{"id":51250,"date":"2024-05-12T13:00:23","date_gmt":"2024-05-12T11:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=2027860"},"modified":"2024-05-12T13:59:37","modified_gmt":"2024-05-12T11:59:37","slug":"imelda-staunton-on-playing-possessed-women-on-stage-theyre-all-mad","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/imelda-staunton-on-playing-possessed-women-on-stage-theyre-all-mad\/","title":{"rendered":"Imelda Staunton on playing \u2018possessed\u2019 women on stage: \u2018They\u2019re all mad\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

The actress has played more than a few colourful characters in her time. <\/p>

By Olivia Garrett\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Sunday, 12 May 2024 at 11:00 AM<\/p>

\n\n

Imelda Staunton is back in the spotlight tonight as The Crown<\/a> takes centre stage at this year\u2019s BAFTA TV awards<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The actress played the late Queen Elizabeth in the Netflix drama\u2019s final two seasons, adding another highly dignified figure to her catalogue of film and TV roles \u2013 a list which also includes Lady Maud Bagshaw from Downton Abbey.<\/p>\n

Yet, while Staunton has played plenty of serious characters on screen, her stage appearances are a very different story.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the musicals I\u2019ve done the women are all mad,\u201d said Staunton at a press event for her upcoming musical Hello, Dolly!<\/a>, \u201cI mean they\u2019re seriously possessed.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s certainly hard to argue with her, considering her West End profile includes Mrs Lovett in Sweeney Todd and Mama Rose in Gypsy, both of which won her an Olivier Award for best lead actress.<\/p>\n

However, her new role in in Hello, Dolly! has \u201cnone of that anger and despair\u201d in fact, Staunton continued: \u201cIt\u2019s lovely to now be embracing something that is really joyful and really funny. It\u2019s been quite a long time since I did something funny.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Imelda\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Imelda Staunton, Olivia Colman and Claire Foy in The Crown.<\/span><\/figcaption> Netflix\/Justin Downing<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

The Jerry Herman musical is coming to the London Palladium this summer with the help of director Dominic Cooke and a 40-strong cast.<\/p>\n

Cooke teased that the show would have a huge number of lavish sets and costumes, especially as the original \u201960s staging was \u201cproduced at the height of the Broadway musical\u201d and was very extravagantly designed. \u201cWe can\u2019t do it with two chairs and a polo-neck sweater!\u201d joked Staunton.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Harry Potter actress spoke about her nervousness in bringing an \u201cold musical to a new audience\u201d. She admitted that someone in the run-up had asked her, \u201care you playing Dolly Parton?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was very flattered.\u201d<\/p>\n