Theatre Register

Glynis Johns

Shows · Glynis Johns

Actor 1923–2024 On stage 19521989

Glynis Margaret Payne Johns (5 October 1923 – 4 January 2024) was a British actress and singer. In a career exceeding seven decades on stage and screen, Johns appeared in more than 60 films and 30 plays. She received various accolades throughout her career, including a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award, as well as nominations for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award and a Laurence Olivier Award. Before her death at age 100, she was considered one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood and classical years of British cinema. Johns was born in Pretoria, South Africa, the daughter of Welsh actor Mervyn Johns. She appeared on stage from a young age and was typecast as a st…

On stage 6 productions, 37 years

1952 Gertie Plymouth Theatre · Revival 5 perf.
1956 Major Barbara Martin Beck Theatre · Revival · directed by Charles Laughton 231 perf.
1963 Too True to Be Good 54th Street Theatre · Revival · directed by Albert Marre 94 perf.
1973 A Little Night Music Shubert Theatre · Original · directed by Harold Prince 601 perf.
1973 Sondheim: A Musical Tribute Shubert Theatre · Original · directed by Burt Shevelove
1989 The Circle Ambassador Theatre · Revival · directed by Brian Murray 208 perf.

Each row is a staging this name appears in the cast list of, read from the production record rather than from the person record. The person record names works instead, and a work cannot say which run somebody was in — that is how Elaine Stritch ends up filed under Show Boat 1927 when she was in the 1994 revival. No row here says what part was played, because no cast list records it.

Worked with more than once7 names

Victoria Mallory 2 productions
Teri Ralston 2 productions
Mark Lambert 2 productions
Len Cariou 2 productions
Laurence Guittard 2 productions
Hermione Gingold 2 productions
George Lee Andrews 2 productions

Both names in the same cast list, more than once. It is not evidence of a partnership — a long-running company puts the same forty people together every night — but it is where one would start looking. 1 of these names are not links because we hold no record behind them; the name is set from the identifier and its punctuation may be wrong.

In the literature8 passages

  • Original cast (1973) : Len Cariou, Glynis Johns, Hermione Gingold, Victoria Mallory, Laurence Guittard, Patricia Elliott, Mark Lambert, Harold Hastings (conductor). Columbia KS 32265.ebooks/Block, Geoffrey/Enchanted Evenings_The Broadway Musical from 'Show Boat' to Sondheim and Lloyd Webber - Geoffrey Block.txt
  • Hal Prince, Glynis Johns, Hugh Wheeler, and I were in the rehearsal room working on the scene with the missing song. I said, “I don’t think my character should say this because of the changes we’ve made. We have to find some other language.” They all agreed. We improvised a bit, changed the scene into something new, and called Stephen dow…ebooks/Frommer, Myrna Katz & Frommer, Harvey/It Happened on Broadway_ An Oral History of the Great White Way - Myrna Katz Frommer & Harvey Frommer.txt
  • Glynis Johns had never sung in her life. She had no vocal training. But she had a quality in her voice, and Stephen tailored it for her, very simple, very short phrases. I still think her version of “Send in the Clowns” is the best ever.ebooks/Frommer, Myrna Katz & Frommer, Harvey/It Happened on Broadway_ An Oral History of the Great White Way - Myrna Katz Frommer & Harvey Frommer.txt
  • Cast: Glynis Johns, Len Cariou, Hermione Gingold, Victoria Mallory, Laurence Guittard, Patricia Elliott, Mark Lambert, D. Jamin-Bartlett, George Lee Andrewsebooks/Green, Stanley/Broadway Musicals, Show By Show - Seventh Edition - Stanley Green & Cary Ginell.txt
  • Glynis Johns, a very successful English actress, was cast in the principal role of Desiree. Prince felt Johns had a vulnerable quality which he liked for the part. Len Cariou auditioned for the role of Carl-Magnus, Desiree's lover, but was cast instead by Prince as Fredrik. Laurence Guittard played the Count, and Patricia Elliott played t…ebooks/Ilson, Carol/Harold Prince_ A Director's Journey - Carol Ilson.txt
  • Glynis Johns worked well with Prince. She was quoted as saying about her director, "He has eyes in the back of his head and a real driving force, a life force. And with it goes a great deal of love. He calls us `crew' and himself `captain,' and he's heartbroken when the opening night is over, simply because he doesn't want to be away from…ebooks/Ilson, Carol/Harold Prince_ A Director's Journey - Carol Ilson.txt

Passages naming this person, found by keyword across 178 books. A keyword match is not a biography, and a common name will pull in the wrong one.

What this page does not know

  • What this person played. No cast list we hold records a character against a performer.
  • Which of the credits above the roles on this record — actor — apply to. The roles sit on the person and never on a credit, so a director who also acted looks the same here as one who did not.

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