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Dec. 17, 2019
EP7: Michael Crawford ; Dedicated, disciplined, dynamic- From "Ooh Betty" to Broadway brilliance (Part 1)
It is not often you get the opportunity to interview someone who has been described as ‘one of the greatest performers Britain has produced’ !
So as you might imagine I am incredibly excited to be talking to actor, singer and comedian Michael Crawford fo...
It is not often you get the opportunity to interview someone who has been described as ‘one of the greatest performers Britain has produced’ !
So as you might imagine I am incredibly excited to be talking to actor, singer and comedian Michael Crawford for this special 2 part Xmas episode of Turning the Table
Michaels career spans over 50 years across TV, film and Stage on Broadway and the west end of London. With humble boyhood beginnings in Bexley Kent, Michael went on to receive international acclaim for his portrayal of Eric , the Phantom, in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera. A role which earned him a Tony and Lawrence Olivier award for best actor in a musical.
But Michael's career is so much more than this as he demonstrated a discipline and dedication to his craft that has seen his work with some of the greats in the entertainment industry.
In this part 1 of the interview our conversation spans;
The riotous early performance in a school production of Benjamin Brittens Lets make an Opera that proved to be Michaels early break through
How Michael developed his unique combination of stuntman agility and comedic vulnerability for the role of Frank Spencer in the hit BBC TV series Some Mothers do ave em
A hilarious interview with Gene Kelly for the film of Hello Dolly where is starred alongside Barbra Streisand and Walter Matthau
And the chance circumstances that led to Michael getting the role of Phantom, which he went on to perform 1,300 times over two and a half years.
In the second of this two part episode (subscribe to make sure you don't miss it) we talk about the struggles in the latter part of his career when Michael suffered from ME the severe chronic fatigue syndrome which led him to take a complete break and move away to a small town in New Zealand. And how he made a triumphant return to the London stage 7 years later having overcome and fully recovered from the condition.
Listen and share your thoughts and observations with the Turning the Tables community on Facebook at;
Episode credits;
Editor and sound engineer : Tim White email: showupnow@gmail.com
Music : Broken Elegance -Unconditionally
Growing Up, Elementary, Dreamtoflying and Childhood by Scott Buckley https://soundcloud.com/scottbuckley