The fabulous Lesley Joseph tells us about keeping mind and body active – and her love for the Great British panto!
Eight live performances a week, including two matinées; relocating to a different location every week; spending long hours literally on the road . . .
Starring in a nationwide tour of a smash hit musical like Sister Act is the kind of demanding schedule that would challenge a performer of any age but when you consider that actress Lesley Joseph is, incredibly, 78 years old, it is astonishing.
Having seen the show and her sublime performance as Mother Superior, we can categorically say that she is a force of nature. Whatever Lesley’s having, we want some. So just what is her secret?
“We dance in the show, and it keeps you active,” she reveals. “Being active keeps your mind agile and keeps you buzzing, too. I was at drama school with Maureen Lipman from 1964 to 1967 and we often reminisce about the early days. I can’t believe how quickly life goes, so I don’t want to waste a minute of it. I’ve got the energy of a 50-year-old, really.
“I don’t think I’ll ever completely retire because working and being fit keep me alive. I think when a lot of people retire, they go into a downward spiral because their brains aren’t working any more. They panic about what they are going to do with their lives.
“I think certainly working in theatre or television, when you’re doing what I do, you have to keep alive.”
Lesley reckons her energy levels and zest for life are also down to genetics.
“My mother died four weeks away from her 104th birthday, and she did yoga and played tennis into her 90s. I have her energy. I walk everywhere and I keep fit with exercise but I also keep my brain very active through work and I think that’s important.
“I do get tired. Sometimes the beginning of the week is worse than at the end because you come back after a day off and your voice takes a while to get going again.”
Receiving a standing ovation at the end of every show must also give Lesley a big boost.
“Sister Act is such a lovely production – the one word everyone uses to describe it is joyous,” she reveals.
“At the end of the show the cast and the audience are all on our feet, swaying our arms in the air and singing Gloria in Excelsis Deo.I literally have a lump in my throat. I feel privileged to still be worki
