Royal Alexandra & Princess of Wales Theatres to Dim Lights in Honor of Brian Bedford Tonight
Following the news of the passing of Brian Bedford, who died on January 13, 2015 at the age of 80, the marquee lights of the Royal Alexandra and Princess of Wales theatres will be dimmed at 7:55 PM today (Thursday January 14, 2016), BroadwayWorld has learned.
Said producer David Mirvish: "Brian Bedford was one of the last of his kind, a true gentleman of the theatre, who was as brilliant acting as he was directing and producing. I know he considered the Royal Alexandra one of his theatrical homes. It was always a pleasure to be in his company. He was kind, sensitive, caring and very passionate, especially about his art. He lived a long and wonderful life, and he gave great pleasure to hundreds of thousand of theatregoers over his very long and successful career. He will be greatly missed."
Mr. Bedford was scheduled to return to the Royal Alexandra in the spring of 2014 to star opposite David Suchet in the drama The Last Confession. He had to withdraw from the production, which would have launched a world tour in Toronto, due to illness.
One of the greatest actors of his generation, Mr. Bedford has left a lasting legacy of brilliant work on the stages of London, New York, Toronto, Stratford and many other cities.
He made his Canadian debut in Five Finger Exercise in 1960 at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, opposite Jessica Tandy and directed by John Gielgud. This production had originated in London, transferred to Broadway and then went on a North American tour. Mr. Bedford would go on to perform in five more productions at the Royal Alexandra. In 1968, as a member of the Association of Producing Artists (APA) and the Phoenix Repertory Company, he starred in two productions: The Misanthrope and The Cocktail Party. Both productions went to Broadway following their Toronto engagements. In 1969, Mr. Bedford, again under the auspices of he Association of Producing Artists (APA) and the Phoenix Repertory Company, starred in Privates Lives. In 1979 and 1980, he starred in the long-running mystery thriller Deathtrap. in 1980 and 1981, he played the bedridden main character of the drama Whose Life Is It Anyway? With Tammy Grimes and Carole Shelley, he starred in Blithe Spirit in 1982. This would be his last performance at the Royal Alexandra Theatre.
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