ANGELA LANSBURY as Madame Arcati in Blithe Spirit at the Gielgud Theatre

ANGELA LANSBURY as Madame Arcati in Blithe Spirit at the Gielgud Theatre.

Angela Lansbury’s Broadway performance as Coward’s infamous clairvoyant earned her the 2009 Tony Award for Best Supporting Actress and became her fifth Tony Award.

Her professional career spans more than a half-century, during which she has flourished, first as a star of motion pictures, then as a Broadway musical star and most recently as the star of Murder, She Wrote. The actress made her Broadway debut in 1957 when she starred as Bert Lahr’s wife in the French farce, Hotel Paradiso.

In 1960, she returned to Broadway as Joan Plowright’s mother in the season’s most acclaimed drama, A Taste of Honey, by Shelagh Delaney. One year later, she starred on Broadway in her first musical, Anyone Can Whistle. Lansbury returned to New York in triumph in 1966 as Mame, for which she won the first of her Tony Awards as Best Actress in a Musical. She received the others as the Madwoman of Chaillott in Dear World (1968), as Mama Rose in the 1974 revival of Gypsy and as Mrs Lovett in Sweeney Todd (1979).

From 1984-1996 she starred as Jessica Fletcher, mystery-writing amateur sleuth, on Murder, She Wrote, for which she won four Golden Globe Awards. In 1982, she was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame, and in 1994 she was named a Commander of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II. Angela and her husband Peter were married in 1949. They worked together until Peter’s death in January 2003. Angela has three grown children, Deirdre, Anthony and David, and three grandchildren.

Lansbury was last seen on the London stage playing Gertrude in the National Theatre production of Hamlet in 1975. Prior to that, she starred in the celebrated production of Gypsy at the Piccadilly Theatre and in the RSC production of All Over at The Aldwych.

In November this year Lansbury received an honorary Oscar in recognition of her outstanding 70 years of contribution to the film industry.

The cast of Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit at the Gielgud Theatre includes Angela Lansbury, Janie Dee and Charles Edwards. The play is directed by Michael Blakemore.

 LINKS

Book tickets to Blithe Spirit at the Gielgud Theatre in London

CHARLES EDWARDS as Charles Condomine in Blithe Spirit at the Gielgud Theatre.

CHARLES EDWARDS as Charles Condomine  in Blithe Spirit at the Gielgud Theatre.

This appearance brings Charles back to Blithe Spirit as he made his theatrical debut in the play.

Since then his star has continued rise with numerous roles at the National Theatre including: This House, in which he played the persuasive Conservative chief whip Jack Wetherhill and gained a nomination for a Best Actor Evening Standard Award. Other National Theatre performances include Twelfth Night, The Duchess of Malfi, All My Sons and most recently starring in Eugene O’Neill’s Strange Interlude opposite Anne-Marie Duff. His other theatre credits include Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing at The Globe and George V in The King’s Speech, both of which gained him Evening Standard Award Best Actor nominations, as well as Hannay in The 39 Steps in the West End and on Broadway.

On television he is best known as Michael Gregson, a wealthy London publisher and suitor of Lady Edith Crawley in the global hit Downton Abbey. His many other TV roles include Holy Flying Circus, Murder Rooms, opposite the late Ian Richardson and Monarch of the Glen. Film work embraces Philomena starring Judi Dench and Steve Coogan, the Hollywood blockbuster Batman Begins, and period features such as Mansfield Park and An Ideal Husband.

The cast of Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit at the Gielgud Theatre includes Angela Lansbury, Janie Dee and Charles Edwards. The play is directed by Michael Blakemore.

LINKS

Book tickets to Blithe Spirit at the Gielgud Theatre in London

JANIE DEE as Ruth Condomine in Blithe Spirit at the Gielgud Theatre

JANIE DEE as Ruth Condomine in Blithe Spirit at the Gielgud Theatre.

Janie is a multi-award winning actress, singer and musical theatre performer.

Her work on stage has earned her the Olivier, Evening Standard and Critics’ Circle Best Actress Awards for the leading role in Comic Potential in the West End and on Broadway as well as the Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for Carousel, directed by Nicholas Hytner at the National Theatre. She has worked extensively with writer and director Alan Ayckbourn, originating the roles of JC 333 in Comic Potential, Joanna in House and Garden and Amanda in Dreams from a Summerhouse and Peter Hall has directed Janie in Much Ado About Nothing, Betrayal and Design For Living. Lead roles in classic West End musicals include: Cats, My One and Only (Olivier Award Nomination), Mack and Mabel, and audiences outside London have been able to enjoy her performances in many shows including her starring role as Dolly Levi in Hello Dolly! at the Curve Theatre, Leicester for which she received a TMA UK Theatre Award for Best Performance in a Musical this year.

She is a leading light in the resurgent cabaret scene and regularly champions new musical theatre writing. Her screen credits include Me and Orson Welles and Harold Pinter: A Celebration. Janie is expanding her film work, this year completing Wild, directed by Vivienne DeCourcy, and Caffiend, opposite Neil Morrissey and written and directed by Sundance Festival Grand Prize-winner, Gary Walkow. Recent dramatic roles include: Michael Frayn’s Noises Off at The Old Vic and in the West End, and this year she created the role of Miranda in Lucy Kirkwood’s NSFW at the Royal Court, which earned her a fourth Olivier nomination.

The cast of Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit at the Gielgud Theatre includes Angela Lansbury, Janie Dee and Charles Edwards. The play is directed by Michael Blakemore.

 LINKS

Book tickets to Blithe Spirit at the Gielgud Theatre in London

Blithe Spirit starring Angela Lansbury at the Gielgud Theatre

Angela Lansbury stars in the Tony Award-winning Broadway revival of Noel Coward’s classic comedy Blithe Spirit at the Gielgud Theatre.

Legendary Hollywood stage and screen star Angela Lansbury returns to London to reprise her Tony award-winning Broadway performance as Madame Arcati in Noel Coward’s hilarious comedy Blithe Spirit.

The play will be directed by acclaimed director Michael Blakemore.

Angela Lansbury is joined in the cast by Charles Edwards (Downton Abbey, The King’s Speech) as Charles Condomine, and Janie Dee (Hello Dolly!) as Ruth Condomine.

THE STORY

In order to observe a spiritualist first-hand for a planned novel, writer Charles Condomine (Charles Edwards) and wife Ruth (Janie Dee) invite friends the Bradmans to dinner and a séance with local clairvoyant Madame Arcati (Angela Lansbury), whom they are certain is a fake.

That all changes when the ghost of his first wife, Elvira is summoned – and overstays her welcome in the following days, causing a rift between Charles and his at first disbelieving and then jealous second wife. The feuding wives, ghost and flesh, hatch plot and counter plot to sabotage each other’s and Charles’ existence but will they succeed?

DATES & INFO

Blithe Spirit plays from 1 March to 7 June 2014 at the Gielgud Theatre in London.

Search for tickets

More information

Theatre: Gielgud Theatre

 

Broadway’s Blithe Spirit to transfer to London starring Angela Lansbury

The 2009 Broadway production of Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit is to be revived in London starring Angela Lansbury.

Hollywood stage and screen legend Angela Lansbury, 88, will return to the London stage for the first time in 40 years this Spring in a revival of the 2009 Broadway production of Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit.

She will reprise the role of batty medium Madame Arcati in Coward’s hit comedy, a role she won a Tony Award for on Broadway.

She told the Daily Mail today that, “You could say it’s my last chance… After all, I am 88 — in my 89th year now. But I’ve got many more years left. I do believe that”.

Blithe Spirit will run for 15 weeks at the Gielgud Theatre from 1 March 2014 (press night 18 March 2014).

The recent Broadway production starred Lansbury alongside Rupert Everett as Charles Condomine, but the West End show will see Charles Edwards play Condomine. Edwards recently appeared in ITV’s Downton Abbey as Lady Edith’s lover. Recent stage appearances include Strange Interlude with Anne-Marie Duff and This House, both at the National Theatre, and in the stage adaptation of The King’s Speech.

Charles’s wife Ruth will be played by West End actress Janie Dee. It is rumoured that the spirit of his former wife Elvira is to be played by Jemima Rooper.

The play will see legendary director Michael Blakemore return to the directing duties following his Broadway production, but with new set and costume design.

Blithe Spirit was last performed in the West End in 2011 at the Apollo Theatre starring Alison Steadman as Madam Arcati.

BOOKING

Sign-up to our News Alerts service to be the first to hear about booking Blithe Spirit at the Gielgud Theatre

Kander & Ebb charity gala cancelled

Story Update:

Kander & Ebb tribute at the Victoria Palace Theatre cancelled

A major charity gala which was to have been held in London on 29 April 2012 to celebrate the work of legendary songwriters Kander & Ebb has been cancelled.

The all-star gala at the Victoria Palace Theatre wass being produced by veteran promoter and producer Barry Mishon in collaboration with John Kander, and was to have aided the Ovarian Cancer Action charity.

The charity today announced that it had decided to withdraw from the show, “ for no other reason than due to the current economic climate in which we are operating”, and that they were, “unable to afford to proceed with this venture. Had we been able to continue, we had complete confidence that it would have been a great success, but the environment necessitates that the focus and spend of the Charity must be solely on its core charitable activities at the current time. We reiterate our extreme disappointment at having to arrive at this conclusion, and thank everyone sincerely, particularly Barry, for the time, effort, enthusiasm and determination which has gone into this to date.”

Barry Mishon, the producer of the show, thanked everyone for their  ”great support” but said that he was “dismayed and very upset” on hearing the news.

Stars who had signed up to appear included Tony award winning Chicago choreographer Ann Reinking, Chita Rivera, Marvin Hamlisch, Janie Dee, Maria Friedman, Tyne Daly, Stefanie Powers, Billy Stritch, Clive Rowe, Claire Moore, Linzi Hately, Bonnie Langford, Sally Ann Triplett, Ria Jones, Sian Phillips and Frances Ruffelle.

John Kander and Fred Ebb are two of the most successful musical theatre songwriting partnerships of all time, with their work including Cabaret, Chicago, Zorba, The Rink and Kiss of the Spider Woman. Fred Ebb passed away in 2004.

LINKS

SPECIAL OFFER: Book tickets to Chicago at the Garrick Theatre in London

Ovarian Cancer Action website

Noises Off at the Novello Theatre

An all-star cast including Janie Dee, Robert Glenister, Jamie Glover, Amy Nuttall and Celia Imrie star in Lindsay Posner’s brand new production of Michael Frayn’s irresistible, multi-award-winning backstage comedy Noises Off, now transferring from the Old Vic to the West End’s Novello Theatre.

Ann Reinking signs up for Kander & Ebb charity gala

Noises Off at the Old Vic Theatre

An all-star cast including Janie Dee, Robert Glenister, Jamie Glover, Amy Nuttall and Celia Imrie star in Lindsay Posner’s brand new production of Michael Frayn’s irresistible, multi-award-winning backstage comedy Noises Off.

My London Theatre: Interview with Janie Dee, currently starring in All’s Well That Ends Well at Shakespeare’s Globe

Multi-award winning actress Janie Dee is back on the London stage this summer, starring as the Countess of Roussillon in a new production of All’s Well That Ends Well at Shakespeare’s Globe in London (until 21 August 2011). Here she tells West End Theatre.com about her own experiences of theatrical London.

Of the 50-odd theatres that make up the West End, which of them hold the strongest memories for you?
The Novello where Betty Blue Eyes is playing now (wonderful!). It was the site of my first West End job as a swing in Cabaret and helped me so much in my early career. Then as Claudine in Can-Can with Donna McKechnie and Milo O’Shea, and more recently the extended run of Shadowlands where I played Joy Gresham opposite the exquisite Charles Dance. I know all the staff there as I do at many of the West End theatres I have worked in.

What was the last show you enjoyed in London as an audience member?
Betty Blue Eyes and Lucy Bailey’s Macbeth at the Globe last year.

What’s your favourite non-theatre thing to do in the West End and your favourite place to eat after the show?
I love taking dance classes and reflexology classes with Michael Keet in Covent Garden. Favourite restaurants are Jo Allen’s, the Oxo Tower and the Poets Corner.

Which do you love best? The first day of rehearsals, the first night of the show or the last night?
All of it but the first night of the show is usually very, very special.

What advice would you give a tourist coming to the West End in terms of what to see?
Depends on their taste but I would be confident about anything in the West End as the standard is so high.

If you were the Culture Secretary for the day what would you do?
Well, looking at Jeremy Hunt’s website he seems to have a lot more on his plate than just being Culture Secretary. We are very lucky in London and many cities in this country but it is often only visitors who partake. So I would like to introduce him to some of my friends and offer him some help in putting everyone in the country in touch with what is on offer to them in Theatres, Museums, Concerts Halls, Art Galleries and Gardens. And, of course, put funding back into Theatre, which is the greatest of all in my opinion!

Who is your theatre hero?
Oh there are so many! Michael Sheen because he is brilliant and gorgeous! Dominic Dromgoole who runs the Globe with ease and great heart. Cameron Mackintosh, who puts so much love and energy into every show and every theatre he owns. And Susan Whiddington, who runs the Mousetrap Theatre Projects charity which gives underprivileged children the opportunity to go to the Theatre for £5.

Are you excited about performing at Shakespeare’s Globe this summer?
Oh I am so excited! After seeing Macbeth there last year I couldn’t wait! It is an extraordinary space with a direct link to heaven with that open roof. All’s Well That Ends Well is a gorgeous play and I can’t wait to be putting it in front of the Globe audience for the first time.

LINKS

Shakespeare’s Globe website

Next Page »