Actress Angela Lansbury, Photo by Johan Persson
By Helaine Feldman, Contributing Writer, June 1, 2016
What is nonagenarian Angela Lansbury up to these days? Well, for one thing--on Monday, June 13, 2016, she will be appearing in a staged reading of Lettice & Lovage. the Tony-nominated (1990) comedy by Peter Shaffer,at the Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College (68th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues). This one-night only event, also starring Dana Ivey, will benefit The Acting Company and its nationwide productions and educational programs. Also in the cast is Paxton Whitehead, who was a member of the original Broadway cast of the play.
Meanwhile, it doesn't seem possible, but Mame, the Tony nominated blockbuster of 1966 is celebrating its 50th Anniversary--and Angela Lansbury, the Tony winning star of the original company, is now 91, better than ever and obviously still going strong. There was talk that Jerry Herman had written the show for Judy Garland, but her managers thought she could not survive the stress of eight shows a week on Broadway. Enter Lansbury, who won a Tony for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for Mame, while Beatrice Arthur, who played her "bosom buddy," Vera Charles, and Frankie Michaels, who played young Patrick, her nephew, received Tonys in the Featured Actress and Actor categories. The show was nominated for Best Musical that year, but lost to Man of La Mancha.
Angela Lansbury in Mame. Photo:original publicity.
Mame, with book by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee (no, not the Civil War general) and music and lyrics by Jerry Herman, opened at the Winter Garden on May 24, 1966. It transferred to the Broadway Theatre three years later, remaining there until closing on January 3, 1970 having played a total of 1,508 performances and five previews.
The musical was based on a 1955 novel, Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis and a 1956 Broadway play by Lawrence and Lee that starred Rosalind Russell. Set in New York, the plot focuses on an eccentric bohemian, Mame Dennis. "Life is a banquet and most poor sons of bitches are starving to death," is Mame's approach to life, and she aims to live hers to the fullest. A bump in the road occurs when the young son of her late brother arrives to live with her. No problem. The two embark on a series of madcap adventures together--and the result is theatre history.
For information, call 212-258-3111 or visit The Acting Company.
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Helaine Feldman is a Drama Desk member, and writes frequently on theater.
Cover Photo: Actress Angela Lansbury, Photo by Johan Persson