A bit more indulgence (a note on the Mudcat theatre call board, perhaps). With the death of Sir Alec, 2000 is turning out to be the extraordinary end of a theatre era, whatever it may be elsewhere. Guinness always idolized Sir John Gielguid as his mentor, so both passing within months of each other is fitting, if sad.
Many actors are always themselves, others like disguises -- such was Guinness. Always incredibly fastidious: The Bridge on the River Kwai maybe his masterpiece (or Kind Hearts and Coronets, a different kind of fastidiousness). The greatest irony: the horrifying discovery at the end of the first part of Star Wars that they had already killed off by far the best actor in the series (necessitating bringing him back as a ridiculous ghost thereafter)! But he made a good Obi Wan Kenobi -- a figure of genial stature, who embodied mature wisdom. Another irreplaceable treasure.

yours, Peter T.