Hello, Dolly! - London Palladium (2024)

I've only ever seen Imelda on stage in musicals: Sweeney Todd and Gypsy and IMHO she handled the comedy, the tragedy and drama perfectly

Yes I agree. But who are the UK equivalents to the legendary multi-talented singers/actresses/entertainers like Midler, Streisand, Cher, Dolly, Liza etc?

I was trying to work this out the other day and I came up blank - we don’t have a legendary triple-threat a-list British actress. The closest I can get is Julie Andrews, but sadly we all know what happened there.

I suppose Angela Lansbury, but she’s in her 90s now and left the UK decades ago. The only other name I can come up with is Catherine Zeta Jones, but she still falls short in the stardom category compared to Midler, Cher, Dolly etc.

It wouldn't necessarily need to be a triple threat - a big personality who can act and do comedy is enough.

Catherine Zeta-Jones is an interesting one. Emma Thompson? Joanna Lumley would be wonderful actually...

Emma Thompson would be dreadful. Joanna Lumley is a national treasure but is her brand of humour not a bit too sarcastic and dry?

Yeah CZJ I guess is a triple threat.

When was the last time she appeared on stage in England? Most be 20 odd years. Not sure she's really that famous now.

She doesn't do musicals anymore but Sarah Brighton was an incredible singer AND dancer. Was she a great actress? I thought she was good, but perhaps triple threat is pushing it.

Genuine triple threats really are rare!

Would be quite happy to see Bonnie Langford, Josie Lawrence or Caroline Quentin - not the huge stars perhaps but all are great on stage and Caroline has a fabulous voice that should be more recognised. The problem we have here is that once people are known for musical theatre it's hard for them to move to film/tv so they don't become those big names whereas in the US they cross genre easily.

There are some really good performers out there who are just too young for the role as yet, I just hope they're still around in fifteen years time for all these wonderful roles

She was part of a couple of Eurovision acts, yes, but has been consistently high quality in anything (even if it was bad). I think ‘Anything Goes’ at the NT & TRDL was my fave. Both big rooms to fill, which she did with total effervescent joy & talent.

Here is a name to throw into the mix. Dame Julie Walters. She is also not a bad singer and proved it in Acorn Antiques The Musical.
However I still want to to be Imelda if it finally opens.

Lulu might still be available.

It feels like Imelda is now getting the sort of roles Judi Dench would be getting if she was 20 years younger. Whilst she never struggles to get roles, her movie career hasn’t quite made her a bankable name as a Hollywood lead just yet - though I suspect landing the lead in The Crown will open a few more doors for her.

It’s no much that we don’t have triple threats, just no one that seems to be if they age group that’s m a genuine a-list name to make Dolly event theatre in the same way Bette did across the pond.

I was thinking about this a little more and the likes of Cher, Dolly, Bette etc, they’re all still big names capable of touring in their own right, releasing new albums, selling out arenas and flipping between jobs with relative ease. I can’t think of a single British female popstar over 50 selling out arenas, never mind flipping between stage, theatre and film. I can’t think of anyone who has started out on the west end before going into music and then jumping into screen work in recent years either.

The closest I can get is Beverley Knight and Alexandra Burke, but both would be doing music still if that career hasn’t stalled. Both are household names here in the UK (Alexandra more so I’d say, having done X Factor and Strictly) and are building quite the list of musical credits, so will be interesting to see if they can turn themselves into bankable leading lady west end names.