Elaine Paige
Elaine Paige née Bickerstaff OBE (born on 5 March 1948 in Barnet, Hertfords… Read Full Bio ↴Elaine Paige née Bickerstaff OBE (born on 5 March 1948 in Barnet, Hertfordshire) is a well-known English singer and actress, primarily in musicals.
Paige's first professional appearance was in the UK tour of the Anthony Newley/Leslie Bricusse musical The Roar of the Greasepaint—the Smell of the Crowd. She made her West End debut in Hair, and went on to featured roles in Jesus Christ Superstar, Nuts, Grease, and Billy (a musical adaptation of the film Billy Liar.)
In 1978, Hal Prince offered the still relatively unknown Paige the title role in Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita after Julie Covington, who played the role on the album turned down the part. This proved to be the defining moment in her evolution to the self proclaimed title "First Lady of British Musical Theatre".
Paige has portrayed some of Lloyd Webber's most notable female characters, originating the role of Grizabella in Cats (a role she reprised for a video release). She took on the role late in rehearsal when the actress Judi Dench had to pull out due to a torn Achilles tendon. Her performance of the song Memory from that show is her signature piece.
In 1994, Paige took over the role of Norma Desmond in Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard when Betty Buckley was ill, before stepping into the part full time the following year. She transferred to the American production to make her Broadway debut in a performance that Lloyd Webber described as "musically terrific" in 1996, staying with the show until it closed the following year. In 1998, Paige made a guest star appearance at the Andrew Lloyd Webber, fiftieth birthday celebration in the Royal Albert Hall. She sang Memory and Don't Cry for Me Argentina.
By no means has Paige limited her theatre credits to Lloyd Webber projects. In 1986, she appeared as Florence in Chess, (lyrics by Tim Rice, music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, formerly of ABBA), a role she had originated for the 1984 RCA double-disc concept album. The show was notable at the time for its set, which featured a large, tilting stage that resembled an illuminated chess board, with a proscenium built from television screens. For this role Paige was nominated for Laurence Olivier Award in a category Outstandng Performance by an Actress in a Musical.
She followed this success with a hit revival of Cole Porter's Anything Goes in 1989 which she co-produced with Tim Rice, based on the contemporary US (Lincoln Center) production starring Patti LuPone. In 1993, she embarked on a troubled run as famed French chanteuse Édith Piaf in Pam Gems' musical play Piaf (1993). In 2000 she appeared in another acclaimed revival, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II's The King and I, in which the King was played by Jason Scott Lee.
In 2004, she sang the role of Mrs. Lovett in the New York City Opera production of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd. In June 2007 Paige will play the title role in the musical comedy The Drowsy Chaperone at London's Novello Theatre.
Paige also has had success in the UK singles charts. I Know Him So Well (from Chess), her duet with Barbara Dickson, held the #1 position in the British charts for four weeks, and still remains the biggest selling record by a female duo in the Guinness Book of Records. She also had a top ten hit with Memory from Cats. Additionally, she has had eight consecutive gold and four multi-platinum albums.
Paige released her first full studio album of new recordings in twelve years, "Essential Musicals" in October 2006. It includes popular songs from musicals identified by a poll on her radio show.
Paige has hosted her own BBC television specials as well as starred in several films for the network, and has also performed in a number of televised Royal Variety Shows. Arts commentator Melvyn Bragg hosted a special edition of The South Bank Show about Paige's career in 1996, entitled The Faces of Elaine Paige. She made special recordings of some of her most famous songs exclusively for the programme. It is frequently shown on PBS in the USA.
More recently, Paige has focused on television appearances, playing Dora Bunner in the 2004 ITV adaptation of Agatha Christie's A Murder is Announced, before performing a guest role as a post mistress in Where the Heart Is.
In September 2004, Paige began a weekly radio show, Elaine Paige on Sunday, on BBC Radio 2, featuring music from musical theatre and film scores. Occasional interviews are also featured, having included theatre impressario Cameron Mackintosh, actress Angela Lansbury, the Pet Shop Boys and Elton John. Paige's show has been described by Elisabeth Mahoney of The Guardian as a "rare wrong move" on the part of Radio 2.
Paige's first professional appearance was in the UK tour of the Anthony Newley/Leslie Bricusse musical The Roar of the Greasepaint—the Smell of the Crowd. She made her West End debut in Hair, and went on to featured roles in Jesus Christ Superstar, Nuts, Grease, and Billy (a musical adaptation of the film Billy Liar.)
In 1978, Hal Prince offered the still relatively unknown Paige the title role in Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita after Julie Covington, who played the role on the album turned down the part. This proved to be the defining moment in her evolution to the self proclaimed title "First Lady of British Musical Theatre".
Paige has portrayed some of Lloyd Webber's most notable female characters, originating the role of Grizabella in Cats (a role she reprised for a video release). She took on the role late in rehearsal when the actress Judi Dench had to pull out due to a torn Achilles tendon. Her performance of the song Memory from that show is her signature piece.
In 1994, Paige took over the role of Norma Desmond in Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard when Betty Buckley was ill, before stepping into the part full time the following year. She transferred to the American production to make her Broadway debut in a performance that Lloyd Webber described as "musically terrific" in 1996, staying with the show until it closed the following year. In 1998, Paige made a guest star appearance at the Andrew Lloyd Webber, fiftieth birthday celebration in the Royal Albert Hall. She sang Memory and Don't Cry for Me Argentina.
By no means has Paige limited her theatre credits to Lloyd Webber projects. In 1986, she appeared as Florence in Chess, (lyrics by Tim Rice, music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, formerly of ABBA), a role she had originated for the 1984 RCA double-disc concept album. The show was notable at the time for its set, which featured a large, tilting stage that resembled an illuminated chess board, with a proscenium built from television screens. For this role Paige was nominated for Laurence Olivier Award in a category Outstandng Performance by an Actress in a Musical.
She followed this success with a hit revival of Cole Porter's Anything Goes in 1989 which she co-produced with Tim Rice, based on the contemporary US (Lincoln Center) production starring Patti LuPone. In 1993, she embarked on a troubled run as famed French chanteuse Édith Piaf in Pam Gems' musical play Piaf (1993). In 2000 she appeared in another acclaimed revival, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II's The King and I, in which the King was played by Jason Scott Lee.
In 2004, she sang the role of Mrs. Lovett in the New York City Opera production of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd. In June 2007 Paige will play the title role in the musical comedy The Drowsy Chaperone at London's Novello Theatre.
Paige also has had success in the UK singles charts. I Know Him So Well (from Chess), her duet with Barbara Dickson, held the #1 position in the British charts for four weeks, and still remains the biggest selling record by a female duo in the Guinness Book of Records. She also had a top ten hit with Memory from Cats. Additionally, she has had eight consecutive gold and four multi-platinum albums.
Paige released her first full studio album of new recordings in twelve years, "Essential Musicals" in October 2006. It includes popular songs from musicals identified by a poll on her radio show.
Paige has hosted her own BBC television specials as well as starred in several films for the network, and has also performed in a number of televised Royal Variety Shows. Arts commentator Melvyn Bragg hosted a special edition of The South Bank Show about Paige's career in 1996, entitled The Faces of Elaine Paige. She made special recordings of some of her most famous songs exclusively for the programme. It is frequently shown on PBS in the USA.
More recently, Paige has focused on television appearances, playing Dora Bunner in the 2004 ITV adaptation of Agatha Christie's A Murder is Announced, before performing a guest role as a post mistress in Where the Heart Is.
In September 2004, Paige began a weekly radio show, Elaine Paige on Sunday, on BBC Radio 2, featuring music from musical theatre and film scores. Occasional interviews are also featured, having included theatre impressario Cameron Mackintosh, actress Angela Lansbury, the Pet Shop Boys and Elton John. Paige's show has been described by Elisabeth Mahoney of The Guardian as a "rare wrong move" on the part of Radio 2.
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Elaine Paige Lyrics
A Kind Of Magic It's a kind of magic It's a kind of magic One dream,…
All The Way When somebody loves you It's no good unless they love you…
All Things Considered Love you must know I tried All of this time A long…
Amoureuse Strands of light on our bedroom floor Change the night throu…
Another Suitcase In Another Hall MISTRESS: I don't expect my love affairs to last for long Ne…
Anything Goes Times have changed And we've often rewound the clock Since…
Anything Goes: I Get a Kick Out of You My story is much too sad to be told But practic'lly…
Aquarius When the moon is in the Seventh House And Jupiter aligns…
As If We Never Said Goodbye Don't know why I'm frightened I know my way around here The…
Bohemian Rhapsody Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a…
Broadway Baby I′m just a Broadway Baby. Walking off my tired feet. Poundin…
Chess: Someone Else Long ago In someone else's lifetime Someone with my name …
Cry me a River Cry Me a River Now you say you're lonely You cry the…
Don It won't be easy You'll think it strange When I try to…
Don't Cry For Me Argentina It won't be easy, you'll think it strange When I try…
Edelweiss Edelweiss, Edelweiss Every morning you greet me Small and wh…
Evita: You Must Love Me Where do we go from here? This isn't where we intended…
For You Why is it when I wake up every day Yours words…
From A Distance From a distance the world looks blue and green And the…
Good Morning Starshine Good morning starshine, the earth says "Hello" You twinkle …
Grow Young Don′t get so busy Don't get so tired Climbing the ladder And…
Hair: Aquarius When the moon is in the Seventh House And Jupiter aligns…
He She's out of my life She's out of my life And I…
Heart Don't Change My Mind We said we'd try again But trying's not enough Acting like…
Heaven Help My Heart If it were love I would give that love every…
Hopelessly Devoted to You Guess mine is not the first heart broken, My eyes are…
Hot As Sun Hot as sun he was, hot as sun because He knew…
How Long Has This Been Going On As a tot, when I trotted in little velvet panties, I…
How The Heart Approaches What It Yearns In the blue light of the Belvedere Motel Wondering as the…
Hymne a L'Amour If the sun should tumble from the sky If the sea…
I Don't Know How To Love Him I Don't Know How To Love Him I don't know how…
I Dreamed a Dream I Dreamed a Dream There was a time when men were…
I Gaze In Your Eyes I Gaze In Your Eyes I gaze in your eyes And to…
I Get A Kick Out Of You I Get a Kick Out of You My story is much…
I Have Dreamed There was a time when men were kind When their voices…
I Know Him So Well Nothing it so good it lasts eternally Perfect situations mus…
I Know Him So Well (with Barbara Dickson) Nothing is so good it lasts eternally, Perfect situations mu…
I Only Have Eyes For You My love must be a kind of blind love I can't…
If I Love You If You Love Me or Hymne a L'amour If the sun…
If Only If all we lost somehow came back If all that died…
If You Love Me If You Love Me or Hymne a L'amour If the sun…
Is This The World We Created Just look at all those hungry mouths we have to…
Love Can Do That Love's a funny thing It can break your heart Or make it…
Love Hurts Love hurts Love scars Love wounds And mars Any heart Not tou…
Love Of My Life I know you've heard these words a hundred other times…
MacArthur Park Spring was never waiting for us It ran one step ahead As…
Mad About The Boy I met him at a party just a couple of…
Memory Midnight, not a sound from the pavement Has the moon lost…
memory "|"--"|"--"|"--"|"--"|"--" Daylight, see the dew on the sunflower And a rose that…
Memory (From "Cats") Day light see the dew on a sunflower and a rose that…
Memory (Taken From the Orginal Soundtrack of the Video "Cats") memory, turn your face to the moonlight let your memory lead…
memory"|"--"|"--"|"--"|"--"|"--" Daylight, see the dew on the sunflower And a rose that…
Miss My Love Today I know you've heard these words a hundred other times…
More Than You Know Whether you are here or yonder, Whether you are false…
My Man And Me I close my eyes and try to sleep I count the…
My Melancholy Blues Another party's over And I'm left cold sober My baby left me…
On My Own On my own pretending he's beside me All alone I walk…
One Night Only My love must be a kind of blind love I can't…
One Year Of Love I Don't Know How To Love Him I don't know how…
Oxygen I take each breath As if it is my first I hold…
Radio Ga Ga Radio - radio I'd sit alone and watch your light My only…
Send in the Clowns Isn't it rich Are we a pair Me here at last on…
September Song Oh, it's a long, long while from May to December But…
Shaking You Why do I have to care for you? When I…
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes They asked me how I knew My true love was true I…
Someone Else Long ago In someone else's lifetime Someone with my name Who…
Something in Red I'm looking for something in red Something that's shocking, …
Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word What have I got to do to make you love…
Sunset Boulevard: Surrender Don't know why I'm frightened I know my way around here Th…
The Phantom of the Opera: All I Ask of You No more talk of darkness Forget these wide-eyed fears I'm …
The Rose The Rose Some say love it is a river That drowns the…
The Second Time [00: 16.14][00: 47.11][01: 16.34][02: 01.79][02: 29.36][03: …
The Way We Were Mem'ries, Light the corners of my mind Misty water-colored m…
The Windmills of Your Mind Round, Like a circle in a spiral Like a wheel within a…
This Is Where I Came In You had such an open, honest face I believed every word…
True Colours You with the sad eyes Don′t be discouraged Oh I realize It's…
Walking in the Air We're walking in the air We're floating in the moonlit sky …
What Sing you fools! But you got it wrong Enjoy your prayers…
Wishing On A Star Ooh, ooh, ahh Star, star I'm wishing I'm wishing On a st…
With One Look With One Look With one look I can break your heart With…
You Don't Own Me You don't own me I'm not just one of your many…
You Must Love Me Where do we go from here? This isn't where we intended…
You Take My Breath Away Ooh ooh ooh ooh Ooh ooh Ooh ooh ooh take it take…