Angela Lansbury stagedoor stories — Page 2

I have lots of Angela Lansbury stories. This is my favorite because it's when we became friends:

In the early 70's Angela starred in the London production of GYPSY. I had just started teaching and my summers were free so I booked a flight to England to see the show and do some sightseeing. I wrote to Miss Lansbury and asked if I might be able to meet with her. She happily agreed and after the performance I was ushered into her dressing room. She sat me down on a divan in what seemed to be a parlor and we chatted amiably for about 15 minutes. Only her dresser was present. Then Angela asked if I'd eve been to a British pub. I hadn't. She said, "Let me initiate you!". I helped her on with her trenchcoat (It was a London Fog!) and we left through the stage door. She introduced me to her fans as "Her friend from New York" and after she signed a dozen or so programmes, we walked to a pub where we both ordered "a pint of lager" and continued our convfersation from the dressing room. She told me she'd be taking GYPSY to New York in one year's time and gave me a contact number so she could meet with my students when I brought them to the show.

She owned up to her promise and a year later she met with all 35 student on the stage of the Winter Garden Theater, signed every Playbill and was a gracious as anyone could be.

THAT was just the beginning of a wonderful friendship that continues to this day.

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You'll find that almost everyone who's worked with Angela will say the same thing about her. In the articles I've written for BWW, I've come across many actors who've praised this great lady. Mary Louise Wilson played Tessie Tura in Angela's GYPSY and she told me that when the show toured, Amgela hosted a party for the cast and crew in every town they played in.


Doing It With Finesse

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Updated On: 4/19/09 at 09:11 PM

I don't know where I must have read that Blithe was open-ended. It's nice to know the closing date. Just as there is an Opening Night party, is there a Closing Night party?

To think of these performers doing the same show, saying the same lines, over and over, sometimes twice a day for a matinee and an evening show, every day, for months on end?I must admit that they must not be able to help but feel just a little bored now and then. On The View, I heard even Angela saying it could get "boring." But in another interview, I once either heard her say it or read it, that doing the same show over and over doesn't get boring because every matinee, every evening, there is a new audience, so in a sense it feels like one is performing it for the first time.

Jayne Atkinson and Christine Ebersole were interviewed on The Frank DeCaro show on Sirius radio last week. They said the show is definitely closing on July 19

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Ms. Lansbury is a class act. I have seen her in many shows, but it was waiting on her at Backstage that assured me of how genuine she is.

She was performing in Sweeney Todd at the time and often came into Ted Hook's Backstage after the show for food and drink. I was fortunate enough to have her seated in my station several times and after a few evenings we were on a first name basis. She was always gracious (and a good tipper), but she was also charming and fun.

Mostly, she treated me with respect. It was a delight to server her.

I went to see her in Deuce. I mean, Angela Lansbury and Marian Seldes together on one stage? How could I not?!

So I of course waited at the stage door. There were maybe 30 people there. Finally, after maybe 15 minutes, the door swings opens and Marian Seldes JUMPS into the crowd,arms wide open. She was hilarious, although she smelled a little. But I absolutely loved her. She signed and took pictures with everybody.

Then after a few minutes, out walks Angela. She turned down someone who wanted her to sign a Beauty and the Beast poster. But she signed Playbills and took pictures with a few people. I managed to take this self-portrait. I wish she would have been looking in the camera, and that I wouldn't have had this dumb look on my face. lol


and here's my Marian Seldes picture:

and while on the topic of Blithe Spirit, here's my Christine Ebersole picture, from Grey Gardens:

Updated On: 4/20/09 at 09:30 PM

August 16, 2007. One of the best nights of my life, preserved forever in this picture taken by my friend, Drew.

Boy, do I have a couple Angela stories.

May 17, 2007 - I went to see "Deuce" - and Angela - and Marian - for the first time. FRONT ROW, baby! I was practically shaking at the thought of finally seeing Angela, and what a way to do it - front row, center. I loved the show. When I came outside it was rainy so few people showed up at the stage door. I managed to say a few words I mostly forget about how much I have enjoyed watching the "Sweeney Todd" tape for years now, to which she smiled and replied, "Oh, thank you!" and signed both my playbill and my "Sweeney" CD sleeve. I gave her a rose and she gushed, "Oooh, I knew I smelled a rose!" I will never forget that.

On July 29, 2007 I went to see the show with my father, student rush, and he tried to take a picture of me with Angela FOUR TIMES! That's right. FOUR TIMES. Each time she got ready to pose for the picture he had already snapped the photo! My father is not very bright. I'll never forget her saying this, phoentically: "Where is the ca-ma-ra?!" After FOUR TIMES she finally gave up, patted me on the shoulder sympathetically (I guess she knew it wasn't me) and headed off. If you can believe it, my father was completely oblivious to the fact that he had insulted a living legend.

On August 16, 2007 I finally got the picture by showing up outside the stage door without seeing the show. I had to work to get it because she was tired and a belligerent young woman hogged her attention, but all I had asked of Angela, and I was the first one at the door, was could I please have a picture with her? That was all I wanted, and luckily, with my friend's nicely asking her could she please take the picture with me, as she had said she would - "All right, this is it!" she said - she leaned in and I got my picture. She looks great!

On August 19, 2007 I saw the show with my mom, third time, front row and center. This was supposed to be Angela's last performance on Broadway, and the crowd leapt to its feet in thunderous applause the moment the curtain lifted. Angela actually broke character and tears trickled down her face, and she even quivered a bit. It was the most moved I have ever been by something I've witnessed on stage.

As lovely as it was, I am glad she returned this year in a role more celebrated and appreciated, in a play that is more fun. "Deuce" was beautiful, but somber.

By the way, while she was in "Deuce" I sent her an embarrassing load of things in the mail to be signed, expressing up-front apologies but explaining my rationale for why I loved each item I sent. By mid-October 2007 I received them all signed in pre-postaged envelope. My favorite is the Mame CD sleeve: "To Rudy. Love, Angela Lansbury," signed so of her own volition. Also unforgettable is her signature on my "Manchurian Candidate" DVD sleeve. I still look at it and think of how lucky I am to have it.

To cap it all off, on March 31 when I attended "Blithe Spirit" I handed Angela a letter and a rose. In the letter, very briefly written, I enclosed that I would be reviewing "Blithe Spirit" for my college paper and, should she possibly have the time and energy, would she have 10 minutes or so for some interview questions? In such a case I would have made the article a profile on her to promote the show. I enclosed a selection of questions - very well thought-out ones, by the way. I told her I completely understood if she was exhausted from other press and the show itself and that regardless a review of the show would run, which it did.

Three weeks later I received a phone call from her agent telling me Angela appreciated my interest but that she was simply exhausted from the rigors of the show and the press she has been doing lately. "She's 83!" he said to me jokingly.

I will never forget that this woman, who I already thought was the classiest act around, actually took time to make sure I was dignified with a response. Who else would do that? It's not like I'm Charlie Rose - only a 21 year-old writer on a college paper. I would have thought no less of her had she not responded, but it only elevates my opinion of her further that she did so. If only we all had such tact and class.

To see another class act do such a thing, by the way, here is a YouTube link (it is fine to skip to 1:58 on the video) which some of you may find quite enlightening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWYI2-8sSUk. This man is another of my heros, right alongside Angie.

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Updated On: 4/21/09 at 12:18 AM

I saw the show this past Wednesday. I enjoyed the show very much and waited at the stage door after the show. She didn't come out, but I figured she was tired ad probably thought it was raining (because it was raining before the show) I respected that and I think I may try and get a quick signature and compliment her on his performance another time.