The marquee lights of The Royal Alexandra Theatre will be dimmed on Tuesday, October 1 to honour Dame Maggie Smith, one of the greatest actors of her generation, who died at the age of 89 in London today.
Smith performed a celebrated production of Sir Noel Coward’s Private Lives at the Royal Alex in January 1975. Directed by Sir John Gielgud, the production originated at the Queen’s Theatre (now called the Stephen Sondheim Theatre) in London in 1972. It was the last major revival of the play during Coward’s lifetime. Smith starred as Amanda, and her husband at the time, Robert Stephens, starred as Elyot. The production, with John Standing as Elyot, was revived for a short pre-Broadway tour that began at the Royal Alex and then went to the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, before opening on Broadway at the 46th Street Theatre (now called the Richard Rodgers Theatre). Smith played Amanda again in 1978, when she was part of acting company of the Stratford Festival; Brian Bedford played opposite her as Elyot.
