BIOGRAPHY Elaine Paige, as an actress,
recording artist, producer
and broadcaster, has made a
major contribution to the
modern musical which ensures
her own chapter in the
entertainment world and
justifies the title “The
First Lady of Musical
Theatre”.
She has starred in numerous
West End productions and on
Broadway and in concert
internationally, sweeping to
fame when she created her
award winning performance as
Eva Peron in Evita. Shortly
afterwards she created the
role of Grizabella in the
original production of Cats
and the classic song Memory
became one of Elaine's many
hit records.
Further theatre productions:
Hair, Jesus Christ
Superstar, Grease, Billy,
Chess (with her record
breaking number one hit I
Know Him So Well with
Barbara Dickson), Anything
Goes, Piaf, Sunset Boulevard
in London and Broadway, The
King and I, Sweeney Todd
(New York City Opera). She
has worked twice with Sir
Peter Hall's Theatre Company
in The Misanthrope and
Feydeau’s Where There’s A
Will.
Elaine has performed in
concert worldwide from The
White House to The Great
Hall of the People in
Beijing, from the Bolshoi to
Sydney Opera House. She has
appeared in many television
roles including her own TV
specials and Royal Variety
Shows. She has recorded 20
solo albums (4 multi
Platinum and 8 consecutive
Gold) and 6 cast albums and
has been honoured with a
number of awards: Society of
West End Theatre Award for
Best Actress in a Musical
and Variety Club Award for
Show Business Personality of
the year (1978); Variety
Club Award for Musical
Artiste (1986) and Variety
Club Award for Best Actress
(1995); Gold Badge of Merit
from the British Academy of
Songwriters, Composers and
Authors (1994); HMV Lifetime
Achievement Award (1996);
Lifetime Achievement Award
from the National Operatic
and Dramatic Association
(1999); Order of the British
Empire for services to
Musical Theatre (1995),
Drama Desk Award nomination
for Outstanding Actress in a
Musical (2004) and Variety
Club Special Presentation
for 40 Years on Stage
(2009).
This year marks the 5th
anniversary of the hugely
successful weekly BBC Radio
2 show Elaine Paige on
Sunday. The programme,
devoted to musical theatre
and film music, continues to
delight audiences of over 2
million listeners each week
with its mix of music,
competitions and interviews.
Recent television work has
included the role of Dora
Bunner in Agatha Christie's
Ms Marple story A Murder is
Announced for Granada/WGBH,
and a guest star role in
Where The Heart Is for
Granada Television. In 2005
she completed her triumphant
concert tour of Australia,
New Zealand and the Far East
and in 2006 she released her
new album of songs from the
stage entitled Essential
Musicals followed by a
sell-out concert tour of
Scandinavia, and the UK
prior to taking her new show
to China and in March 2007
she performed in concert at
the Hong Kong Exhibition and
Convention Centre.
Elaine returned to the West
End stage in 2007 to
critical acclaim in the
title role of The Drowsy
Chaperone at the Novello
Theatre, London for which
she was nominated for Best
Supporting Actress in a
Musical for her performance
in What’s On Stage Awards,
London. As well as
performing in Europe and in
the USA in concert she has
recently recorded a track
with Secret Garden, The
Things You Are You To Me for
their new number one
quadruple-platinum selling
album
September 2008 marked the
40th anniversary of Elaine’s
West End debut and was
celebrated with a sell out
international celebratory
concert tour across the
world including Scandinavia,
China, the UK, Ireland, and
continues in October of this
year across Australia & New
Zealand with plans to film
one of the concerts for
future DVD release.
