Elizabeth Power
| Elizabeth Power | |
|---|---|
| Born | Eastbourne, England |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Notable credit(s) | Christine Hewitt in EastEnders |
| Spouse(s) | Michael Aspel (m. 1977–94; separated) |
| Children | 2 |
Elizabeth "Lizzie" Power is a British actress. Power began her career in repertory theatre and went on to appear in several West End musicals. However, she best known for her work on British television, in particular her role as Christine Hewitt in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders (1992–1993). She has since gone on to feature in various stage productions. She is the estranged wife of television personality, Michael Aspel.
Power was born in Eastbourne, East Sussex. She began singing and dancing lessons at the age of four, prompted by her mother, who was very keen for her to perform. However, at the age of 14, Power concluded "that she wasn't physically suited to be a dancer", so she decided to take up acting on the advice of her teacher. Power auditioned for a place at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) at the age of 17, and was accepted. She has commented "I just glided into it so I was still naive…Rada was good and I realised there was more than just going on stage and being clapped." Power graduated from RADA in 1966.
Power began her acting career on stage, appearing at a young age as Alison in a revival of the Slade-Reynolds Christmas musical, The Merry Gentleman, at the Bristol Old Vic in 1959. After leaving RADA in 1966, she worked for 18 months at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry. She had various roles in repertory theatre during her early career, and has since commented: "I got lots of jobs in rep, learning my craft and playing totally unsuitable roles—old ladies and the sort of stuff you did in those days."
Power went on to appear in various West End musicals. In 1969 she played the leading role, Lucy, in Two Cities, a British musical about the Charles Dickens story A Tale of Two Cities, which played at the Palace Theatre, London. She later toured in a production of The Pajama Game, and in 1972 she played Avonia Bunn in the Julian Slade musical, Trelawny, which was based on the Pinero play Trelawny of the Wells. The show opened at the Bristol Old Vic, then transferred to Sadler's Wells Theatre and later the Prince of Wales Theatre, with Power staying for its entire run. In 1974 she was cast in the revue Cole, built around the songs of Cole Porter, which played at the Mermaid Theatre. The following year she appeared in So Who Needs Marriage?, a musical written by Monty Norman, which toured for a few weeks in May 1975. So Who Needs Marriage? ended uo being Power's "swansong" in musicals. She has since commented that the musicals of the late 1960s and early 1970s were not the sort of shows that suited her vocal talents: "The musicals were mainly American imports. If you didn't have that big chesty voice, there was no place for you…"
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