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West End Theatre lights to be dimmed for a legend

The Guardian

|

January 18, 2025

The Society of London Theatre has said playhouses across London's West End will dim their lights for two minutes at 7pm on Tuesday, following the death of Joan Plowright.

- Chris Wiegand

Celebrated for a long career on stage and screen, Plowright won acclaim for performances during the early years of the English Stage Company at the Royal Court and the National Theatre when it was based at the Old Vic and led by her second husband, Laurence Olivier.

She and Olivier appeared together in the West End and on Broadway in John Osborne's The Entertainer, as well as starring in the screen version.

At the National, she played Portia to Olivier's Shylock in The Merchant of Venice as well as roles including Sonya in Uncle Vanya.

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