Michael Blakemore's new production of Noël Coward's classic Blithe Spirit, which starts previewing on 1 March, sees Angela Lansbury return to the London stage for the first time in nearly four decades.
Angela Lansbury was last seen on the London stage in 1975 when she played Gertrude in the National Theatre's production of Hamlet. Previously she had starred in Gypsy at the Piccadilly Theatre and All Over for the RSC at The Aldwych.
Joining the five-times Tony Award–winning Angela Lansbury are Charles Edwards as Charles Condomine, Janie Dee as his wife Ruth and Jemima Rooper as his previous wife Elvira. Also in the cast are Sandra Dickinson, Simon Jones and Patsy Ferran.
Janie Dee is also no stranger to award ceremonies winning Olivier, Evening Standard and Critics’ Circle Best Actress Awards for her performance in Comic Potential. She also received the Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for Carousel at the National Theatre and more recently a TMA UK Theatre Award for Best Performance in a Musical playing Dolly Levi in Hello Dolly! at the Curve Theatre, Leicester.
Charles Edwards is known to many as Michael Gregson in television's Downton Abbey. His stage credits include This House and Twelfth Night at the National Theatre and Much Ado About Nothing at The Globe.
Jemima Rooper originated the role of Rachel Crabbe in One Man, Two Guvnors (National Theatre then West End and on Broadway). Other theatre credits include All My Sons (with David Suchet and Zoë Wanamaker), The Power of Yes and Her Naked Skin also at the National Theatre.
Jemima Rooper also has a successful career in television and film with roles in the BBC’s Atlantis, Lost in Austen and The Railway Children. Films includes One Chance and The Black Dahlia
Blithe Spirit plays London's Gielgud Theatre from 1 March to 7 June. For further information and booking visit the show's web site.