Whilst I have seen quite a few productions of this Noel
Coward classic, including a fantastic version at the Royal Exchange a few years
ago, the prospect of seeing the legend that is Angela Lansbury, live on stage,
in the role of Madame Arcati, found me pitch up at the Gielgud to enquire about
the availability and affordability of a ticket for the show in its preview run.
The best part of £50 later (gulp) I had secured a ticket for the front row of
the grand tier, which turned out to be a great view, but extremely unforgiving
on the knees!
This is an excellent production, and made for a very
enjoyable night at the theatre. Wilde’s play is a classic for a very good
reason. His writing is sharp and witty, the plot is pacey and fun, and it
definitely stands the test of time.
Lansbury is predictably fabulous in the role of the flamboyant
and eccentric medium. She has enjoyed an amazing career on both stage and
screen, spanning over 70 years, and winning many awards. Her biography in the
programme is quite awe inspiring, appearing in over 60 films, on stage in numerous
plays and musicals and having an extensive television career including, of
course, 12 years as Jessica Fletcher in Murder She Wrote. Now 88, she shows no
signs of slowing down, in the last few years she’s starred in at least three
Broadway shows and toured Australia in Driving Miss Daisy, and now reprises a
role she performed on Broadway in 2009, to mark her first return to the UK
stage in 40 years. It is an absolute privilege to get the chance to see her,
and she brings great energy and fun to the role. It goes without saying she’s
an extremely talented performer, but she is also a very generous actress
working as a true member of the ensemble cast.
Understandably, this production has been marketed very much
on Lansbury’s casting and that is what has drawn the majority of the audience
in, evidenced by the cheers every time she entered or exited the stage,
occasionally drowning out the other actors lines. Whilst possibly the most memorable,
Arcati is not actually the main character in the play, and an excellent cast
has been brought together for this production. I especially loved the pairing of Charles
(Charles Edwards) and his second wife Ruth (Janie Dee), and Patsy Ferran, in
her professional stage debut as the maid Edith was hilarious – what a start to
a career!
All in all, and despite the balcony related bruises I still
sport, a brilliant and memorable night and a great production of this witty
play. And an absolute treat to see such a well-known and accomplished actress
take to the stage with the energy of a lady half her age!
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