- Richard Smith
- London, UK
- richardswsmith{at}yahoo.co.uk
Were you lucky enough over the past 40 years to have a hot ticket for the first night of an opera or play in London or even Milan or New York, you might well have seen Linda Beecham sitting in the row in front of you. Linda’s passion was the arts, and for a long time she was a patron of the Royal National Theatre and a financial supporter of the Royal Opera House. She particularly loved the special evenings for National Theatre patrons, where she met members of the cast. Her favourite actor was Simon Russell Beale, who played roles ranging from Stalin through King Lear to one of the Lehman brothers.
Passion for the arts
Opera and classical music were as important to her as theatre. She went to regular opera classes on a Monday night at the home of a distinguished musicologist and was able to attend dress rehearsals at the Royal Opera House at a fraction of the price of a regular ticket. Her favourite singer was Janet Baker, famous for her version of Strauss’s Four Last Songs …