Penelope Keith: Memoirs?

Now that depends on whether she can sing.

I assume that, like Joan Collins, if she could sing someone would have cast her in a musical by now.

She was in the West End last year as Lady Bracknell in The Importance Of Being Earnest and she was in a 25th anniversary edition of To The Manor Born on TV last Christmas.

I saw her in a play called Moving in the early 1980s, which was a typical middle class drama and very much her sort of role. It was Peter Jeffrey's turn to bear the brunt of being her husband. My parents saw her in the original West End production of Donkeys Years in the late 1970s, which would have been more interesting as the role was a bit less of the snobby matriarch (with which she would become associated) and a bit more free and easy.

Penelope Keith actually played Mdm Arcarti just 4 years ago in the West End.
It opened at the Savoy Theatre in 2004 after a national tour that originated at the Theatre Royal Bath. The production also starred Joanna Riding
The production got brilliant reviews on tour but sadly by the time it opened in London the majority of the critics had turned against it for thousands of reasons and it then just chugged along for a few months.

Ms Keith is perfect for all those parts but I have to admit that I agree that she didn't really get a good hold of 'Blithe Spirit' when I saw it at The Savoy it was almost a case of trying to hard and she really did lose the audience quiet a lot!
A book of memoirs would be amazing, she has done so much!
The best Mdm Arcarti I have ever seen was by Jean Ferguson ('Last Of The Summer Wine' etc) at Swansea Grand Theatre in the early 1980s.

Updated On: 11/11/08 at 03:01 PM

The only time I saw her live was in London doing Coward's "Star Quality."

Best line: he was all gong and no dinner.

She is in several segments on the recent Noel Coward DVD boxed set including "Private Lives."

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Richard Briers has appeared on Broadway in a strange little play called 'The Chairs', back in 1998.
It opened here at the Duke of York's Theatre before moving to New York. He stared with the wonderful Geraldine McEwen.
Both of them got Tony Award nominations as Best Actor and Actress plus the production was nominated for Best Play Revival.

Updated On: 11/11/08 at 03:47 PM

Updated On: 11/11/08 at 04:25 PM

Dreadful, boring play. I wanted to see something else and my mum insisted on seeing 'her from 'The Good Life'!!!!
I cant remember what it was i wanted to see instead?

It was basically like an episode of a typical 80s TV sitcom.

The evening we saw 'Moving' I wanted to see 'Pal Joey' at the Albery with Sian phillips, which i eventually saw 3 or 4 weeks later.
The following day I took my mum to see 'Evita' at the Prince Edward, it was a Thursday matinee with about 150 in the audience and she wanted to leave in the interval. We did leave as I had already seen it a few times- 150 or so in the audience- it had only been on 2 years with another 5 to go!

Updated On: 11/11/08 at 05:53 PM

Yea, it was the must see show at the time.
I've never seen anyone so Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered as Sian Phillips was in that.
May have play CD soon.

Oh, go on. It can't be anything too bad if you were with your Mum.

I can't believe I've only seen Penelope Keith once when I've seen Sian Phillips umpteen times (Pal Joey, Peg, Night Music, Calendar Girls).

I wish I'd never asked! Not a Paul Daniels fan here.