Angela Lansbury. That's it. Angela Lansbury. The only reason I went to see the show. Angela Lansbury!!!!!!
The show is showing at the Gielgud Theatre which is one of my favourite theatres in London. It's not one of the biggest, in fact it's on the smaller side, with a seating capacity of just 986. It feels bigger though as the seating is split over three levels. I was in the front row of the top gallery and the view was surprisingly good. The angle at which I was viewing the stage was a bit steep but I soon got used to that. The only downside was that there was very little leg room. There was a good mixture of people in the audience, but I was surprised to notice that not all the seats were full. The set stays the same throughout does have a few minor changes made to it. I didn't get bored with the lack of change however as I have in other shows.
I first knew of Angela Lansbury through the film Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971). My sister and I would always watch it at our grandparents house when we were children and it is to this day one of my favourite films. Since growing up I've become aware of her other work such as the stage production of Sweeny Todd on Broadway, clips of the show when it toured in 1982 can be found on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=sweeney+todd+1982), and of course her fantastic work as the voice of Mrs Potts in Beauty And The Beast. Of course who wouldn't know her from the TV series Murder She Wrote. She was also in one of my favourite films The Court Jester, with Danny Kaye, a fact I only found out about two weeks ago. Madame Arcati is in fact a role she previously played on Broadway in 2009. As soon as I heard her talk, she was off stage at that point, I had tingles down my spine. I couldn't help but picture her as Mrs Potts though. Her arrival on stage was greeted by rapturous applause. Only a few people merit this and she is most definitely one of them.
Another actress I was interested in seeing was Jemima Rooper. The only thing I know her from is the film Kinky Boots, though her bio in the shows programme assures me she's done other work. In Kinky Boots I wasn't that keen on her to be honest. I found her a bit dramatic. Overacting a little. I was interested to see how she was live on stage. I'm glad to say she was much better. Mind you, the role of Elvira suites overacting so maybe it was just the role that made her seem better. An actress who I'm sure will become a star of the West End, for whom this is not only her first West End role but also her professional stage debut, is Patsy Ferran. She is marvellous. I hardly ever use that word but it is extremely fitting to her performance and characterisation. For most of the show she says very little except "yes 'm", but her role is very physical during this time. Her comic timing with the moves is exhilarating (a word that's appropriateness in this instance I deeply question) and her over exaggeration if sublime. After having a stressful day she very much cheered me up and relaxed my thought-riddled brain. A true star in the making who's career I'll be interested to follow.
The other characters were fantastic as well, though Ms Lansbury and Patsy Ferran stood out. Serena Evens as Mrs Bradman was, like Patsy, a bit of comic joy. It's a shame her part isn't bigger. I was constantly smiling when she was on stage. The two main characters of Mr and Mrs Condomine are played by Charles Edwards and Janie Dee. Both are fantastic actors with many theatre, film and television roles behind them. They are continually engaging and drag you completely into the story. I couldn't take my eyes off them.
There where unfortunately a few instances of what appeared to be forgetting of lines. One of these was unfortunately be Ms Lansbury though I'm unclear if this was genuinely her forgetting a line or her brilliant portrayal of the character. This production is, in my opinion, better than the one on Broadway in 2009 and far outshines both the 1945 and 1966 films. One that I would definitely recommend anyone to see. I mean come on ................ it's Angela Lansbury. Tickets and info.
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