Elaine Paige (#286) - September, 2010

West End musical theatre star Elaine Paige discusses her three month sojourn in New York, including the recording of a new album of duets with artists ranging from Paul Anka to Sinead O'Connor, as well as her ongoing BBC2 program, "Elaine Paige on Sunday" and what it's like to be the interviewer instead of the guest. She also talks about having her first show, the original production of "The Roar of the Greasepaint", "The Smell of the Crowd" close during its pre-London tour; her early roles in the original London companies of "Hair" and "Jesus Christ Superstar"; how she managed to secure the coveted role of Evita and why she had to live like a nun just as she attained stardom; the accident that led to her being cast in "Cats" at the very last minute; the holiday musical "Abbacadabra" that prefigured "Mamma Mia!" and led to her role in the premiere of "Chess"; why she signed on to produce "Anything Goes" in the West End; her experience succeeding Betty Buckley in both the London and New York productions of "Sunset Boulevard"; and her mystification over the brief run of "The Drowsy Chaperone" in England. Original air date - September 22, 2010.