John Dalby

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

John Dalby (born 1929) is an English singer, pianist and composer.

He has been hailed in London and New York for his witty and sophisticated cabaret performances. As an accomplished entertainer, he was described by one New York Theatre critic as a combination of "Noel Coward, Flanders and Swann with a touch of Quentin Crisp". He has written and performed in numerous musicals and revues. In the West End, he succeeded Dudley Moore, in "Beyond the Fringe", appeared in his own revue "One in the Eye" and appeared with Tom Conti, in "An Italian Straw Hat". He has worked with many notable performers, such as Bette Davis, Elizabeth Taylor, Angela Lansbury, David Niven and Alec Guinness, to name but a few - but none more affectionately than with Evelyn Laye, the last of the stage and screen idols from the golden age of musical comedy. John Dalby stepped into her life, when she was almost eighty and encouraged her to sing again, adding another twelve years to her long and illustrious career.

John Dalby has also taught singing at the Actor's Richmond Company, which he has formed into an admirable performing group. His one-man show "Colley Cibber - The Man Who Rewrote Shakespeare" has been performed at the Royal National Theatre, the Jermyn Street Theatre and internationally. He presented a Centenary Tribute to Evelyn Laye "A Glass of Champagne" at the Jermyn Street Theatre in London in 2000.