In her 90th year, Judi Dench, British national treasure, actor extraordinaire…
what is her best performance, or your personal favorite?
So many to choose from. Queen Victoria, or Queen Elizabeth? Philomena? Sally Bowles? M?
Well !! As Sally Bowles in "Cabaret". Had the great good fortune to see her in the London production in 1968. I will never forget it. And, her co-star, Lila Kedrova, was equally wonderful
I was kinda shocked when I first realized that Judi played Sally before even Liza. I’m glad there’s a recording.
I’m going through a Judi phase right now, catching up on some of her screen work I’ve missed. Ladies In Lavender. Mrs. Henderson Presents. A Fine Romance. The Marigold Hotel sequel. Re-watching Tea with Mussolini.
She never disappoints.
A recent podcast called "Rosebud” explores guests’ earliest memories. Judi was the first guest. Recommended!
Double post
Judi Dench was one of the original names I believe Kander/Ebb originally considered for "The Visit" back when the show was originally written they wrote in one of their books, I'm sure they would have asked her and she declined but I would have loved to have seen her do the part.
I thought it was Angela Lansbury they had in mind? But yeah, Judi would be great in that part. Sad her musical career ends with CATS.
Angela Lansbury committed to the role, and of course has recorded "Love and Love Alone" in a studio as a demo recording that you can hear on YouTube. But she dropped out because of her husband's illness if I recall. However, she was not the only name considered. If I recall Chita, Judi Dench, Lansbury and another name was mentioned. For some reason the name that comes to mind is Shirley Temple but I could really be misremembering lol. If I find the book I'll get the quote sometime.
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