Losing Angela Lansbury feels like losing my grandmother all over again
by Chris Peterson, OnStage Blog Founder
Today, the world lost an icon in the performing arts. Dame Angela Lansbury passed away at the age of 97. Calling her a legend doesn’t feel like it begins to cover it. At one point or another, she succeeded in every facet of the entertainment industry. Along the way, she won the hearts of countless fans. One of which was Kathlyn McCarthy Cusano, my grandmother.
Growing up in an Italian household, Sunday afternoons/evenings were spent at my grandparent’s house. In addition to front-yard football games, enough pasta to feed a small army, and heated games of Trivial Pursuit, we would watch Murder She Wrote. It was my grandmother’s favorite show. When I think of those Sunday dinners, I don’t recall many that didn’t feature Jessica Fletcher solving some mystery.
My grandmother loves the show so much, that when I learned to play the piano, my crowning achievement was playing the show’s theme song for her. She beamed. She also loved watching Beauty & the Beast simply to hear Lansbury’s signature voice.
It’s been ten years since my grandmother died at age of 93. Losing Angela Lansbury today brought a wave of memories where her performances were the centerpiece. In a way, it felt like losing my grandmother all over again. That probably explains why I was crying waiting in line for coffee when I heard the news.
But for folks my age (41 years old), the great Angela Lansbury represents so much for us that is steeped in our childhoods. From Jessica Fletcher to Mrs. Potts or even Miss Eglantine Price, her presence in the entertainment of my childhood was ever-present.
Once becoming a theatre student, I discovered an entirely other side to Lansbury’s iconic history. Few have trodden the boards in such a way that she did. Few will ever come close.
In my mind, she’s still the definitive Mame Dennis, Madame Arcati, and Mrs. Lovett.
I had a friend who worked on the 2009 revival of A Little Night Music who told me that she was so nice and generous and everything you’d hope she would be. I tried to get tickets to see the show with my grandmother, but she had fallen ill by then.
Angela Lansbury meant so many things to so many different generations. I’d like to think to mine, she was a grandmother figure. From singing us lullabies like “Beauty & The Beast” or “Not While I’m Around” to being a role model to look up to, her loss feels gigantic today. We know it’s not possible to live forever, but it felt like she was the one who could.
As I’m writing this, it’s occurring to me that Lansbury’s presence in my life after my grandmother’s passing actually helped me through it. And now that she’s passed on, it’s hitting me all over again. I can see my grandmother’s living room again, her sitting in front of the TV with me in the chair next to her with a huge glass of chocolate milk. I can hear my grandmother’s voice scolding that week’s bad guy and telling me Jessica Fletcher facts. It’s both equally comforting and heartbreaking. I’m positive I’m not the only one who feels that way.
So thank you, Dame Angela Lansbury. Thank you for the memories. Thank you for building a connection with my grandmother. Thank you for my childhood, where you had a constant presence.
It meant the world to me.