There has been a fresh Coronation Street reunion as past and present stars of the ITV soap came together to show their support for Dame Maureen Lipman as she took on a role away from the cobbles.
Denise Welch, Angela Lonsdale, Jane Hazlegrove, and Sally Dynevor were all smiles as they posed with Maureen who is the star of a new play at the Hope Mill Theatre, titled Rose. The one-woman production is described as "a moving reminder of some of the harrowing events that shaped the century."
Dame Maureen takes on the role of Rose, a feisty Jewish woman retracing her story from the devastation of Nazi-ruled Europe to conquering the American dream. The show began in Manchester on Tuesday (August 30) but a special gala night was held on Friday (September 2) which was attended by a few of Maureen's soap star pals.
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Denise, who played Natalie Horrocks in Corrie from 1997 to 2000, took to Instagram to share a snap of herself alongside Maureen and her former co-stars after watching her in the show.
"Tonight we saw an absolute masterclass in acting by @maureenlipmanuk @hopemilltheatre in the one woman play, Rose," the Loose Women panelist penned alongside the snap as she appeared in a bright orange ensemble for the occasion. " She is breathtaking & her performance is in turn funny and heartbreaking. Beautifully directed by @scottlecrass. It’s sold out but try and get on the cancellation list!!!" Denise went on.
She then added: "Here with her fan club, me, @sallydynevor @realangelalonsdale and Jane Hazelgrove," referring to the snap which showed Maureen, who is much-loved for playing Evelyn Plummer in Corrie, enjoying a glass of wine as she posed with her special guests.
Sally, who is famed for playing Sally Webster in the ITV soap, looked fresh-faced in a pair of black-rimmed glasses after jetting back from New York where she enjoyed a trip with her two daughters Phoebe, 27, and Hattie, 18. Jane also looked completely different to her on-screen character Bernie Winter as she donned a white shirt.
Angela, who soap fans will know for playing Emma Taylor on the cobbles from 2000 to 2003 and has recently been announced as joining Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks, also beamed for the camera as she cut a stylish figure in a khaki green shirt dress. She also posted some more snaps to her own Instagram page.
"What’s an incredible evening watching @maureenlipmanuk in Rose @hopemilltheatre," she wrote. "A Masterclass in acting and beautifully directed by @scottlecrass . Another huge success @joeandwill5678 in our fave theatre. Always a treat with @denise_welch and @sallydynevor and great to see Jane and Wizz."
And fans were thrilled to see them together. @cockynairocreative said: "What a gorgeous shot and @maureenlipmanuk WOW, such a phenomenal actress." @1macey commented: "Looking gorgeous ladies and Maureen Lipman, what a legend." @starling4654 wrote: "Such a lovely photo of 5 amazing actresses. So wonderful." @emmapeel58 added: "Fabulous photo! Maureen is iconic and still looks amazing."
Angela also shared a selfie of herself in between Denise, as she pouted for the camera, and Sally and gushed in the caption: " Sophia Lauren famously said in her autobiography.. the most valuable and BEST relationships in her entire life are her friendships. I’ll second that! My gals."
But Corrie viewers need not worry about not seeing Maureen in Weatherfield as she has already confirmed she will be back after her stint portraying Rose in the show in both Manchester and London. "I’ve got a little holiday from Corrie. I’m going back, because I like Corrie, I like the people," she told Rob Rinder and Charlotte Hawkins on Good Morning Britain last month.
"It’s amazing being up north again, because you realise how much you’re kind of being posh when you’re in London, even though I’ve been here 54 years." And referring to her late husband Jack Rosenthal, who wrote over a hundred episodes of Corrie, Dame Maureen said of her character: "Evelyn is a very Jack Rosenthal character. She’s a proper battleaxe, and she’s not really redeemed."
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