Count us lucky, indeed.

Seems that Ian McKellen's return to the Royal Shakespeare Company _ playing the title role in Shakespeare's "King Lear" will tour internationally. The three U.S. stops include the Brooklyn Academy of Music (AKA BAM, typical), the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis (cold and typical)...

And UCLA's Royce Hall, where it will play Oct. 19-28.

The production will be in repertory with Chekhov's "The Seagull," and both productions will be directed by former RSC head Trevor Nunn. Romola Garai (of "I Capture the Castle," "Vanity Fair" etc.) plays Cordelia in "Lear" and Nina in "Seagull."

Now there will be those among you _ admittedly probably not those reading this meager blog _ who know Sir Ian primarily for playing Gandalf in the "LOTR" trilogy, or for "The Da Vinci Code."

When the man does Shakespeare, attention really must be paid. He crafted an entire evening of the Bard (titled, "Ian McKellen Acting Shakespeare") and has played every major role in the canon. The man could write the book. The man HAS written the book.

He's been on L.A. stages a few times before, but not recently. Last I remember was Ibsen's "An Enemey of the People" at the Ahmanson Theatre way back in...1998 maybe? He also toured as "Richard III" a few years before that.

If this tour does materialize (and the RSC's website, www.rsc.org.uk seems to indicate it will) that will be a majorly hot ticket (X2) and a major event. Not to mention _ in the case of "Lear" _ probably a majorly depressing evening.

And not one that I will miss under any circumstance.