Legendary stage and screen actress Angela Lansbury has won her first ever Olivier Award at this year’s ceremony for her show stealing performance in Blithe Spirit.
The revival of Noël Coward’s classic comedy saw the much-loved London-born Hollywood star revive her Tony Award-winning role as the delightfully dotty Madame Arcati in Michael Blakemore’s acclaimed production.
Talking to us backstage after receiving a standing ovation from the audience, Lansbury said: “This is an extraordinary experience for me because I never dreamed I would have the opportunity to win one of these cherished fellows. Coming to London as I did to do Blithe Spirit was almost the first time in almost 40 years. The wonderful way I was welcomed to London was extraordinary. I couldn’t get over it and I didn’t want to leave. And here I am, I’m back again.”
Opening in March 2014, Lansbury’s appearance made a stir both on and off stage, with critics lauding her youthful, witty performance as “sparkling” (The Telegraph) and “delicious” (The Independent), while fans queued nightly for a chance to meet the theatrical titan as she made her long-awaited return to the London stage in more than four decades.
While Lansbury made a high profile appearance at the Olivier Awards with MasterCard in 2011, presenting her frequent collaborator Stephen Sondheim with a Special Award, this is the first Olivier Award win for the actress who has worked more frequently on Broadway.
This win adds to the Murder She Wrote stars incredible line-up of accolades that includes five Tony Awards, six Golden Globe Awards and an Honorary Oscar.
Lansbury triumphs tonight over A View From The Bridge’s Phoebe Fox, the four young performers who starred in The Nether as Iris and King Charles III’s Lydia Wilson.
