Elaine Paige OBE, the beloved star of both West End and Broadway musical theatre, celebrated 40 years on stage in September 2008. To mark the occasion, the UK's Oberon Books published Memories, with a foreword by Andrew Lloyd Webber, in which Elaine, in her own words, tells the story of her remarkable stage career and shows why she remains an enduringly popular international star.
The ‘First Lady of West End Musical Theatre' shares memories of her journey from childhood in Barnet, through drama school and her appearance in the film of Oliver! to her starring roles in some of the most iconic and successful shows of the modern era, including Evita and Cats (originating the lead roles in both), Chess, Hair, and Sunset Boulevard. Along the way, she tells of her many famous collaborators and leading men, among them Andrew Lloyd Webber, Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson of Abba and Michael Crawford.
Memories, which is distributed in the US by Theatre Communications Group, will be introduced at a Book Signing Event at the Barnes & Noble's/Lincoln Triangle store, 1972 Broadway at West 66th Street, on Wednesday, September 22, at 7:30 PM. The event will feature a Q and A with Elaine conducted by theatre columnist Peter Filichia. The book retails for $41.95.
Elaine continues to work at a furious pace. She is currently in the United States recording a new album with legendary record producer Phil Ramone, tentatively titled "Elaine and Friends" while preparing for her North American concert debut at The Music Box Theater at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa on Saturday, September 25, at 9 PM.
September 2008 marked the 40th anniversary of Elaine's West End debut and was celebrated with a sold-out international celebratory concert tour across the world, entitled Elaine Paige Celebrating 40 Years On Stage, including stops in Scandinavia, the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and China. The concert was filmed for DVD release in March 2010, and a TV special of the recorded performance was broadcast in the United States over PBS in June 2010.
This year marks the sixth anniversary of her hugely successful weekly BBC Radio 2 show Elaine Paige on Sunday, a program devoted to musical theatre, film music and interviews that continues to delight audiences of over 2-million listeners each week in the UK alone with its mix of music, competitions and interviews with show business luminaries.
Elaine is also one of the UK's most successful theatrical recording artists ever, with multiple gold and platinum selling discs amongst her 21 solo albums. Lavishly illustrated with pictures of Elaine in her most famous roles - Eva Peron, Grizabella in Cats, Edith Piaf and Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard - Memories is the perfect book for fans of Elaine Paige and of modern Musical Theatre.
(Oberon Books are exclusively distributed in the US by Theatre Communications Group. Book trade orders can be placed by calling Consortium Book Sales and Distribution: 800-283-3572. Individuals may order by calling Theatre Communications Group at 212-609-5900 or visiting their online bookstore at www.tcg.org.)
