8 minute read
Celebrity
SOUL SISTER
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Best known as Dorien Green from hit sitcom Birds of a Feather, Lesley Joseph is starting 2023 on tour with Sister Act the Musical, calling at Venue Cymru in Llandudno from 13th to 18th February
The role appealed to Lesley’s spiritual side
Lesley Joseph has been appearing on our stages and screens since the 1960s, most famously as the outrageous Dorien, neighbour of Sharon and Tracey in Birds of a Feather – a character she entertained the nation with for almost a decade. At the age of 77 she is still enjoying live theatre even more than television and is delighted to be back on stage in this touring production of Sister Act the Musical.
She said: “If you asked me why I came into the business, it would be because I love theatre. I went to drama school in the ’60s, and it was a very different world then. I grew up doing theatre – I started when I was seven. Theatre was always what I was destined to do, and then gradually television took over. Birds of a Feather came along in 1989 and it has hardly been off air since!
“I love television, I love the opportunities television brings, but if I had to choose it would be theatre, because I love the connection with the audience. With television, you can always do it again, whereas with theatre it’s a question of doing it that night and that’s your one chance. Theatre is where my heart is. I love the atmosphere and the family you build. I love to stand in the wings and watch other people work. I also love what theatre can do to an audience. Live theatre really can change people’s lives.”
Lesleyplays Mother Superior
Over the top
In Sister Act the Musical, Lesley plays Mother Superior, a role she has enjoyed bringing to life. The story follows the repercussions of a murder witness being hidden in the convent. She said: “Mother Superior who runs the convent is a very religious person, and suddenly into her world comes this woman who is a singer, wears short skirts and full bling and is very over the top. It’s about how these two worlds collide and ultimately rub off on each other. My character is quite strict. It’s the juxtaposition of her strictness and this entirely over-the-top being – you need the two extremes to play off against one another, and quite a lot of sparks fly!”
The religious side of the role came quite naturally, Lesley said. She describes herself as a spiritual person, and particularly enjoyed meeting the Pope while filming Pilgrimage: The Road to Rome for the BBC. She said: “I had half an hour with the Pope and I blessed him and made him laugh. He gave me a medal to celebrate his six years in the Papacy.
“I’ve always had a spirituality about me. I love going into churches. I always light a candle for both of my parents and Linda Robson’s mum, and say a quiet prayer. That’s a spiritual thing more than an actual religious thing. I find churches very healing. They’re a quiet place to sit, contemplate and meditate, and you can come out feeling a slightly better person.”
Uplifting
Sister Act the Musical features a fantastic score by the multi awardwinning composer Alan Menken (the musician behind Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid), which Lesley believes is one of the reasons audiences rave about it.
She said: “I think people love the production because of the great music. It’s very much an ‘audience’ show. You leave feeling so uplifted. I think people will take away a reinvigorated love for live theatre. It’s a production that also says something about community, and that’s one thing that lockdown showed us was important – caring about your neighbours, caring about your friends, and helping those in need. It’s an absolutely joyous musical!”
For anyone hoping to pursue their dream career in acting, Lesley passed on some wisdom from another great theatrical figure, Quentin Crisp. She explained: “Quentin was very flamboyant and wonderful, and way before his time. He was an amazing character. He used to call me ‘Miss Joseph’. His advice to me was this: ‘Miss Joseph, believe in fate, but lean forward where fate can see you.’ I think that’s one of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever been given.” To book tickets to see Lesley in Sister Act the Musical in Llandudno, see venuecymru.co.uk
In its heyday, Crewe Hall employed 100 servants to tend its 190 rooms
Well trained
Few places in Britain can claim a transport heritage to match that of Crewe. But there’s more to the Cheshire conurbation than trains – it’s a lively modern market town
DID YOU KNOW? The Centre gained a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence four years in a row
Preserving the past at Crewe Heritage Centre
There’s no getting away from the fact that when most people think of Crewe, name derives from the old Welsh word ‘criu’, which translates as ‘crossing’. Although the engineering facility is now diminished, the location and infrastructure mean a 72,000-strong population is still settled here, drawn by the easy access to Manchester, 35 miles north, and London, reached in just 90 minutes by train.
they think of trains. And understandably so. During the 19th century, Crewe was the powerhouse of the burgeoning railway network, crucial to the emerging industries of the time. The building of elegant locomotives brought prosperity to the town and created a springboard for major players who would call the place home for decades to come. Rolls-Royce, Bentley, BAE Systems and Fujitsu, to name a few, all established their businesses in the area.
Although the name ‘Creu’ appears in the Domesday Book, the town was planned in 1843 by Joseph Locke, as a formalisation of the colony that had established itself around the Cheshire railway junction. The
Losses and gains
Having such strong transport links brought its dangers during World War II, when both the manufacture of aircraft engines at Rolls-Royce and the connections to Liverpool made the town a target for air raids. Thirty-five people lost their lives, and in one particularly significant attack, Edwardian grandeur: the Lyceum Theatre 50 homes were destroyed. The rail companies influenced much of THINGS TO SEE AND DO the town’s development. The London and North Western Railway funded the building Crewe Heritage Centre Vernon Way, Crewe CW1 2DB and upkeep of Christ Church, the school, 01270 212130 the doctors’ surgery, a gasworks, waterworks and even a cheese market. It also donated the land that was transformed into Queens Park, Crewe Hall Hotel & Spa Weston Road, Haslington CW1 6UZ 01270 253333 now restored to its former Victorian glory.
Claims to fame
Crewe Lyceum Theatre
Heath Street, Crewe CW1 2DA 01270 368242
Crewe is proud of its past. The Heritage Centre based in the old LMS railway yard boasts three signal boxes and an extensive miniature railway with steam, diesel and electric trains, as well as a British Rail Class 370 advanced passenger train. There is also a Grade II-listed Edwardian theatre, the Lyceum, and a stunning Jacobean mansion, Crewe Hall, which was built in 1615-36 for Sir Randolph Crewe and is Grade I-listed. Today, it operates as a hotel, restaurant and health club, and its landscaped grounds make it a popular venue for weddings.
Crewe is home to Crewe Alexandra football club, nicknamed the Railwaymen. It also lays claim to a crater on Mars: Crewe Crater, named in its honour. One thing’s for sure, the thriving community here certainly believe their town is out of this world…
Crewe Alexandra
The Alexandra Stadium, Gresty Road, Crewe CW2 6EB 01270 213014
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