Elaine Paige - I Dreamed A Dream - YouRepeat Add our chrome extension to repeat YouTube videos at the click of a button Elaine Paige - I Dreamed A Dream Choose your time range using the slider. Start: Use this link to share your repeat GIF Creation Settings Separate tags with commas or press enter (max 5 tags) Quick GIF Create Elaine Paige - I Dreamed A Dream Elaine Paige Elaine Paige OBE is an English singer and actress best known for her work in musical theatre. Raised in Barnet, North London, Paige attended the Aida Foster stage school, making her first professional appearance on stage in 1964, at the age of 16. Her appearance in the 1968 production of Hair marked her West End debut. Following a number of roles over the next decade, Paige was selected to play Eva Perón in the first production of Evita in 1978, which brought her to the attention of the broader public. For this role, she won the Laurence Olivier Award for Performance of the Year in a musical. She went on to originate the role of Grizabella in Cats and had a Top 10 hit with "Memory", a song from the show.

In 1985, Paige released "I Know Him So Well" with Barbara Dickson from the musical Chess, which remains the biggest-selling record by a female duo. She then appeared in the original stage production of Chess, followed by a starring role in Anything Goes which she also co-produced. Paige made her Broadway debut in Sunset Boulevard in 1996, playing the lead role of Norma Desmond, to critical acclaim. She appeared in The King and I from 2000 to 2001, and six years later she returned to the West End stage in The Drowsy Chaperone. She has also worked sporadically in television. Place of birth: London Borough of Barnet Nationality: England Urchin #1 I Dreamed a Dream "I Dreamed a Dream" is a song from the musical Les Misérables. It is a solo that is sung by the character Fantine during the first act. The music is by Claude-Michel Schönberg, with orchestrations by John Cameron. The English lyrics are by Herbert Kretzmer, based on the original French libretto by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel from the original French production.

The song is a lament, sung by the anguished, dying Fantine, who has just been fired from her job at the factory and thrown onto the streets. She thinks back to happier days and wonders at all that has gone wrong in her life. Typically played in the key of E flat major, it has also become a jazz standard. In the 1985 musical, the song occurs after Fantine has been fired, and before "Lovely Ladies". In the original French production and the 2012 film adaptation, these two musical numbers are swapped around, to place dramatic emphasis on Fantine's depressing descent into prostitution. Composer Elaine Paige - Music on Google Play Elaine Paige About the artist Elaine Paige OBE is an English singer and actress best known for her work in musical theatre. Raised in Barnet, Hertfordshire, Paige attended the Aida Foster Theatre School, making her first professional appearance on stage in 1964, at the age of 16. Her appearance in the 1968 production of Hair marked her West End debut.

Following a number of roles over the next decade, Paige was selected to play Eva Perón in the first production of Evita in 1978, which brought her to the attention of the broader public. For this role, she won the Laurence Olivier Award for Performance of the Year in a musical. She went on to originate the role of Grizabella in Cats and had a Top 10 hit with "Memory", a song from the show. In 1985, Paige released "I Know Him So Well" with Barbara Dickson from the musical Chess, which remains the biggest-selling record by a female duo. She then appeared in the original stage production of Chess, followed by a starring role in Anything Goes which she also co-produced. Paige made her Broadway debut in Sunset Boulevard in 1996, playing the lead role of Norma Desmond, to critical acclaim. Number 1 today in 1985: Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson 05 February 2015 Number 1 today in 1985: Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson Two legendary divas team up to score their very first Number 1 with this Abba-connected classic ballad.

Google + You can’t beat a female duet, and they didn’t come much bigger and iconic than this team-up of two of the UK’s most talented singers and actresses. Years before Brandy & Monica had an icy ruck over their no-good unfaithful boyfriend, Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson were passive-aggressively sparring it out with this classic track taken from the musical Chess, co-written by legendary West End supremo Tim Rice and… none other than Bjorn and Benny from Abba. Oh yes. And you can totally tell. This wasn’t your run-of-the-mill scrap over a lover – this duet, packed with high drama, saw the ladies singing more about their own situation rather than the feckless geezer they had in common. I Know Him So Well was one of those tracks that becomes a hit without anyone really expecting it. It entered in the lower reaches of the Top 40 before rocketing into the Top 10 and climbing to become a shock Number 1, no doubt soundtracking millions of post-New year breakups across the country.

I Know Him So Well stayed at Number 1 for four weeks, and gave the ladies their first and only chart-topper and a final Top 10. It was Barbara’s fourth visit to the Top 40 – her first hit was Answer Me in 1976, which reached Number 9. It was only Elaine’s second Top 40; her first ever hit was Memory in 1981. I Know Him So Well has been covered by many artists, including Idina Menzel, Whitney Houston, John Barrowman and Spice Girls Mel C and Emma Bunton, but it’s only returned to the charts twice. Steps got to Number 5 as a double-A side with Words Are Not Enough in 2001. More recently, comedian Peter Kay, as alter ego Geraldine McQueen, teamed up with Susan Boyle for a Comic Relief version, taking the song to Number 11 in 2011. Elaine and Barbara’s version is the big one, however – it’s sold over 928,000 copies. Will it be a million-seller one day? That’s all up to you, of course; you’re the ones who buy the songs!

So what else was going on while Elaine and Barbara reigned supreme? Let’s have a look… 2: King – Love And Pride A debut hit and highest chart peak for Paul King and his band, who would go on to have four more Top 10 hits. The song had originally missed the Top 40 on first release in 1984, but thankfully 1985 was kinder to King and Love And Pride became the first of two top 10s for the group. 3: Foreigner – I Want To Know What Love Is It was fourth time lucky for Foreigner – this track was their fourth Top 40 hit and their first Number 1, spending three weeks at the top in early 1985, until Elaine and Barbara chucked them off. Mariah Carey would go on to have a hit with a cover of this track, taking it to Number 19 in 2009. 4: Ashford & Simpson – Solid The only UK Top 40 hit for legendary songwriters – and husband and wife Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson.

The geniuses behind classics like Diana Ross’s Ain’t No Mountain High Enough and Chaka Khan’s I’m Every Woman decided it was their time to shine, and shine they did – all the way to an eventual peak of Number 3. 5: Prince – 1999/Little Red Corvette His Purpleness scored a chart peak of Number 2 with this double A-side (ask your mum), a feat that he wouldn’t beat until nine years later with his Number 1 The Most Beautiful Girl In The World. 6: Bruce Springsteen – Dancing In The Dark 7: Russ Abbot – Atmosphere 8: Tears For Fears – Shout 9: Strawberry Switchblade – Since Yesterday 10: Art Of Noise – Close (To The Edit) > See full Top 40 from this week in 1985 This time last year… It was a second week at the top for Clean Bandit FT Jess Glynne with Rather Be. See the full Top 40 for new entries from Katy B, will.i.am, Gorgon City FT MNEK and Chris Malinchak – plus an unexpected return to the Top 40 for Weather Girls’ It’s Raining Men.

Elaine Paige & Barbara Dickson : I Know Him So Well (Rare) HQ - YouTube Elaine Paige & Barbara Dickson : I Know Him So Well (Rare) HQ Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on Jul 20, 2010 Wonderful song from the musical Chess performed on German TV Swedish version here with Benny Andersson It was written by ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus & Benny Andersson along with Tim Rice. "I Know Him So Well" is a song from the concept album and subsequent musical Chess. In this duet, two women -- Svetlana, the Russian chess champion's estranged wife, and Florence, his mistress -- express their bittersweet feelings for him and at seeing their relationships fall apart.

The duet was number one in the UK for four weeks in 1985 when released as a single by Elaine Paige (as Florence) and Barbara Dickson (as Svetlana), who laid down their vocals separately and never met during the recording of the song, only for the video and subsequent performances on Top of the Pops and the European tours.] This recording remains in the Guinness Book of Records as the biggest selling UK Chart single ever by a female duo.

Paige also appeared in the original London stage production of Chess.- wikipedia I KNOW HIM SO WELL (Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Tim Rice) Duet with Elaine Paige - from the Musical 'Chess' Nothing is so good it lasts eternally Perfect situations must go wrong But this has never yet prevented me Wanting far too much for far too long Looking back I could have played it differently Won a few more moments, who can tell But it took time to understand the man Now at least I know I know him well Wasn't it good, But in the end he needs a little bit more than me More security He needs his fantasy and freedom I know him so well No one in your life is with you constantly No one is completely on your side And though I move my world to be with him Still the gap between us is too wide Looking back I could have played it differently (Looking back I could have played things some other way) Learned about the man before I fell (I was just a little careless maybe) But I was ever so much younger then (Much younger then) Now at least I know him well Now at least I know I know him well Wasn't it good Barbara Dickson | Biography The show was a huge success

 and after a sell-out Liverpool season it transferred to London’s West End.

After seeing Barbara’s performance in the show, impresario Robert Stigwood, the head of RSO Records, signed her to his label. Her first hit single, ‘Answer Me’, was released early in 1976 and a guest residency on the BBC’s hugely successful ‘The Two Ronnies’ show later that year brought Barbara into the homes of more than 15 million viewers on Saturday evenings. ‘Another Suitcase in Another Hall’, her second hit, followed in 1977 when Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber invited Barbara to sing on the original cast recording of their new musical ‘Evita’. A move to the CBS (now Sony) record label brought Barbara further hit singles including ‘Caravans’ and ‘January, February’ and ‘The Barbara Dickson Album’ in 1980 provided her with her first gold album. By 1982, regular TV appearances and sold-out tours had cemented her status as one of the UK’s most popular female vocalists. Her ‘All For a Song’ album that year was certified platinum and went on to spend almost a year on the album chart.

A return to the theatre in Willy Russell’s new musical, ‘Blood Brothers,’ in 1983 was to mark Barbara’s debut as a stage actress. As with ‘John Paul George Ringo… and Bert’ nine years previously, the show transferred from Liverpool to London and in the process earned her the ‘Best Actress in a Musical’ award from the Society of West End Theatres. In 1985 Barbara’s single ‘I Know Him So Well,’ recorded with Elaine Paige and taken from the musical ‘Chess’, was released. It reached Number One in the UK and went on to become a Top Ten hit around the world, eventually selling over 900,000 copies. Further hits followed, but in the early 1990’s Barbara began to move away from pop and back towards her roots in folk and acoustic music. Her 1992 collection of Bob Dylan songs, ‘Don’t Think Twice It’s All Right,’ was followed by the albums ‘Parcel of Rogues’ and ‘Dark End of the Street’, which combined traditional music with tracks by some of Barbara’s favourite songwriters, including Randy Newman, Sandy Denny and Jackson Browne.

The ‘90’s also saw Barbara beginning to diversify more into acting, with major roles on TV including ‘Taggart’, Kay Mellor’s ‘Band of Gold’ and ‘The Missing Postman’. On stage, ‘The Seven Ages of Woman’ won Barbara the 1997 Liverpool Echo ‘Best Actress in Theatre’ Award and in 2000 she won her second Olivier award for her role as the infamous 1960’s pools winner, Viv Nicholson, in the musical ‘Spend Spend Spend’. She was awarded an OBE from Her Majesty the Queen in 2002 for Services to Music and Drama. In 2004 Barbara released her first studio album for nine years, ‘Full Circle’, produced and arranged by Troy Donockley. It was widely acclaimed as a long-awaited return to her musical roots, with the Daily Telegraph noting: “it is no exaggeration to describe Barbara as a great singer. She stood out a mile among the Scottish folk singers of her generation, and she has consistently shown her class when performing for a wider public.

This is Dickson at her most engaging.” Having established a successful working partnership with Troy Donockley, Barbara has gone on to record several albums with him in recent years, further exploring the music of the British Isles which she loves as well as selections from her ‘shirt box’ that she has always wanted to record. Barbara’s autobiography, ‘A Shirt Box Full of Songs,’ was published in 2009. She has presented several radio series for BBC Radio Scotland in recent years exploring folk and roots music, and has performed at and co-presented the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. Barbara was bestowed with a lifetime achievement ‘Tartan Clef’ award by Nordoff Robbins in 2012 and in 2016 was honoured to receive the Variety Club of Scotland Outstanding Scottish Achievement award. Barbara continues to tour the UK with her full band as well as playing more intimate acoustic shows and festivals alongside her long-time keyboard player, Nick Holland. At the end of 2015 they performed several dates across Ireland and such was the success of these that a further tour is planned for November 2016.

Barbara has also been invited to return to the USA in September of this year to perform live at the Celtic Big Stone Gap Festival in West Virginia. A new album is currently in the early planning stages and a major UK tour is also scheduled for early 2017. Following a recent move back to Scotland, Barbara now lives in Edinburgh with her husband, Oliver, and a floating population of three sons, Colm, Gabriel and Archie. She is an Ambassador for Alzheimer's Awareness and Patron of both ‘Headway Fife’ and the Fife Society for the Blind. Whilst Barbara remains modest about her many achievements, with seventeen Platinum and Gold albums to her name she remains Scotland’s biggest-selling female singer of all time. Aly Bain, the great folk musician, has described her as having the best female voice ever to come out of Scotland whilst Billy Connolly says “from the very first time I heard her, her voice just nailed me to the wall. She’s just a one-off.” Barbara is quick to dismiss this politely as pure opinion, but the accolades she has received over the years undoubtedly recognise that she has been touched with a gift that is of great importance to her and, more importantly, to her audience.

“Singing is not,” she says, “about technique but what is in your heart. That is the secret”. As a multi-million selling recording artist with an equally impressive Olivier Award winning acting career, Barbara Dickson OBE has firmly established herself as one of the most enduring and popular artistes in Britain today. Born in Dunfermline, Scotland, Barbara’s love of music was evident from an early age – she began studying piano at the age of five and by twelve had also taken up the guitar. She developed an interest in folk music whilst at school which led to floor spots singing at her local folk club. After relocating to Edinburgh, she went on to combine a day job in the Civil Service whilst steadily pursuing her first love, music, in local pubs and clubs. The watershed moment came in 1968 when, after being refused leave from her job for an overseas singing engagement, Barbara resigned, determined to pursue a career for herself in the burgeoning folk scene of the late ‘60’s. The next few years saw her gradually ‘paying her dues’ on the Scottish and English folk circuit, steadily building a reputation and working with the likes of Billy Connolly, Gerry Rafferty, Rab Noakes and Archie Fisher.

Early folk albums, which she recorded for Trailer and Decca Records, were well received. Barbara readily admits that she would have been happy to continue her life as a travelling folk musician, but a meeting with an old friend, musician and playwright Willy Russell, in Liverpool in the early 70s was to change the course of her career completely. Willy offered Barbara the role of the musician/ singer in his 1974 Beatles’ musical ‘John, Paul, George, Ringo… and Bert’, staged at Liverpool’s Everyman Theatre. She was on stage throughout the entire performance singing the songs of The Beatles alongside a cast which included Antony Sher, Bernard Hill and Trevor Eve. Elaine Paige Backing Tracks - Successful Singing 0 Elaine Paige Elaine Paige OBE is an English singer and actress best known for her work in musical theatre. She attended the Aida Foster stage school, making her first professional appearance on stage in 1964, at the age of 16. Her appearance in the 1968 production of Hair marked her West End debut. Elaine Paige played Eva Perón in Evita in 1978.

She won the Laurence Olivier Award for Performance of the Year in a musical. She originated the role of Grizabella in Cats and had a Top 10 hit with the song “Memory”. In 1985, Paige released “I Know Him So Well” with Barbara Dickson from the musical Chess, which remains the biggest-selling record by a female duo. She then appeared in the original stage production of Chess. In addition to being nominated for five Laurence Olivier Awards, Paige has won many other awards for her theatre roles and has been called the First Lady of British Musical Theatre. She has released 22 solo albums, of which eight were certified gold and another four multi-platinum. Paige is also featured on seven cast albums and has sung in concerts across the world. Since 2004 she has hosted her own show on BBC Radio 2 called Elaine Paige on Sunday. Please see below for our selection of Backing Tracks, Sheet Music and Products for Elaine Paige Cart is empty £0.00 Elaine Paige - I Know Him So Well -1991 - YouTube Elaine Paige - I Know Him So Well -1991 Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist.

Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on Sep 21, 2011 Elaine Paige's 50th anniversary album 'The Ultimate Collection' out 12 May 2014: Elaine Paige sings the Benny/Bjorn/Tim Rice song from 'Chess'. This was a hit single originally for EP and Barbara Dickson in 1984, and Elaine revisits the song here 7 years later here in Sweden on the Eddie Skoller show. Check out my other YT uploads of Elaine! Category Elaine Paige Elaine Paige Elaine Paige Elaine Paige OBE (born Elaine Jill Bickerstaff, 5 March 1948) is an English singer and actress best known for her work in musical theatre. Raised in Barnet, North London, Paige attended the Aida Foster stage school, making her first professional appearance on stage in 1964, at the age of 16. Her appearance in the 1968 production of Hair marked her West End debut.

Following a number of roles over the next decade, Paige was selected to play Eva Perón in the first production of Evita in 1978, which brought her to the attention of the broader public. For this role, she won the Laurence Olivier Award for Performance of the Year in a musical. She went on to originate the role of Grizabella in Cats and had a Top 10 hit with “Memory”, a song from the show. In 1985, Paige released “I Know Him So Well” with Barbara Dickson from the musical Chess , which remains the biggest-selling record by a female duo. She then appeared in the original stage production of Chess, followed by a starring role in Anything Goes which she also co-produced. Paige made her Broadway debut in Sunset Boulevard in 1996, playing the lead role of Norma Desmond, to critical acclaim. She appeared in The King and I from 2000 to 2001, and six years later she returned to the West End stage in The Drowsy Chaperone . She has also worked sporadically in television.

In addition to being nominated for five Laurence Olivier Awards, Paige has won many other awards for her theatre roles and has been called the First Lady of British Musical Theatre due to her skill and longevity. She has released 22 solo albums, of which eight were consecutively certified gold and another four multi-platinum. Paige is also featured on seven cast albums and has sung in concerts across the world. Since 2004 she has hosted her own show on BBC Radio 2 called Elaine Paige on Sunday. In 2014, Paige celebrates her 50 years in show business. Paige announced on her official website a “Farewell” concert tour[3] and a new career-spanning album ‘The Ultimate Collection’[4] to mark this milestone in her career.

Life and Career Background Elaine Jill Bickerstaff was born and raised in Barnet, North London, where her father worked as an estate agent and her mother was a milliner.[2] Her mother had been a singer in her youth, and her father was an amateur drummer.[5] Paige stands at just under 5 feet (1.5 m) tall, which she says has caused her to lose out on leading roles.[6] Her original ambition was to become a professional tennis player, at which point her headmistress pointed out to her “they’d never see you over the net”,[7] but Paige continued to play tennis and has referred to the sport as one of her passions.[8] At 14, Paige listened to the film soundtrack of West Side Story , which evoked the desire for a career in musical theatre.[9] Paige’s musical ability was encouraged by her school music teacher, Ann Hill,[8] who was also the head of the music department.[10] Paige was a member of Hill’s choir,[10] and her first role on stage was playing Susanna in a school production of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro,[11] which was followed by parts in The Boy Mozart and solos in Hand

el’s Messiah—[5] “a difficult work for little children”.[8] Paige also recalls singing the mezzo role of Bastienne in Mozart’s Bastien and Bastienne.[10] After singing the aria, she chose to break down in character and to release a sob much to the audience’s shock who, having been convinced by her acting, thought she was in real pain.[10] Her father later suggested that she should go to drama school,[5] so she attended the Aida Foster Theatre School.[2] Lacking confidence, she initially disliked stage school; her father encouraged her to endure and she grew to enjoy her time there.[10] After graduating, her first job was modelling children’s clothing at the Ideal Home Exhibition.[2] Prior to stage school she attended Southaw Girls’ School – a secondary modern in Oakleigh Park in Hertfordshire where she had achieved just two CSE qualifications.[10] Early career – 1968–1980: West End debut and Evita Paige’s first professional appearance on stage was during the UK tour of the Anthony Newley/Leslie Bricusse musical The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd in 1

964,[5] playing the role of a Chinese urchin.[11] To audition for the role she sang “I’m Just a Girl who Cain’t Say No” but was rejected the first time.[12] She was successful the second time around after being convinced to re-audition under a new name.[12] Browsing through a phone book for inspiration, she became aware of the “page” she was observing and decided upon that name with the addition of an “i”.[12] At the age of 20, she made her West End debut in Hair [13] on 27 September 1968, remaining in the cast until March 1970.[14] While also being an understudy for the character of Sheila,[15] she played a member of the tribe in the chorus,[15] for which role she was required to be naked on stage in one scene.[11] She also appeared as an urchin in the West End’s Oliver !.[10] Over the next decade, she played roles in various musicals, including Jesus Christ Superstar ; Nuts; Grease , in which she played the lead role of Sandy from 

1973 to 1974; Billy, from 1974 to 1975 playing Rita;[13][16] and The Boyfriend , as Maisie (1975–1976).[14] Paige starred in the 1978 sex (soft porn) comedy film Adventures of a Plumber’s Mate After months of acting and singing auditions,[9] Hal Prince offered the still relatively unknown Paige the title role of Eva Perón in the first stage production of the Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, Evita .[17][18] Her performance won her critical acclaim and brought her into public prominence at the age of 30.

[ 19] Julie Covington, who played the role on the original concept album, had turned down the opportunity of playing the role on stage leading a long search for a new star. Paige eventually competed against Bonnie Schoen, an American initially favoured by Prince for the role.[19] She later said, “Bonnie was already a big name on Broadway. In a way, she didn’t have anything to prove. She was smoothly, silkily professional. But I saw this as my big chance and, like Eva when she clapped eyes on Peron, I grabbed with both hands.

I wanted the role more than anything else in the whole world.”[20] For her performance in Evita, she won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Musical,[21] which at that time was called the Society of West End Theatre Award, she also won the Variety Club Award for Showbusiness Personality of the Year.[22] She played the role for 20 months in total, from 1978 to 1980.[23] She also released her first studio album in 1978, entitled Sitting Pretty.[13] Just prior to her success in Evita, Paige had strongly considered becoming a nursery nurse, but after she sang for Dustin Hoffman, he made her promise that she would continue in theatre work.[19][24] She admitted that she was “fed up with the whole thing” and that she could not even afford new clothing or to eat out; “Evita saved me” she stated.[25] 1981–1993: Cats and Chess era Paige went on to portray some of Lloyd Webber’s most notable female characters, creating the role of Grizabella in the original production of Cats from 11 May 1

981 to 13 February 1982.[26][27] She took on the role late in the rehearsal process when the actress Judi Dench had to withdraw due to a torn Achilles tendon.[26] Paige’s performance of the song “Memory” from Cats, with which she had a Top 10 hit,[28] is her signature piece.[19][29] The single reached number 5 in the UK charts and has since been recorded by a further 160 artists.[30] She reprised the role of Grizabella for the video release of Cats in 1998,[31] one of only two performers in the film from the original London cast, the other one being Susan Jane Tanner as Jellylorum.[27] Paige’s website claims that the video soon became the bestselling music video in the UK and America.[32] The 1983 production of Abbacadabra, written by former ABBA members, Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson,[33] saw Paige star in the role of Carabosse.[34] She then originated the role of Florence for the 1984 concept album of Chess

 , with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Ulvaeus and Andersson.[35] Her albums, Stages (1983), and Cinema (1984), rejoined the cast recording of Chess in the UK top 40 chart, giving her three consecutive successful albums.[32] In 1985, Paige released “I Know Him So Well”, a duet from Chess, singing with Barbara Dickson.[13] The single held the number 1 position in the British singles charts for four weeks,[36] and still remains the biggest-selling record by a female duo, according to the Guinness Book of Records.[19][37] From 1986 to 1987, Paige appeared as Florence in the stage production of Chess,[13] a role that earned her a second Olivier Award nomination, this time in the category, Best Actress in a Musical.[38] She next sang at the White House in 1988.[29] Paige then took on the part of Reno Sweeney in the musical production of Anything Goes , which she co-produced and starred in from 1989 to 1990.[13] Patti LuP

one was appearing in Anything Goes on Broadway around that time, so Paige sought to become the co-producer of the West End production as a way to secure the role there before Lupone could take it.[23] Playing Reno Sweeney was Paige’s first experience using an American accent on stage,[39] the role earned her a third Olivier Award nomination.[40] Beyond her theatre roles, she appeared in the television programme Unexplained Laughter in 1989 alongside Diana Rigg.[13] In 1993, Paige signed up for a year as French chanteuse Édith Piaf in Pam Gems’ musical play, Piaf , to critical acclaim.[16] The Guardian wrote that Paige was “a magnificent, perfect Piaf”.[5] The demanding production required Paige to sing 15 songs, some in French, and to be on stage for 2 hours 40 minutes in total, and forced her to leave early due to exhaustion.[16] Her portrayal of Piaf earned her an Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical, her fourth nomination.[41] She subsequently released an album, entitled Piaf, containing Édith Piaf songs.[

42] 1994–2001: Sunset Boulevard and Broadway Debut In 1995, Paige was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth for her contributions to musical theatre.[43][44] Paige stepped briefly into the role of Norma Desmond in Lloyd Webber’s West End production of Sunset Boulevard in 1994, when Betty Buckley was taken ill due to her undergoing an emergency appendectomy.[45] The nature of the situation meant that Paige only had two-and-a-half weeks in the rehearsal process before her first performance.[45] She admitted feeling daunted by the task which would follow having seen Glenn Close in the role just prior to entering her own rehearsals.[45] London critics were largely won over by Paige in a performance that “not only wrings out every ounce of dramatic action but delivers some unexpected humor as well”[45] and she took over the part full-time the following year.[16] She then won the Variety Club Award for Best Actress of the Year,[13] and received her fifth Olivier Award nomination in 1996.[46] During the run of Sunset Boulevard at the West End

’s Adelphi Theatre in 1995, Paige discovered a lump in her breast, prompting her to consult her doctor, who at first reassured her there was nothing to be concerned about.[47] She returned twice, and her doctor subsequently sent her for tests that confirmed the lump was cancerous, nine months after she discovered it.[48] Continuing her role in the production Paige did not miss a show,[25] and stated, “When I did the show I became very emotional.

Some of the lyrics suddenly took on an entirely different meaning.

Words like, ‘as if we never said goodbye’ became more real”.[47] Paige went in for day surgery on a Sunday due to her theatre commitments, had five years of medical treatment and completed a radiation programme.[47] She spoke for the first time of her encounter with breast cancer in a 2004 interview,[47] and has since described the period as “the most awful thing that’s happened to me in my life”.[49] Paige transferred to the American production of Sunset Boulevard to make her Broadway debut at the Minskoff Theatre on 12 September 1996, [14] staying with the show until it closed on 22 March 1997.[50] On the Sunset Boulevard set in Broadway, the staircase steps had to be raised six inches (15 cm) in order to accommodate Paige’s short stature, or it would have been hard to see her behind the banister.[51] Paige was welcomed to the Broadway stage with a long standing ovation from the audience,[52] and received largely positive reviews for her New York performance as Norma Desmond: “The lush sound and the sheer power of her voice are, to put it simply, incredible

”, wrote one critic, whilst another said “Her voice has great range, remarkable clarity and emotional force”.[53] Paige was the first Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard to sing one of the show’s key songs, “With One Look”, which she did first at Lloyd Webber’s wedding to Madeleine Gurdon, although at the time the song was called “Just One Glance”.[16] Lloyd Webber noted, regarding Paige’s performance of one of the show’s other prominent songs, “As If We Never Said Goodbye”, that it was “as good, if not the best, of anything I’ve ever heard of mine”.[5] Regarding the key lyric in the song, “This world’s waited long enough.

I’ve come home at last”, Paige had sought to change the way the melody was sung, despite being fully aware of Lloyd-Webber’s fastidious tendencies.[45] To her, the moment was not exploited to its fullest potential, so she approached the show’s musical director, David Caddick, and expressed her wish to hold the word “home”, to which he agreed.[45] Although she had been disappointed when she hoped to perform on Broadway in Evita, Cats and Chess, Paige stated of her debut there, “It was just the most perfect time to go with that particular show”.[16] After Sunset Boulevard finished, she suffered from depression, commenting that the show’s closing “was the most terrible feeling. … I’d felt I’d lost something so very important to me.

I thought it had died and gone away”.[54] 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.[55] The episode saw her visiting parts of the world where plays she had starred in had been set.[55] In 1997, Paige made her United States concert debut when she opened the Boston Pops season, which was aired on WGBH in America.[56] The following year, she made a guest star appearance at Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 50th birthday celebration at the Royal Albert Hall.[57] During the birthday tribute show, she sang “Memory” and “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina”, two songs from her past musical productions by Lloyd Webber.

Paige’s next role was Célimène in the non-musical play The Misanthrope in 1998, but she admitted that she missed the musical element and that the silence was slightly unsettling to her.[16] A Lifetime Achievement Award from The National Operatic and Dramatic Association soon followed.[22] She later performed alongside Bette Midler in a 1999 New York concert to raise money for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.[58] From 2000 to 2001, she starred as Anna Leonowens in a revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein ‘s The King and I at the London Palladium .[22] Paige had turned down an offer for the role the first time she was approached, but later accepted, admitting that she had “forgotten what a fantastic score it was”,[59] although she did question her own suitability for the role.[23] Before the opening, the box office had already taken in excess of £7 million in ticket sales.[60] The critic for The Independent commented, “It may well be impossible to be a success as Evita and a success as Anna” complaining that Paige was not refined enough for the role

,[61] whereas The Spectator asserted that the role further strengthened her title as the “First Lady of British Musical Theatre”.[62] During her time in The King and I, her mother was diagnosed with cancer.

Despite Paige wanting to pull out of the show, her mother insisted that she should continue until her contract had finished,[2] and Paige’s sister, Marion Billings, admitted, “That was very hard for Elaine, having to go on stage night after night knowing she wanted to be with Mum”.[2] 2002–present: Radio and return to West End and Broadway Paige sang at the opening of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, and then made her Los Angeles concert debut at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.[63] In 2003, she played Angèle in Where There’s a Will, directed by Peter Hall.[22] She next sang the role of Mrs Lovett in the New York City Opera production of Stephen Sondheim ‘s Sweeney Todd in March 2004,[64] earning positive reviews from critics,[65] and a nomination for a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical.[66] Paige then embarked upon a UK tour which was entitled “No Strings Attached”.[67] In September 2004, Paige began a weekly radio show, Elaine Paige on Sunday,[43] on BBC Radio 2, featuring music from

 musical theatre and film.[68] The 400th edition was broadcast on Sunday 29 July 2012.

In an unfavourable review, the show was described by Elisabeth Mahoney of The Guardian as “a chilly, alienating listening experience” and a “rare wrong move” on the part of Radio 2.[69] Lisa Martland of The Stage agreed that “it is by far the music that brings me back to the programme … and not her lightweight presenting style”.[70] However, the show regularly attracts 3 million listeners,[33] and interviews are also featured each week.[71] Paige also focused on television appearances, playing Dora Bunner in the 2005 ITV adaptation of Agatha Christie’s A Murder Is Announced in the Marple series, before performing a guest role as a post mistress in Where the Heart Is.[72] The episode of Marple was watched by 7.78 million viewers.[73] The release of Paige’s first full studio album of new recordings in 12 years was marked in 2006, entitled Essential Musicals.[72] The album included popular songs from musicals identified by a poll on her radio show,[72] in which 400,000 listeners voted.[7] At this point, Paige had

 recorded 20 solo albums in total, of which eight were consecutively certified gold and another four multi-platinum, and she had been featured on seven cast albums.[7] Paige also appeared in concert in Scandinavia, Hong Kong, Europe, the Middle East, New Zealand, Australia and Singapore.[74] On 20 and 21 December 2006, she performed in concert in Shanghai, extending her concert tour to two dates to satisfy demand.[17] With a noticeable absence from musical theatre, having not taken a role for many years, she explained in 2006 that “there’s been nothing that I’ve wanted to do, and if you’re going to commit to a year at the theatre, six days a week, and have no life, then it’s got to be something that you want to do with all your heart”.[72] She also affirmed that she believes for older actors it becomes harder to obtain theatre roles.[49] In 2007, Paige made a return to the West End stage for the first time in six years,[43] as the Chaperone/Beatrice Stockwell in The Drowsy Chaperone at the Novello Theatre .[

75] The production ran for a disappointing 96 performances,[76] although it had opened to a standing ovation from the audience and a generally optimistic reaction from critics.[77] The Daily Telegraph wrote, “Elaine Paige is a good sport … enduring jokes about her reputation for being ‘difficult’ with a grin that doesn’t seem all that forced.

… Only the self-importantly serious and the chronically depressed will fail to enjoy this preposterously entertaining evening”.[78] Paul Taylor from The Independent was less impressed and wrote “a miscast Elaine Paige manages to be unfunny to an almost ingenious degree as the heroine’s bibulous minder”.[79] For her performance, Paige was nominated for a What’s On Stage Award in the category of Best Supporting Actress in a Musical.[80] She next collaborated with the duo Secret Garden in recording the song “The Things You Are to Me” for their 2007 album, Inside I’m Singing.[81] To raise money for Sport Relief Paige danced the tango on Sport Relief does Strictly Come Dancing with Matt Dawson in March 2008, where they were voted second overall.[82] She opened the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in July 2008, performing some of her well-known songs from her 40-year career.[83] She next started her world tour, with dates in China, America and Australia.[29] To further celebrate 40 years since her professional stage debut, in October 2008 Paige released a picture-based autobiography entitled

 Memories.[84] The book took around eight months to compile; “Since Evita I suppose, I had kept a yearbook.

My parents always kept cuttings and things like that for me. I did have quite a lot of reference material to work out” Paige commented.[85] An album entitled Elaine Paige and Friends was produced by Phil Ramone in 2010.[86] The album features duets with Paige and artists such as Johnny Mathis, Barry Manilow and Olivia Newton-John as well as a duet with Sinéad O’Connor on a new song “It’s Only Life” penned by Tim Rice.[86] Having entered the top 20 of UK album charts,[87] Elaine Paige and Friends went on to achieve gold status.[88] Paige played the role of Carlotta Campion in the Kennedy Center production of Follies in May and June 2011 at the Eisenhower Theatre in Washington, DC, receiving favourable reviews for her performance of the showstopper, “I’m Still Here.” The principal cast starred Bernadette Peters , Jan Maxwell, Ron Raines and Danny Burstein.[89] She reprised this role in the Broadway transfer of the musical at the Marquis Theatre beginning 7 August 2011 and ending on 22 January 2012.

Paige played Carlotta in the engagement at the Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles, California from 3 May 2012 through 9 June 2012.[90] In 2014, Paige became involved in a six-episode limited show for Sky Arts television called The Elaine Paige Show, featuring Broadway and West End stars.[91] The inaugural Australian cruise of the performing arts on the MS Radiance of the Seas in November 2014 included Paige as well as, among others, Cheryl Barker, David Hobson, Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Simon Tedeschi, Marina Prior, and John Waters.[92] Legacy Having had so many starring roles in famous musicals, many to critical acclaim, Paige is often referred to as the First Lady of British Musical Theatre.[25] In 2008, she celebrated the 40th anniversary of her professional debut on the West End stage debut.[84] Paige has never married nor had children,[25][54] although she had an 11-year affair with the lyricist Tim Rice throughout the 1980s.[93] She has said that she wanted to have children, but “it’s a

 wonderful life I have, so I’m very fulfilled in other ways”.[72] Paige has been dating Justin Mallinson since spring 2010.

Paige’s singing abilities have won her worldwide praise, as have her acting skills with Andrew Gans of Playbill magazine writing that “Paige’s gift is to dissect a role and determine what phrasing, gesture or emotion can bring a scene to its fullest dramatic potential”.[45] Mark Shenton also highlighted her voice in 2008 as “one of the most distinctive and impressive voices in the business”.[94] Lloyd-Webber insists that her rendition of “As If We Never Said Goodbye” is one of the best interpretations of a song by him.[5] She is a Vice-President of The Children’s Trust, a UK charity for children with brain injury. Paige has gained herself a reputation as someone who can be “difficult”. The Times’ Brian Logan wrote, “Paige is not exactly known for her humility. In newspaper profiles, that dread word ‘difficult’ is often applied”.[19] On one occasion, she told a male interviewer that she was going to stop giving interviews to female reporters because, in her own words, “I don’t trust other women in these situations.

They establish a sisterhood with you and then betray it every time”.[16] What has been seen as a cold side to her personality was also noted by Logan,[19] but Paige has said that a common misconception of her is that she is confident and very serious.[95] Another editor found her “refreshingly down-to-earth” and “very friendly”.[29] Views on Theatre Though Paige has enjoyed a long career in musical theatre, she rarely goes to watch musicals, much preferring to watch films or plays. [96] She considers herself primarily an actress, rather than a singer,[16] stating, “I really prefer to be in character”.[7] Comparing the work of Rodgers and Hammerstein to that of Lloyd Webber, Paige has said that she finds Rodgers and Hammerstein songs more difficult to sing, and described them as challenging. She concluded, “it’s a quieter kind of singing, more controlled, not belting it out”.[16] In the light of the physical demands of performing in theatre Paige has said “Musical theatre is the hardest thing any actor will ever do.

You become obsessive about sleeping, eating the right food, not speaking and giving yourself vocal rest and keeping exercised”.[13] Regarding the pressure of having to be in a fit condition to perform in theatre each night, she remarked “you wouldn’t want to read the letters people write when you’re off and they’re disappointed – it’s so awful, the guilt one feels for not being there”.[16] As part of a rigorous routine before musical roles to look after her voice, Paige stops eating dairy products and drinking alcohol and works hard on her fitness.[16] After about three months into the production when her voice is tiring from performing, she withdraws from her normal social life, sometimes only communicating by notepad and fax.[16] She never reads her reviews, finding that it is not helpful to hear too many opinions of her work.[9] Paige has named reality television series such as Any Dream Will Do, which aim to find an unknown actor to play the lead role in a musical, as the greatest threat to theatre today, believing that “actors already striving in the theatre wouldn’t dream of putting themselves on these shows”.[9] In a later interview, she questioned the seriousness of the actors auditioning for this type of show:

 “you wouldn’t put yourself up for one of those shows in case you got bumped off the first week and all your colleagues saw it”.[19] She has also expressed a wish for more new musicals to be put into production, instead of frequent revivals.[29] Won: Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Musical Won: Society of West End Theatre Award for Best Actress in a Musical Won: Variety Club Award for Showbusiness Personality of the Year 1981–1982 1984: Rear of the Year Award 1986–1987 Variety Club Award for Recording Artiste of the Year Nomination: Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical[38] Head of the Year Award 1989–1990 Nomination: Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical[40] 1993–1994 Gold Badge of Merit Award BASCA Nomination: Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical[41] 1994, Variety Club Award – Best Actress of the Year Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) Queen’s Birthday Honours[44

] Nomination: Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical[46] HMV Lifetime Achievement Lifetime Achievement National Operatic and Dramatic Association 2000–2001 Nomination: Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical TV Roles In the 1980 ITV drama series Lady Killers, Paige played convicted murderer Kate Webster.

In 1981 in Tales of the Unexpected, “The Way to Do it”, Paige plays Suzie, a girl working in a small casino trying to keep guests happy and finally eloping with the main character. Paige has also played roles in Agatha Christie’s Marple and Where the Heart Is. In 1989, Paige appeared alongside Diana Rigg and Jon Finch in Alice Thomas Ellis’ “Unexplained Laughter”, as part of the BBC’s The Play on One. Discography 80s Music: I know him so well, pop group steps, elaine paige I know him so well 80s Music/I know him so well Advertisement Question Hi Bong, Would you know if Crystal Gayle had a version of the song 'I Know Him So Well' or was she the original artist? Thanks and more power... Dear Carlo, None that I know. But I'm pretty sure CRYSTAL GAYLE did not have a version of the song. I KNOW HIM SO WELL was originally recorded by ELAINE PAIGE & BARBARA DICKSON. Recorded in 1985, it was from the concept album and its subsequent musical CHESS. It was No.

1 for four weeks in the UK Chart. Other known versions of the song were recorded by WHITNEY HOUSTON & her mother CISSY HOUSTON from WHITNEY's 1987 album WHITNEY and the pop group STEPS for their farewell album THE LAST DANCE, released in 2002, 11 months after the group split. Maraming salamat po!! Bong Santos Expertise I can answer just about everything from the 80`s, rock, pop, trivias, artist infos, Billboard chart positions, albums, etc. But songs that became hit in the Philippines and OPM songs are my expertise. I grew on 80`s music and still listening to 80`s music as it is the best era in music history for me. My friends call me the walking encyclopedia of 80`s music. I got books & collections of CDs and vinyl records, all from the 80`s. Experience Let's just say music is my life and my source is a lifetime of knowledge about 80's music and then some. Education/Credentials

Question: Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson had a hit with which song in 1985?
Answer: I Know Him So Well