| Lansbury: Blithe Spirit is Her Final Tour | |
| Posted by: | PatrickHSF 12:44 am EST 01/18/15 |
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| "Madame Arcati in “Blithe Spirit” is a late-in-life gift and 'the absolutely last time I will tour.'" | |
| Link | Link to SFGate.com Article |
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| re: Lansbury: Blithe Spirit is Her Final Tour | |
| Posted by: | bicoastal 01:34 pm EST 01/19/15 |
| In reply to: | Lansbury: Blithe Spirit is Her Final Tour - PatrickHSF 12:44 am EST 01/18/15 |
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| Saw her final L.A. show last night (my second visit to this production) and it was a wonderful evening. House was sold out and audience did not hesitate to show Dame Angela some serious love. On top of that, I feel this cast is terrific, having lots of fun and all of them beautifully playing to the very blithe spirit of Noel Coward. My only problem is that I wish Jemima Rooper as Elvira had been given better direction and better business--she's a wonderful actress but is stuck doing some pretty silly staging. | |
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| Thanks for the recap! | |
| Posted by: | DistantDrumming 09:50 pm EST 01/19/15 |
| In reply to: | re: Lansbury: Blithe Spirit is Her Final Tour - bicoastal 01:34 pm EST 01/19/15 |
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| Lovely to hear how well received the final performance was. | |
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| re: Lansbury: Blithe Spirit is Her Final Tour/Sorry Grateful | |
| Posted by: | Duke1979 10:42 am EST 01/18/15 |
| In reply to: | Lansbury: Blithe Spirit is Her Final Tour - PatrickHSF 12:44 am EST 01/18/15 |
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| My first experience with Dame Angela was September 1979 at the Uris Theatre (now Gershwin) for Sweeney Todd from the 4th row. Absolutely extraordinary. I then saw her three times on the tour with George Hearn in Boston and then finally at the Kennedy Center Opera House. Every time was magic. Looking forward to catching her performance in DC. Simply the definition of class, elegance and commitment. The fact that she is even doing a tour at all says it all. Sorry that this is likely to be her last tour but very grateful too. | |
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| Not terribly surprising... | |
| Posted by: | DistantDrumming 06:36 am EST 01/18/15 |
| In reply to: | Lansbury: Blithe Spirit is Her Final Tour - PatrickHSF 12:44 am EST 01/18/15 |
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| ...to hear her say that. Touring seems grueling for even your chorines. I certainly hope she gets at least one more major stage production, though - be it in NY, London, LA or elsewhere. I'm so glad I got to see this performance in LA a couple of weeks ago. Will stay with me forever. | |
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| The visit was originally written for Lansbury | |
| Posted by: | dramedy 10:36 am EST 01/18/15 |
| In reply to: | Not terribly surprising... - DistantDrumming 06:36 am EST 01/18/15 |
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| I'd love her to take over after Chita or even do shared duty of several performances a week. | |
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| re: The visit was originally written for Lansbury | |
| Posted by: | MikeR 12:09 pm EST 01/19/15 |
| In reply to: | The visit was originally written for Lansbury - dramedy 10:36 am EST 01/18/15 |
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| She was supposed to do it fifteen years ago. That's a lot of time, especially when you've reached Lansbury's age. And it would have to be completely restaged if she were to do it. Hard to imagine that happening. | |
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| re: The visit was originally written for Lansbury | |
| Posted by: | BroadwayTonyJ 12:39 pm EST 01/19/15 |
| In reply to: | re: The visit was originally written for Lansbury - MikeR 12:09 pm EST 01/19/15 |
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| I think Lansbury pretty definitely passed the torch to Rivera on this show several years ago (reluctantly, of course, due to her husband's illness). It's Rivera's baby -- her determination to stick with THE VISIT for over 15 years and several incarnations is the main reason it's finally coming to Broadway -- Lansbury has too much class (and wisdom) to consider intruding on another performer's achievement. I have a hunch she might be open to reprising her Countess Aurelia, though, (now that she's the right age for it) should Encores decide to stage DEAR WORLD and approach her about it. | |
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| re: The visit was originally written for Lansbury | |
| Posted by: | TheOtherOne 01:18 pm EST 01/19/15 |
| In reply to: | re: The visit was originally written for Lansbury - BroadwayTonyJ 12:39 pm EST 01/19/15 |
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| 90 is hardly the right age for Countess Aurelia, assuming you are not joking, but it would be lovely to see an exception made for Dame Angela. I'd love to see, or have seen, her in THE MADWOMAN OF CHAILLOT, too. Actually, I'd prefer it. I love the play. | |
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| re: The visit was originally written for Lansbury | |
| Posted by: | BroadwayTonyJ 04:24 pm EST 01/19/15 |
| In reply to: | re: The visit was originally written for Lansbury - TheOtherOne 01:18 pm EST 01/19/15 |
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| I'm not joking. Lansbury has been quite good in recent years at playing characters on stage that are younger than her actual age (Daisy Werthan, Madame Arcati, Madame Armfeldt). For an Encores concert production of Dear World, I'm sure she could pull off the 75-year old Countess Aurelia and even bring some shadings to the character that would not have been possible when she was 44. | |
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| re: The visit was originally written for Lansbury | |
| Posted by: | AlanScott 04:41 pm EST 01/19/15 |
| In reply to: | re: The visit was originally written for Lansbury - BroadwayTonyJ 04:24 pm EST 01/19/15 |
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| Yes, but I'm not sure she'd want to sing that music now, possibly not even in a one-night concert or an Encores! She could probably get through it after a fashion, but she'd sound perhaps a bit too fragile. Right for the character perhaps, but Herman wrote it for a strong belter, and I don't think she can do that anymore. | |
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| Yeah... | |
| Posted by: | DistantDrumming 08:08 pm EST 01/18/15 |
| In reply to: | The visit was originally written for Lansbury - dramedy 10:36 am EST 01/18/15 |
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| ...like The Visit is going to last long enough for someone to replace Chita. | |
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| re: Lansbury: Blithe Spirit is Her Final Tour | |
| Posted by: | Richard Connema 05:36 am EST 01/18/15 |
| In reply to: | Lansbury: Blithe Spirit is Her Final Tour - PatrickHSF 12:44 am EST 01/18/15 |
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| I see it Wednesday night | |
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