The American playwright David Mamet says intelligent, commonsense things about theatre but sometimes he is wrong: The greatest performances are seldom noticed. Why? Because they do not draw attention to themselves, and do not seek to—like any real heroism, they are simple and unassuming, and seem to be a natural and inevitable outgrowth of the actor. When we suddenly crash into great acting that is “simple and unassuming” the effect on the audience is startling for we know that though the performance may outwardly seem “natural and inevitable” we are also hearing a silent voice commanding us, “Look at me,…