DAME Judi Dench’s return to her home city for the talk show I Remember It Well at the Grand Opera House has been marked by a seat dedication in honour of last night’s visit to the York theatre.
Dame Judi chose her preferred seat number for the first such dedication since the Cumberland Street theatre was refurbished in 2022.
The engraved gold plaque, placed on the front-row seat A9 in the Dress Circle, reads: “York’s celebrated star of stage and screen, Dame Judi Dench, performed here 10 October 2024”.
Dame Judi, 89, was joined on stage at the sold-out 7.30pm event by television presenter, theatre producer, journalist, author, publisher and former Conservative MP for the City of Chester Gyles Brandreth.
Together they presented their hit West End and Royal Albert Hall reminiscence, I Remember It Well, wherein Dame Judi and her friend Gyles undertook a roller-coaster trip down memory lane as they explored the story of her extraordinary life, from her childhood in Heworth, York, in the 1930s to her latest Oscar nomination – for Best Supporting actress in Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast – in 2022.
The packed auditorium, “filled with excited locals and far-afield visitors”, was entertained with anecdotes aplenty – stories, Shakespeare sonnets, songs and surprises – in a “two-hour party of lifetime”.
Audience member Alison (no surname provided), who watched from the Ambassador Box, said: “She is such an amazing lady. A true legend and a night to remember. Judi and Gyles are so natural and comfortable together with such warmth. We felt very honoured and lucky to be here.”
The 2022 refurbishment included the replacement of 269 seats in the Dress Circle. Under the Dedicate A Seat scheme, “you could dedicate a seat to a loved one as an original gift, to your favourite Grand Opera House star or create a lasting legacy for someone who loved the theatre,” says the Grand Opera House website.
“For £250 per seat, an engraved plaque will be placed on the seat of your choice and you will receive a commemorative certificate. Your seat will then be dedicated for a minimum of three year.”
For full details, go to: https://www.atgtickets.com/gifts/seat-dedication/grand-opera-house-york/. “Choose your seat via the link and a member of the Grand Opera House team will be in touch shortly after purchase to discuss the inscription,” the site advises.
