International conference celebrates the life and legacy of Angela Lansbury - and it's being held in the West Midlands
Researchers will be hosting a special academic conference, Angela Lansbury at 100: Celebrating her Stardom and Legacy, to celebrate the centenary of the actor’s birth and explore her extraordinary life, career, and cultural impact.
Actor Angela Lansbury, most famous for her portrayal of author-detective Jessica Fletcher in the long-running series, Murder, She Wrote, is a film, television, and theatre icon.
Born in 1925, this year marks what would’ve been her 100th birthday. To highlight this occasion, scholars, critics, and practitioners are gathering at The Exchange in Birmingham city centre to examine the life, career, and cultural impact of one of the most versatile and enduring figures in film, theatre, and television history.
Hosted by the University of Birmingham, Angela Lansbury at 100: Celebrating her Stardom and Legacy is a hybrid academic conference, taking place in-person and online from 9th-10th October, and welcomes experts and fans alike.
Laura Milburn, a PhD student at the University of Birmingham who has organised the conference, said: “From her early breakout roles in Gaslight and The Picture of Dorian Gray, through her celebrated Broadway performances in Mame, Gypsy, and Sweeney Todd, to her iconic portrayal of Jessica Fletcher in Murder, She Wrote, Lansbury’s work transcended genres and generations.
“Her contributions to the performing arts, her negotiation of stardom across national and cultural boundaries, and her embodiment of complex female characters are worthy of academic exploration, and I am looking forward to hearing what our speakers and audience members have to say.”
Michael Portantiere will close the opening day of the conference. Michael is a panellist for the BroadwayRadio podcast This Week on Broadway, presented by BroadwayStars.com, and is the creator and editor of CastAlbumReviews.com, a website offering thousands of reviews of musical theatre, cast recordings and soundtracks. Michael has written for such publications and websites as Playbill, The Sondheim Review, Everything Sondheim, and NPR.org.
The second keynote speech at the conference will be given by Bruce Babcock, an Emmy award-winning composer for film, television and the concert hall. He worked on seasons 9-12 of Murder, She Wrote. He will be closing the conference, talking about his time on the show and his relationship with Lansbury.
The conference offers a wide range of talks and presentations, with both days jam-packed with all things Angela. International scholars will be presenting research on her performances in TV and film, her work on Broadway and the West End, and her critical reception and readings of her work.
To coincide with the conference, Solve-Along-A-Murder-She-Wrote will be coming to the Mockingbird Cinema on 9th October.
Laura Milburn concluded: “It is my hope that this conference gives experts, scholars, and fans a fresh perspective on an incredible actor who has built a lasting and impressive body of work. There are very few people who have cemented themselves in the hearts of multiple generations, quite like Angela Lansbury.”
Tickets for the conference start at £40 for online attendance. Go to the Angela Lansbury at 100 website for full details and to book.
