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Elaine
Paige is considered by many to be "The First Lady
of British Musical Theatre." She was chosen by Harold
Prince in 1978 to create the title role of Evita, and
she was rocketed to stardom. After winning the Society of West
End Theatre Award for Best Actress in a Musical and the Variety Club
Award for Showbusiness Personality of the Year for her performance as Eva
Perón, she went on to create the role of Grizabella in Cats.
In 1984 she head-lined the concept album of Chess, her
recording (with Barbara Dickson) of "I Know Him So Well"
topping the British charts at number one for four weeks. She
went on to do Chess on the London stage in 1986, receiving an
Olivier Award nomination for her performance. In 1989, Ms. Paige
brought the Lincoln Center revival of Cole Porter's Anything Goes
to the West End as a co-producer, while taking on the role of Reno
Sweeney under the direction of Jerry Zaks, and was once again
nominated for an Olivier Award. In 1993 she played Edith Piaf in
the musical play Piaf by Pam Gems, and this led to yet
another nomination for an Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical.
Ms. Paige made her eagerly-awaited Broadway debut in 1996, stepping
into the role of Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard, following
her Olivier-nominated run in the role in the London production. Paige
also played Celimene in the Peter Hall Company's production of
Moličre's The Misanthrope at the Piccadilly Theatre (1998),
marking her first leading role in a non-musical West End production,
and she next appeared as Angele in the Feydeau farce Where
There’s a Will (2003), directed by Sir Peter Hall.
In 2004, Ms. Paige made her New York City Opera debut as Mrs. Lovett
in a revival of Sondheim's Sweeney Todd. |
