Magic meets Diane Langton
Posted on Monday, April 11, 2011
Story Highlight
Hear more about Diane Langton's illustrious TV and stage career
Perhaps I've been over thinking this, but I wonder if it's just coincidence that both of Elton John's mega hit musical shows feature father/son relationships. Billy Elliot's dad learns to let his son have the life he wants, and Simba discovers what it means to be The Lion King after the death of his father. It probably is, but with all the excitement about our Magic Summer Live concert with Elton in July now seems a good time to look at his work as a co-writer for the stage.
The Lion King
(Elton's tunes and Tim Rice's lyrics) is now in it's twelfth year at The
Lyceum,
and Billy Elliot (Elton and Lee Hall) has become a permanent fixture at
The
Apollo Victoria. His work on Disney's Aida (again with Tim Rice) didn't
make it to the West End even thought it has been seen nearly
everywhere else. Vampire musical Lestat was never performed outside of
America.
It closed very quickly on Broadway in 2006, so not everything has turned
to box
office gold.
Both Billy Elliot
and The Lion King are now playing all over the world. Canada is the
latest
country to get a Billy, and the original West End production is coming
up to
it's sixth anniversary in May. In all that time Billy has only had two
grans. Ann Emery (comedian Dick Emery's sister by the way) played the
role till
late last year, only leaving to join Betty Blue Eyes*, which opens this
week.
Now Diane Langton has the brilliant part of Billy's forgetful grandma.
She's had an incredible career in theatre and television, even appearing
in a
couple of Carry On films. You'll remember her as Del Boy Trotter's ex
girlfriend
Junie, Cindy Beale's mum in Eastenders, and is currently popping up in
Hollyoaks.
I got the chance to
meet with Diane (in her very comfortable but slightly echoey dressing
room) to
talk about her life in entertainment. Now, we normally like these
interviews to
be somewhere between ten and fifteen minutes long, but Diane was so
interesting
we're going to give you the whole unedited recording here . She's got some great stories and I am
looking forward
to seeing her in the show soon. And if you haven't seen it yet, you
certainly
should. Billy Elliot is on my must see list, but just a little warning,
some of
the dialogue (as you will hear from Diane!) is very industrial, so be
careful with younger children. Teenagers and above will love it
though.
*review on here
soon
