Five questions with Maureen Lipman

The iconic star of stage and screen is back in the West End, starring in Allegra, a new play about a woman who couldn’t fight her urge to sing.

Summary

• Maureen Lipman stars in the title role in Peter Quilter's Allegra
• The show comes to the West End following a UK tour
• The show follows one larger-than-life woman who cannot fight her urge to sing

Maureen Lipman is starring in the title role in Peter Quilter's Allegra, which has been touring the UK and now arrives in the West End. Her other credits include Oklahoma! at the National Theatre, opposite Hugh Jackman, and See How They Run, for which she won an Olivier Award in 1985.

Book Allegra tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

What was it about Allegra that made you say “yes” to this project?
I had a good relationship with the writer, Peter Quilter, and it was a collaborative one. I thought the musical sequences would be fun and pleasing for an audience. I liked the sibling element, of one child being responsible for the weaker one – but then who is really the weak one? The script played to my strengths. The producers and I worked on Martin Sherman’s Rose together. I thought the theme of joy on a daily basis was a good counterpoint to the nastiness of the internet and reality TV.

Allegra deals with some serious themes through comedy and music. Why do you think laughter can open the door to difficult conversations?
Alan Ayckbourn said comedy is tragedy with interruptions. Jack Rosenthal followed a history of sweet/sour plays which made you laugh till there was a lump in your throat. Neil Simon, Arthur Miller, Peter Nichols, and Michael Frayn all taught us that the human condition is savage and only relieved by lightness and laughter even in the darkest times. I’ve never experienced an English audience more quick to rise to their feet and cheer.

Many people will recognise aspects of their own family in this story. Have audiences shared any particularly moving reactions with you?
One. My children’s au pair of 46 years ago came backstage with her sister and brother-in-law. He said Allegra was his mum. She would put on roller skates, wear fancy clothes and with her earphones blaring music, would skate off to the town centre and busk for the afternoon. He said his sister now does the same thing.

If Allegra could give one piece of advice about growing older, what do you think it would be?
Find joy in every day in small things. Open your heart to new things. Expect the best in people.

After so many glorious years in the theatre, do you still get that first night excitement?
I’ve rarely done a good first night in 60 years. I’m at my best at matinees. I get very scared these days of gala occasions. I never “set” my performance, so it varies from night to night, and I’m always setting myself new tests which makes it hard to just relax and enjoy the moment. But I’m still here…

Book Allegra tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

This article first appeared in the July 2026 issue of London Theatre Magazine.

Photo credit: Maureen Lipman in Allegra. (Photo by Marc Brenner)