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She's the star of stage and screen from Mame to Murder She Wrote, but who is Angela Lansbury? What formed her character? A tale of struggle and perseverance which looks to reveal the woman behind the glamour. With songs from Mame, Dear World, Gypsy, Sweeney Todd, Beauty and the Beast, Bednobs and Broomsticks and more. This show was originally produced to mark Dame Angela Lansbury’s 90th birthday. It is his celebratory investigation into the life and work of one of our best loved actresses and musical performers, and sets out to look beneath the glamorous façade. It is a tale of struggle and perseverance, as the star of Mame and Murder She Wrote fights against the misconceptions and expectations of Hollywood and Broadway.
Discover how the much-loved star of stage and screen used her courage, talent and tenacity to become the household name and icon we know today. Drawing extensively on exclusive interviews and memoirs, and accompanied by live renditions of well-known classics from Mame, Dear World, Gypsy, and Sweeney Todd, along with freshly-revived jazz and country numbers, Fiona-Jane Weston brings this story to the stage for the very first time to explore how Dame Angela Lansbury captured a generation. |
The show has played to full houses at London's The Other Palace and on tour nationwide to a clutch of excellent reviews.
Although the show was over two hours long, including an interval, there was not one dull moment in Patrick Lambe’s production. Fiona-Jane Weston had a great rapport with the audience ..A delightful show about one of the great living legends.
West End Wilma
Fiona Jane Weston puts on a wonderful show that is full of real personality..Song-wise, Weston delivers some strong performances..makes every song her own, performing with her own slant, interpretation and sense of fun, meaning that her voice effortlessly beguiles..Charms beyond apprentice witchcraft, Looking for Lansbury is an enchanting and enlightening evening exploring the less considered personality and intimacy of a living superstar.
Grumpy Gay Critic
Fiona-Jane Weston has taken on the daunting task; Lansbury is notoriously secretive about her private life and so Weston had to become a modern day Jessica Fletcher to undertake the necessary research. She’s been remarkably diligent in this task, uncovering letters, diaries and news articles, which are well used to add context throughout the show.
Fiona-Jane Weston does an excellent job, having to deal with a dense and complex script and a variety of different characters and accents. Her audience rapport is fantastic and her mimicry of Lansbury is very accurate.
British Theatre.com
Weston’s narrative style is easy and relaxed, talking to the audience and taking them into her confidence with a twinkle in her eye. Many of her words are drawn from exclusives interviews, memoirs and, at times, from Lansbury’s own words…Interspersed with this narrative are some 20 songs (under the musical direction of William Godfree) that showcase her career. Here Weston sheds her own personality and slips skilfully into that of Lansbury where she reproduces the voice with all its cadences and mannerisms. Gypsy and Sweeney Todd provide some of the more dramatic numbers, although she brings ferocity to ‘I Don’t Want to Know’ from Jerry Herman’s Dear World. In the gentler numbers Weston excels with a haunting version of ‘Not While I’m Around’.
Musical Theatre Review
What makes LOOKING FOR LANSBURY so special is way Weston immerses herself into the role, effortlessly switching between narrator and character. Weston delivers intriguing nuggets of information, sometimes using Angela Lansbury’s real words, in both a clever and engaging way. She also uses song as a vehicle to tell stories and explore the emotions and motivations of a character. Her performance of A TASTE OF HONEY is one example of this, resulting in a rousing applause from the audience.
Frankly My Dear
To book to stage the show, please contact Fiona-Jane directly or
BEYOND ETERNITY PROMOTIONS. Tel: 01242 587776│Email: [email protected]
Photos by Dan Tsantilis and James Millar
Although the show was over two hours long, including an interval, there was not one dull moment in Patrick Lambe’s production. Fiona-Jane Weston had a great rapport with the audience ..A delightful show about one of the great living legends.
West End Wilma
Fiona Jane Weston puts on a wonderful show that is full of real personality..Song-wise, Weston delivers some strong performances..makes every song her own, performing with her own slant, interpretation and sense of fun, meaning that her voice effortlessly beguiles..Charms beyond apprentice witchcraft, Looking for Lansbury is an enchanting and enlightening evening exploring the less considered personality and intimacy of a living superstar.
Grumpy Gay Critic
Fiona-Jane Weston has taken on the daunting task; Lansbury is notoriously secretive about her private life and so Weston had to become a modern day Jessica Fletcher to undertake the necessary research. She’s been remarkably diligent in this task, uncovering letters, diaries and news articles, which are well used to add context throughout the show.
Fiona-Jane Weston does an excellent job, having to deal with a dense and complex script and a variety of different characters and accents. Her audience rapport is fantastic and her mimicry of Lansbury is very accurate.
British Theatre.com
Weston’s narrative style is easy and relaxed, talking to the audience and taking them into her confidence with a twinkle in her eye. Many of her words are drawn from exclusives interviews, memoirs and, at times, from Lansbury’s own words…Interspersed with this narrative are some 20 songs (under the musical direction of William Godfree) that showcase her career. Here Weston sheds her own personality and slips skilfully into that of Lansbury where she reproduces the voice with all its cadences and mannerisms. Gypsy and Sweeney Todd provide some of the more dramatic numbers, although she brings ferocity to ‘I Don’t Want to Know’ from Jerry Herman’s Dear World. In the gentler numbers Weston excels with a haunting version of ‘Not While I’m Around’.
Musical Theatre Review
What makes LOOKING FOR LANSBURY so special is way Weston immerses herself into the role, effortlessly switching between narrator and character. Weston delivers intriguing nuggets of information, sometimes using Angela Lansbury’s real words, in both a clever and engaging way. She also uses song as a vehicle to tell stories and explore the emotions and motivations of a character. Her performance of A TASTE OF HONEY is one example of this, resulting in a rousing applause from the audience.
Frankly My Dear
To book to stage the show, please contact Fiona-Jane directly or
BEYOND ETERNITY PROMOTIONS. Tel: 01242 587776│Email: [email protected]
Photos by Dan Tsantilis and James Millar