Elaine Paige: 60 Years on Stage sees the musical theatre star mark six decades in showbusiness with a special TV interview looking back at her life and career.
In the BBC Four show, airing this May, Elaine Paige sits down with presenter Zoe Ball to chat about her most memorable roles and share some of her favourite performances.
Here’s everything you need to know about Elaine Paige: 60 Years on Stage including an interview with Elaine Paige about the show…
Elaine Paige: 60 Years on Stage – release date
The one-off show airs on Sunday, May 11 at 7.50 pm on BBC Four and will be available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
A longer Radio 2 audio version of the programme is already available on BBC Sounds.
Elaine Paige: 60 Years on Stage – what is it about?
Elaine Paige joins Zoe Ball to share memories of her career, which began with 1964’s touring production of The Roar of the Greasepaint, before she made her West End debut in 1968 in Hair.
The star, who also hosts Radio 2's weekly musical theatre show Elaine Paige on Sunday, looks back at her life-changing role as Eva Perón in Evita in 1978, and recalls how she stepped in at the last minute to take over from Dame Judi Dench as Grizabella in Cats and made the hit song Memory her own.
Meanwhile she also chats about topping the charts alongside Barbara Dickson with I Know Him So Well from Chess in 1985, and making her Broadway debut in 1996 in Sunset Boulevard.
The show will feature clips of Elaine Paige singing Don't Cry for Me Argentina and Memory at Andrew Lloyd Webber: The Royal Albert Hall Celebration, it will also show include archive footage of her performing I Know Him So Well with Barbara Dickson, and the music video of As If We Never Said Goodbye from Sunset Boulevard.
Elaine Paige: 60 Years on Stage – what other programmes are paying tribute to Elaine Paige?
The show is part of a whole evening on BBC Four dedicated to Elaine Paige on Sunday, May 11, and there’s also another chance to see the following shows, which will also be on BBC iPlayer.
Showstoppers 7pm
In Gary Wilmot’s musicals celebration from 1995, Elaine performs West End hits.
A Night on the Town 8.50pm
Elaine introduces this 1983 extravaganza featuring songs by Irving Berlin and Cole Porter.
Elaine Paige at the BBC 10.50pm
Archive clips showcase Elaine’s renditions of Don’t Cry for Me Argentina and Memory.
Elaine Paige: I’m Still Here 11.50pm
A glitzy concert filmed at the Royal Albert Hall in 2014 marks Elaine’s 50th anniversary.
Elaine Paige: 60 Years on Stage – interview with Elaine Paige
How did it feel to look back?
“A pleasure but overwhelming! It's as if I'm looking at somebody else. Who is that girl?! It’s gone by in the blink of an eye. But I knew from my schooldays what I wanted to do and it has never felt like work! My career has been so diverse. I’ve been involved in the renaissance of British musical theatre with Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber. And later I did some [Stephen] Sondheim, which was a joy. I've also done TV drama, sung in concerts and made albums.”
Evita in the West End in 1978 made you a household name. What was that like?
“I was losing hope because I couldn't land a good role. I’d get down to the last two or three in auditions and then get the heave-ho. My height had a lot to do with that – I’m four foot eleven! But I was encouraged by Dustin Hoffman not to give up. Then Evita rolled round and my lack of height helped because Eva Perón was small. Evita changed everything for me.”
Don’t Cry for Me Argentina from Evita and Memory from Cats are your signature songs, do you still love singing them?
“I do, because I developed the character of Eva and discussed the storytelling of the song, so when I sing Don’t Cry for Me Argentina now, I go back to those rehearsals. Hal Prince [the show’s director] wanted me to remember it’s a political speech, not a pop song. And I remember hearing Memory on the radio and it moved me even though there were no lyrics. But in our first stage previews, the lyrics changed practically every night, so it became a feat of memory to sing!”
Which of your other roles stand out?
“Sunset Boulevard [as fictional Hollywood diva Norma Desmond in the West End in 1994 and on Broadway in 1996]. Norma and Eva Perón both had a persona of being strong, feisty and strident – people think that about me as well, which isn't true! – but inside they were vulnerable."
What are your memories of topping the charts with I Know Him So Well?
“I was working with the A-team in terms of ABBA’s music [Chess’ score was written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus], Sir Tim Rice's lyrics, and Barbara. She and I didn’t meet until we went to Europe to promote the album, but we've been friends all this time. It was wonderful.”
Is there any role you would still love to play?
“I can't imagine performing in a musical anymore. Musical theatre’s demanding. Now I watch other people, and half of me thinks, ‘I wish I could still do it.’ But the bucket list, I'm afraid, has to remain where it is, although I wish I’d done things like My Fair Lady and Hello Dolly!”
Finally, what would you say to your teenage self starting out 60 years ago?
“Well, you've got to work jolly hard and know your lines backwards! Think of yourself as an athlete because you need to perform eight shows a week, and you also have to take rejection. But I'm just grateful and lucky, and I’ve loved every minute!”
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