Angela Lansbury may be 88 years old, but that doesn’t mean she can’t steal the stage with her acting abilities. On Tuesday, Lansbury made her first onstage appearance in over 40 years. She plays the character of eccentric medium Madame Arcati in the play Blithe Spirit. Her performance earned her a five star review and has been praised by many critics.

“Thirty-five years ago I remember being bowled over by Lansbury’s performance as Mrs. Lovett in Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd on Broadway. She brings a similar energy and high definition wit to Madame Arcati,” critic Charles Spencer wrote.

“Her voice swoops and soars with superb grandeur and her extraordinary dance routine, in which she seems physically to vibrate as she goes into a trance, is a wonder to behold.”

He concluded: “This is a tour de force that will glow warmly in the memory of all who see it.”

Some critics claimed that although Lansbury played her character well, her presence distracted from the story and pulled the focus from the other actors and actresses.

Although Lansbury was no doubt one of the most impressive parts of the show, critics are in love with the entire play and gave it rave reviews as a whole.

Actor Charles Edwards has also received praise from critics for his role as the novelist haunted by his late wife.

The show opened Tuesday night at the Gielgud Theatre in London.

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