Stephanie Lawrence

Troubled glamorous West End musical star Stephanie Lawrence was found dead at her home on November 4th. Famous especially for her role as Marilyn Monroe on stage in Marilyn! the musical biography in 1983, Stephanie was the darling of the West End with all the top musical roles in the 80's and 90's. From Evita to Cats, Starlight Express to Blood Brothers, her star shone brightly but hid a troubled inner torment.
Born of a theatrical mother and bandleader George Lawrence, baby Stephanie was bound to follow their grease painted footsteps into showbiz. Her mother, Gladys, ran a stage school on Hayling Island and, schooled by her, Stephanie got her first taste of audience approbation aged 2. At 8 she went to another stage school in Tring and ended up dancing with Pans People and The Lionel Blair Dancers. Her mother inexplicably taught her to tap dance in roller skates. A skill not likely to be useful to a star in the making until you realise she got one of her biggest breaks creating the role of Pearl in Starlight Express. Coming hot on the heels of her taking over from Elaine Page in Evita, her fame was assured.
But it was this very fame, just like poor Norma Jean Baker, that plagued her. Was she good enough? Would the bubble burst tomorrow? Just like Marilyn Stephanie suffered from insomnia, laying awake all night worrying. And just like Marilyn she found it hard to make lasting relationships with men. Her career always came first.
In 1991 came the role that would occupy her for the next 4 years. The lead in Blood Brothers is, as any actress who has played it will tell you, is a very demanding one emotionally and Stephanie found the stress getting to her. Her mood swings at this time caused her colleagues to worry and, coupled with her interminable sleeplessness, pushed her closer to the bottle. Cameron MacKintosh, producer of Cats, fired her after she fell 15' from a stairway due to lack of concentration. He hoped that if she wasn't working she would get herself in shape, stop the boozing and bounce back to the top of the bill where she belonged. But this was not the hoped for rebirth but the start of the end. Despite efforts to revitalise herself and a spell in detox clinic (she returned to Blood Brothers in January 2000) Stephanie continued her decline and her hoped for discovery by Hollywood never happened. Stephanie Lawrence died this month and left behind her recently wed husband, Laurie Sautereau but her candle in the wind, like Norma Jean's, will never die.

First published on Gay UK Net
© Paul Towers 10/11/2000