WebProNews

Tag: london stage

  • Angela Lansbury Wows On London Stage

    Angela Lansbury may be 88 years old, but that doesn’t mean she can’t steal the stage with her acting abilities. On Tuesday, Lansbury made her first onstage appearance in over 40 years. She plays the character of eccentric medium Madame Arcati in the play Blithe Spirit. Her performance earned her a five star review and has been praised by many critics.

    “Thirty-five years ago I remember being bowled over by Lansbury’s performance as Mrs. Lovett in Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd on Broadway. She brings a similar energy and high definition wit to Madame Arcati,” critic Charles Spencer wrote.

    “Her voice swoops and soars with superb grandeur and her extraordinary dance routine, in which she seems physically to vibrate as she goes into a trance, is a wonder to behold.”

    He concluded: “This is a tour de force that will glow warmly in the memory of all who see it.”

    Some critics claimed that although Lansbury played her character well, her presence distracted from the story and pulled the focus from the other actors and actresses.

    Although Lansbury was no doubt one of the most impressive parts of the show, critics are in love with the entire play and gave it rave reviews as a whole.

    Actor Charles Edwards has also received praise from critics for his role as the novelist haunted by his late wife.

    The show opened Tuesday night at the Gielgud Theatre in London.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Angela Lansbury To Act On Same Stage As Her Mother

    Angela Lansbury may not see a “Murder She Wrote” remake happen, but she’s got bigger things going on; namely, taking the same stage her mother acted on in 1918.

    The 88-year old actress will be reprising her role as Madame Arcati in Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit this year at London’s Gielgud Theatre, where her mother, Moyna Macgill, made her acting debut nearly a century ago.

    “Isn’t it amazing?” Lansbury said. “She made her debut there and I’m going in now. I could be in her dressing room. I know so much of my talent came from her. She was a sensitive, lovely actress who played Desdemona, and acted with Basil Rathbone. She was a star.”

    Dame Lansbury has played the role before, on Broadway in 2009, but this will be her first time on a London stage in over 40 years, and she says she’s excited for the chance. It’s a challenging role, however, and involves a dance which she says she will perform differently every night.

    The veteran actress spoke recently about the NBC reboot of the 80’s murder mystery show that enjoyed years of success, saying she didn’t quite agree with using the same title.

    “I think it’s a mistake to call it Murder, She Wrote, because Murder, She Wrote will always be about Cabot Cove and this wonderful group of people who told those lovely stories and enjoyed a piece of that place, and also enjoyed Jessica Fletcher, who is a rare and very individual kind of person. So, I’m sorry that they have to use the title Murder, She Wrote, even though they have access to it and it’s their right.”

    The reboot has been shelved, however, so fans of the original needn’t worry. Lansbury says she’s relieved that NBC won’t be moving forward with the show.

    “I knew it was a terrible mistake,” she said. “I didn’t want to sully the memory.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons