Patrick Stewart still Hot and Virile Enough to Play Macbeth

I couldn't pass up the opportunity last Friday to take the train out to BAM for the opportunity to meet [Patrick Stewart] in the flesh. Yes, he's known to most fanboys as Captian Jean-Luc Picard of the starship Enterprise in Star Trek: the Next Generation. But I still remember him playing the campy, gay role in Paul Rudnick's 1995 movie [Jeffrey](http://imdb.com/title/tt0113464/) opposite Steven Weber.  Could the 67-year-old actor really still be as handsome after all these years?

The answer is yes. Somehow Stewart has managed to age gracefully, those wrinkles only making him look that much more polished and (dare I say it?) dashing. He was there to talk up his role as Macbeth in the English production that opens at the [BAM Harvey Theatre ]tonight.

Sure, most Macbeths these days are young punks who are looking to kick some ass. And Stewart admits that he thought the role had passed him by since he was busy in Hollywood when he was the age to be playing Shakespeare's young turks. But director Rupert Goold was interested in exploring a large age difference between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. He cast his young (and equally hot real-life wife) Kate Fleetwood to play opposite Stewart. So, instead of an aging man, ready to retire, he's driven to murder and treason by his wife's ego for more, more, more. And with those sinewy arms, it's easy to believe he'd be possible of a little throttling.

Should be an interesting interpretation. And don't worry about Trekkies lining up in uniform. Stewart continually dissuades his many [look-alike fans] (yeah, other old bald guys who want to be close to their hero) from dressing up to see him in Shakespeare. But if you're in the market for a sugar daddy with a shiny pate, you'll know where to be.

Photo by Elena Olivo