Beatrice Lillie was an actress with a larger than life personality. Arriving in London from Canada in 1914 Lillie quickly became the toast of the West End appearing in scores of revues. She then conquered Broadway becoming a star on both sides for the next six decades, and was at her most prolific between the two world wars, starring in countless hit productions. She married into the peerage and became known as Lady Peel but to her friends she was always Bea. Elegant, witty and sophisticated, some would also describe her as the ultimate eccentric.

'An Evening With Beatrice Lillie' opened in New York in 1952 advertised for a limited season but instead ran for 275 performances. The evening also featured Reginald Gardiner and at the two pianos were Eadie and Rack. After the Broadway production, for which Lillie received a Tony Award, the show toured the States and Canada for eleven months. In Britain, An Evening With started in Liverpool before transferring to London's Globe Theatre in November 1954 where it ran for 195 performances with Leslie Bricusse and the aforementioned Eadie and Rack. From the West End the show toured the fringes of London to Streatham and Golders Green, then to Brighton and then on to Ireland with the show being last performed in Belfast. The recording was made at the end of the tour.

The structure of An Evening With gave Lillie the chance to clown in sketches in the first act and to give a solo cabaret performance in the second. Her genius at her stated age of fifty-six remained intact and there was little doubt she was the world's most accomplished comedienne.

Additional Details

Label: Sepia Records

Genre: Musical/Broadway

Release Date: 11/11/08

UPC: 5055122111238