Elaine Paige

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Elaine Paige (born Elaine Jill Bickerstaff, 5 March 1948) is an English singer and actress best known for her performances in musical theatre.

Paige, a teenager from Barnet, Hertfordshire, attended the Aida Foster Theatre School, making her first professional appearance on stage in 1964 at the age of 16.

Her appearance in Hair in 1968 marked her West End debut. Paige was chosen to appear Eva Perón in Andrew Lloyd Webber's first film, which brought her to the notice of the wider world for the first time in a decade.

She received the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance of the Year in a musical.

Grizabella in Cats was her first appearance on the show and she had a Top ten hit with her song "Memory." Paige performed "I Know Him So Well" with Barbara Dickson of the musical Chess in 1985, which remains the highest-selling pair by a female duo.

She appeared in Chess' first stage production before being co-produced in Anything Goes.

Paige made her Broadway debut in 1996, portraying Norma Desmond in the lead role.

She appeared in The King and I from 2000 to 2001, and six years later in The Drowsy Chaperone, she returned to The West End.

She has also worked in television. Paige has been nominated for five Laurence Olivier Awards in addition to her acting roles, and has been named the First Lady of British Musical Theatre in honor of her talent and longevity.

She has released 22 solo albums, eight of which were awarded gold and four others were multi-platinum.

Paige has appeared on seven cast albums and performed in concerts around the world.

Elaine Paige, a host of BBC Radio 2 since 2004, has hosted her own show. Paige is a showgirl from Perth, Ireland, where she celebrated 50 years of show business in 2014.

Paige unveiled on her official website a "Farewell" concert tour and a new career-spanning album The Ultimate Collection to commemorate her career's milestones.

Paige is the Vice President of The Children's Trust, a UK charity for children with brain injury, in addition to her work in musical theatre.

Early life

Elaine Jill Bickerstaff was born and raised in Barnet, Hertfordshire, where her father Eric worked as an estate agent and mother Irene was a milliner. In her youth, her mother was a professional, and her father was an amateur drummer. Paige stands at just over 5 foot (1.5 m), which she claims has caused her to miss out on leading roles. Paige's initial intention was to become a professional tennis player, but she quickly realized that she would not be able to see you over the net," but she continued to play tennis and has referred to it as one of her passions.

Paige listened to the West Side Story's soundtrack, which sparked a desire for a career in musical theatre at the age of 14. Ann Hill, the music teacher who was also the head of the music department, encouraged Paige's musical abilities. Paige was a member of Hill's Choir, and her first appearance on stage was playing Susanna in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, which was followed by scenes in The Boy Mozart and solos in Handel's Messiah – "a challenging job for little children."

She attended Southaw Girls' School, a secondary modern in Oakleigh Park, Hertfordshire, where she obtained two CSE certificates.

So she attended the Aida Foster Theatre School, her father thought she should go to drama school, so she did attend. She began to dislike stage school due to a lack of confidence, but her father encouraged her to persist, and she began to enjoy her time there.

After graduating, her first job was modelling children's clothing at the Ideal Home Exhibition.

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Career

Paige's first professional appearance came when she was 16 years old and fresh from drama school. In her first audition, she was disqualified, but "I Cain't Say No" was performed. Her drama school teacher advised her to change her name and try again under the new name. Elaine Paige was inspired by a phone book and noticed the "page" she was looking for and decided on the addition of an "i" to make her name. Elaine Paige, who appeared on stage during Anthony Newley's second appearance as Elaine Paige in The Smell of the Crowd in 1964, playing a Chinese urchin.

On Larry Page's Page One label under Alan Moorhouse's control, she appeared on record as a member of the vocal group Colors of Love, who released three Albert Hammond & Mike Hazlewood-penned singles, most notable "I'm a Train" on the Larry Page's Page One label in 1968. She appeared on the album Hatching Out in 1972 as a member of the West End band Sparrow alongside fellow West End singer Diane Langton.

On September 27, 1968, she made her West End debut in Hair on September 27th, 1968, and stayed in the cast until March 1970. Sheila's role as an understudy for the role was not complete until she became a member of the chorus, in which she was required to be naked on stage in one scene. Maybe That's Your Problem? She appeared in the ill-fated musical about premature ejaculation in 1971. In the film Oliver, she appeared as an urchin!

She appeared in many musicals over the past decade, including Jesus Christ Superstar; Nuts; Grease, in which she appeared as Maisie (1974 to 1975). In the 1978 sex comedy film Adventures of a Plumber's Mate, she appeared as a barmaid.

Hal Prince gave Eva Perón's debut in the first stage performance of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Evita after months of acting and singing auditions. Her career earned her critical acclaim and brought her into public spotlight at the age of 30. Julie Covington, the original concept album's producer, had turned down the chance to play the role on stage, prompting to a long hunt for a new actor. Paige eventually defeated Bonnie Schoen, an American who had been initially preferred by Prince for the role. "Bonnie was already a big name on Broadway," she later told. She didn't have anything to prove in a sense. She was a natural performer with a silky smooth personality. But I had a big dream, and like Eva as she clapped eyes on Peron, I yearned with both hands. "I wanted the role more than anything else in the world." She received the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Musical, which was at the time known as the Society of West End Theatre Award at that time. She has also been named in the Variety Club Award for Showbusiness Personality of the Year. She appeared in 20 months in total, from 1978 to 1980. Sitting Pretty was also released in 1978, she's first studio album.

Paige had never considered becoming a nursery nurse, but she kept a promise that she would continue in theatre work right before her Evita triumph. "I'm fed up with the whole thing" and that she could not even afford new clothes or eat out; "Evita saved me" she said. Kate Webster, a convicted murderer, was the subject of the 1980 ITV drama collection Lady Killers.

Paige plays Susie, a woman working in a small casino who is still eloping with the main character in 1981, in the Tales of the Unexpected episode "The Way to Do it."

Paige continued to perform some of Lloyd Webber's most prominent female characters, playing Grizabella in Cats' original production from 1981 to 1982. When actress Judi Dench was forced to withdraw due to a torn Achilles tendon, she took on the role late in the rehearsal process. Paige's version of "Memory" from Cats, which she also received a Top ten hit, is her signature piece. The single debuted at number five in the United Kingdom charts and has since been regarded by a further 160 artists. Grizabella appeared in Cats' video release in 1998, becoming one of just two actors in the film; Susan Jane Tanner played Jellylorum. According to Paige's website, the video soon became the UK and America's most popular music video.

Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, two former ABBA members, appeared in Abbacadabra's 1983 film Carabosse. Florence was then responsible for the 1984 concept album of Chess, with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Ulvaeus and Andersson. (2003) She recorded Stages (1983), Cinema (1984), and Theatre (1984), recording of Chess in the UK top 40 chart, giving her three consecutive albums. Paige's "I Know Him So Well" was a duet from Chess that featured Barbara Dickson in 1985. According to the Guinness Book of Records, the single held the number one spot in the British singles charts for four weeks, and it remains the most well-selling single female duo ever. Paige appeared in Chess' stage production from 1986 to 1987, earning her her second Olivier Award nomination this year, this time in the category Best Actress in a Musical. She appeared at the White House again in 1988.

Paige later appeared in Anything Goes, a musical film in which she co-produced and appeared in from 1989 to 1990. Patti LuPone was on Broadway at the time, so Paige wanted to become the co-producer of the West End production in order to guarantee the job before LuPone could attend it. Reno Sweeney was Paige's first experience with an American accent on stage, and her role earned her her third Olivier Award nomination. She appeared in the television series Unexplained Laughter in 1989, alongside Diana Rigg, outside of her theatre roles.

Paige, a French chanteuse Édith Piaf in Pam Gems' musical play, Piaf, received critical acclaim in 1993. Paige, according to the Guardian, was "a magnificent, flawless Piaf." Due to her exhaustion, she was forced to leave early due to exhaustion. For her fourth nomination, her performance of Piaf earned her an Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical. She also released Piaf, which featured Édith Piaf songs.

Paige was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in 1995 for her contribution to the British Theatre.

Paige briefly appeared in Norma Desmond's West End production of Sunset Boulevard in 1994, when Betty Buckley was sick and had to have an emergency appendectomy. Paige's first appearance was delayed due to the circumstances's circumstances. She confessed to being nervous about the possibility after seeing Glenn Close on Broadway right before beginning rehearsals. In a performance that "not only wrings out every ounce of dramatic drama but also some unexpected humour" and then went full-time the following year, London critics were largely won over by Paige. She received her fifth Olivier Award nomination in 1996 when she first received the Variety Club Award for Best Actress of the Year.

Paige noticed a lump in her breast during the 1996 run of Sunset Boulevard at the West End's Adelphi Theatre, prompting her to see her doctor, who at first assured her there was nothing to be concerned about. She recovered twice, and her doctor sent her for laboratory results that confirmed the tumor was cancerous nine months after she found it nine months earlier. Paige, who was still involved in the production, was on time for the show. Paige underwent day surgery on Sunday due to her appearances, five years of medical intervention, and completing a radiation program. She has since referred to the period as "the most painful thing that's happened to me in my life."

Paige made her Broadway debut at the Minskoff Theatre in New York on September 12, 1996, before the show's closing on March 22, 1997. The staircase steps on Broadway's Sunset Boulevard had to be raised six inches (15 cm) in order to accommodate Paige's short stature, or it might have been impossible to see her behind the banister. Paige's arrival on Broadway with a long-awaited crowd and generally glowing feedback for her New York appearance as Norma Desmond: "The lush sound and sheer force of her voice are, to put it simply, astounding," one critic wrote. Paige was the first Norma Desmond of Sunset Boulevard to perform "With One Look," one of the show's most popular songs, although she did first appear at Lloyd Webber's wedding to Madeleine Gurdon, but the album was titled "Just One Glance." Lloyd Webber wrote about Paige's appearance on one of the show's most popular songs, "As If We Never Said Goodbye," that it was "as good, if not the best, of anything I've ever heard of mine." "This world has waited long enough" refers to the song's key lyric. "I've come home at last," Paige tried to alter the way the melody was performed, despite being fully aware of Lloyd-Webber's quickidious tendencies. The moment was not exploited to its fullest potential, to which she approached David Caddick, show's musical director, and expressed her desire to keep the word "home" rather than extending it. Paige, who had been dissatisfied when she learned she would appear on Broadway in Evita, Cats and Chess, wrote of her debut there, "It was just the most perfect time to go to that particular performance." After Sunset Boulevard's closing, she suffered from depression, saying that this was the most agonizing emotion. ... I'd assumed that I'd misplaced something so important to me. It had died and gone away, I thought."

Melvyn Bragg, an arts commentator, presented a special version of The South Bank Show about Paige's career in 1996, titled The Faces of Elaine Paige. Eva Perón had been to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she had appeared in several parts of the world; Edith Piaf's haunts, including a meeting with her collaborator Charles Aznavour; and Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles.

Paige made her debut in 1997 when she launched the Boston Pops season, which aired on WGBH in the United States. She appeared in Andrew Lloyd Webber's 50th birthday party and "Memory" in 1998, but she later admitted that she skipped the musical component and that the silence was barely comforting to her. The National Operatic and Dramatic Association's Lifetime Achievement Award was soon followed. Bette Midler appeared in a 1999 New York concert with Bette Midler to raise money for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Anna Leonowens appeared in a revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I at the London Palladium from 2000 to 2001. Paige turned down a call for the first time she was invited, but later admitted she had "forgotten what a great job it was," even though she doubted her own suitability for the role. The box office had already received more than £7 million in ticket sales before the opening. "It may well be impossible to be a success as Evita and an Aristo's Anna," the critic wrote about Paige's performance as the "First Lady of British Musical Theatre." Her mother was diagnosed with cancer during her time in The King and I. Despite Paige's decision not to attend the performance, her mother insisted that she wait until her deal was complete, and Paige's sister, Marion Billings, said, "It was very difficult for Elaine, having to go on stage night after night knowing she wanted to be with Mum."

Paige appeared at the opening of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, then made her Los Angeles concert debut at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. She appeared in Where There's a Will, directed by Peter Hall in 2003. She returned to play Mrs Lovett in Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd's production in March 2004, receiving rave feedback from critics and a nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Musical. Paige then embarked on "No Strings Attached" in the United Kingdom.

Paige began a weekly Sunday afternoon radio show Elaine Paige, on BBC Radio 2, which broadcasts music from musical theatre and film, beginning in September 2004. On Sunday, the 400th edition of the series was released. Elisabeth Mahoney of The Guardian called the show "a cold, alienating listening experience" and a "rare wrong move" on the part of Radio 2. "It's by far the music that brings me right to the show, not her light presenting style," Lisa Martland of The Stage said. However, the show regularly attracts 3 million viewers, and interviews are also included every week. Prior to appearing in Where the Heart Is, Paige concentrated on television appearances, playing Dora Bunner in Agatha Christie's A Murder Is Announced in the Marple series in 2005 before appearing in the film version as a guest mistress. The episode of Marple was watched by 7.78 million viewers.

Essential Musicals, Paige's first full studio album in 12 years, was released in 2006. The album featured hit songs from musicals selected by a vote on her radio show, in which 400,000 viewers voted. Paige had released 20 solo albums to date, eight of which were consecutively certified gold and another four multi-platinum, and six others were multi-platinum, and seven of her cast albums had been released. Paige has also appeared in concert in Scandinavia, Hong Kong, Europe, the Middle East, New Zealand, Australia, and Singapore. She appeared in Shanghai on December 20, 2006, extending her concert tour to two dates to please the public. "There's nothing that I've been looking for," she said in 2006, "and if you're going to commit to a year at the theatre, six days a week, and have no children." She also stated that finding theatre roles for older actors is becoming more difficult.

Paige returned to the West End stage for the first time in six years as the Chaperone/Beatrice Stockwell in The Drowsy Chaperone at the Novello Theatre in 2007. Despite the audience's standing ovation and a generally positive reaction from observers, the production was a disappointing 96 performances. "Elaine Paige is a good sport" and the Daily Telegraph announced that "enduring rumors about her reputation for being "difficult" with a grin that doesn't seem all that coerced." ... Only the self-important and depressed will enjoy this preposterously enjoyable evening." "A miscast Elaine Paige manages to be unfunny to an almost ingenious degree as the heroine's bibulous minder," Paul Taylor of The Independent was less impressed. Paige was nominated for a What's On Stage Award in the category of Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for her performance. Inside I'm Singing, she then collaborated with the duo Secret Garden on recording the song "The Things You Are to Me" for their 2007 album, Inside I'm Singing.

Matt Dawson competed in the tango on Sport Relief to raise funds for Sport Relief Paige danced the tango on Sport Relief with Matt Dawson in March 2008. The pair were voted second overall in March 2008. She founded the Llangollen International Musical Eistedfod in 2008 and gave recitals in China, America, and Australia featuring songs from her 40-year career. Memories, a picture-based autobiography, was released in October 2008 to commemorate 40 years since her first appearance on a West End Stage. The book took about eight months to complete; "Since Evita, I presume, I had kept a yearbook." For me, my parents used to cuttings and stuff like that. Paige said, "I had a lot of reference material to work out."

In 2010, Phil Ramone released Elaine Paige and Friends, an album. The album features duets with Paige and artists, including Johnny Mathis, Barry Manilow, and Olivia Newton-John, as well as a duet with Sinéad O'Connor of a new song "It's Only Life" written by Tim Rice and Gary Barlow. It went on to achieve gold status after being in the top 20 of the UK Album Charts.

Paige appeared in the Kennedy Center's production of Follies in May and June 2011, receiving rave reviews for her appearance in the showtopper's "I'm Still Here" series. Bernadette Peters, Jan Maxwell, Ron Raines, and Danny Burstein were among the principal cast members. She appeared in the Broadway transfer of the musical from August 2011 to the following January before appearing at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, California, in May and June 2012.

Paige announced a concert tour at the end of 2013 that centered on her 50th anniversary of show industry and was advertised as a farewell tour. The 40th anniversary tour in 2008 marked 40 years since her debut on the West End stage, while the 50th anniversary tour in 2014 marked 50 years since her first stage appearance. Gardar Thor Cortes appeared at a number of songs on the tour, both solo and duets with Paige, and all venues were sold out. The tour took place from 9 to 20, 2014, with the Royal Albert Hall in London concluding. Other stops included Cardiff, Bristol, Manchester, Newcastle (Gateshead), Glasgow, Birmingham, and Bournemouth. One concert in Brighton had to be cancelled due to a throat infection. Dates in Ireland were postponed before being rescheduled, with Paige's four sold-out concerts in Dublin (two evenings), Limerick and Cork between ten and September 15, 2015, which culminated in a sold-out concert.

Paige appeared and appeared in The Elaine Paige Exhibition, a six-episo television series on Sky Arts television in 2014. Paige, masterclasses with drama college students, interviews, and live performances by West End and Broadway actors and writers were included in the program. The show was shot at Riverside Studios, London, in March and April. In May 2014, she unveiled The Ultimate Collection, a career-spanning collection. Paige made her debut at G-A-Y's Heaven nightclub in London in June, and on November, she participated in the inaugural Australian cruise of the performing arts on the MS Radiance of the Seas.

Paige was born in May 2015 as part of VE Day 70: A Party to Remember, a special performance that took place on the Horse Guards Parade and was streamed live on BBC1 and BBC Radio 2. Susan Boyle joined the Glamis Prom 2015 in Glamis Castle, Scotland, later this year, and then performed in concert at Scarborough Open Air Theatre, supported by Collabro and Rhydian. Both concerts were accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Paige would perform a number of concerts on weekends rather than a rigid itinerary of a regular tour, which was announced in April 2016. The tour ran from October to December 2016, and featured music by Harry Nilsson, Randy Newman, Jimmy Webb, Burt Bacharach, Leonard Cohen, Sting, Elton John, and Lennon-McCartney.

In a recent BBC adaptation of William Shakepeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream adapted by Russell T Davies as part of the Shakespeare 400 celebrations in 2016.

Queen Rat in Dick Whittington appeared in pantomime at the London Palladium in 2017. Susan Clary, Nigel Havers, Paul Zerdin, Gary Wilmot, Emma Williams, Ashley Banjo, and Diversity performed in pantomime. She and most of the 2017 cast members, as well as Beverley Knight, returned to Pantoland at The Palladium in 2020.

Paige appeared in the BBC TV show Home From Home in 2018. Alison Steadman and Peter Davison appeared in the BBC drama series Life with Alison Steadman and Peter Davison in 2020.

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