Around about the time that the world marked The International Angela Lansbury Appreciation Day, a delightful video emerged of the multi-talented and endlessly effervescent Angela Lansbury performing the theme from Beauty and the Beast as its 25th anniversary screening.
This gala event, whch also featured the actors who played Belle (Paige O’Hara), the Beast (Robby Benson) and Gaston (Richard White), was caped off by Lansbury’s pitch perfect rendition of the song, which she performed alongside its composer, Alan Menken, who also graced the crowd a medley of other Disney classics, including selections from Hercules, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Little Mermaid and more”, according to Variety.
If there was any doubt that the grand dame of theatre, film and TV still had it, and let’s face it there has never been for her considerable number of fans, they were instantly assuaged by her performance which finished off with the lines of dialogue that round out that particular scene.
Of course, Lansbury who is as humble as she is talented, gave all the glory to Menken for her impressive performance.
“Believe me it’s pretty frightening for me. I haven’t sung in public in a long time. But with Alan [Menken], you can do anything. He’s just brilliant.”
Methinks the lady does demure too much but the truth is it was a wholly unexpected, sublimely wonderful performance, a perfect ending to what was by all accounts a stellar evening.
The 25th anniversary DVD and Blu-Ray of Beauty and the Beast is out now.