Last night I
watched Blithe Spirit at the Gielgud Theatre, with Angela Lansbury. I didn’t go
with Dame Angela; she was in it.
The train into
London was full of people going to the Arctic Monkeys gig at Finsbury Park. I
was off to watch the star of Murder, She Wrote. The culture divide was massive.
I’d wanted to go
to show from the moment I’d seen it advertised. I’m a big fan of the play and
its leading actress. Neither disappointed. Both have aged well. Lansbury was
hilarious, with an energy that belies her age; there aren’t many
eighty-eight-year-olds who could cope with eight shows a week, let alone attack
them with such panache.
Her CV is
incredible. She’s won five Tonys and six Golden Globes and been nominated for
eighteen Emmys and three Oscars. It puts my Most Promising Student award to
shame. She made her Broadway debut in 1957 and is still going strong. I made my
first professional theatre appearance in 2002 and am already contemplating a different
career.
She also starred
in my favourite kids’ film, Bedknobs & Broomsticks. Her rendition of The
Age of Not Believing brings a tear to my eye to this day. She’s also one of the
few people to be threatened by Bruce Forsyth with a knife. One of the only
reported cases, anyway.
The cast were
excellent all round. It must be exciting to work with an actress of Lansbury’s
calibre, however experienced they may be in their own right. Imagine the
stories she must have and the people that she’s worked with.
Blithe Spirit
runs until the 7th of June. Go and see it if you can. You won’t
regret it.