that the clearly happy audience at the Grand Opera House this Saturday afternoon are hoping for.
The question is, can Sir Roger build on it? The answer ultimately is, yes he can... though time will certainly be of the essence.

Today's mission, for his and our eyebrows only – many of which will be raised multiple times – is for Moore to pleasingly remind us of what we know and happily surprise us with what we don't know about him as an actor and a man.

Cleverly, he and biographer Gareth Owen approach the afternoon through the tonal prism of a luxury cruise, using the ship-like set of Don Giovanni, then being staged at the venue also, to their advantage. It's entirely in tune with the gaudy extravagance that sometimes found its way into the background and foreground of Moore's two most famous alter egos.

The first half of the talk is very matter-of-fact, the calm, composed Owen neither dominating nor in awe of his subject and guest as Moore recounts his breakthrough and early success in film and television with sprinkles of the wry, witty, spur-of-the-moment wordplay we have come to expect from him on screen. It's fascinating, but not especially nourishing – excepting a failed rendition of the Ivanhoe theme (remember that?) and Moore's remarkable gift for mimicry (he does a great Sean Connery), you feel or hope that the best is still to come.

When Moore says, "Actors don't normally remember good reviews... we are a conceited lot... but we do remember the bad ones!" I shudder slightly, as I can only imagine what he'd have to say about yours truly were this show not to go so well in my, or for that matter anyone's, eyes.

Fortunately, a streak of liveliness near the interval puts any doubts to rest, namely with the tale of Donald Sutherland's big break in The Saint ("he never got me a job", Moore grumbles, to everyone's amusement, as a running gag begins) and a brief, eye-opening clip of Moore “acting for two” in The Man Who Haunted Himself, the first occasion where, by his own admission, he was actually allowed to act.

It's the spark we all need, and the series of Bond themes (and cups of tea) at the break warm everyone up nicely for unfailingly funny stories about The Persuaders, Tony Curtis and - inevitably - 007. We hear about Christopher Lee's photographic memory, Herve Villechaize's (and Cubby Broccoli's) eye for women, the unexpected discomforts of Richard "Jaws" Kiel and what sleeping with the Bond girls was like. Not to mention his favourite Bond girl - his wife, Kristina, who happens to be watching from the balcony. (Maybe he is erring on the side of caution in her presence?)
But it is the post-show question-and-answer session which raises more laughs and happiness than anything else.

What was more ridiculous, The Muppet Show or Moonraker? Does he prefer a Guinness to a whisky? And what was it like working with Grace Jones? All of the above and more are answered before a UNICEF-inspired speech that concludes the event on a poignant note.
This is one of those instances where Moore is definitely more, not less.

Simon Fallaha

Sir Roger Moore appeared at Belfast's Grand Opera House on Saturday 19 November as part of a UK & Ireland tour.