Coronation Street star Maureen Lipman has confirmed a new role away from the cobbles, taking on a passion project as she approaches her 80th birthday. The actress, beloved for her portrayal of Evelyn Plummer with her withering stare and acid-drenched delivery, is set to return to the theatre in a brand new production.
Maureen Lipman's New Theatre Role
Maureen will star in Allegra, a musical comedy by Peter Quilter that is stuffed with music and comedy. The show will launch during Maureen's birthday week before embarking on a UK tour and eventually settling into a West End run. Appearing on The One Show, Maureen described her character as 'relentlessly happy'.
'It drives everyone mad and they really want to sort of bring her down and make her more like everybody else. I have to sing, I have to dance and I have to speak – all at the same time,' she said. 'I can't really do any of them, but I'm having a good go. It's lovely because, you know, we're living in a world of vitriol and nastiness, and here comes this woman. I find joy every day, and she's batty. You would call her probably neurodivergent if you had the vocabulary.'
Maureen added: 'There's a policeman, there's a brother, there's a carer, and they're just trying to sort of keep her level but she can't and so she's got an orchestra in her head. So this is what we're taking around the country to cheer everybody up.'
Allegra Cast and Story
Allegra centres on a woman who, despite her surroundings, is imbued with an unbreakable positivity, which sees her burst into song spontaneously, creating chaos in her village. The production will also star Elizabeth Bower, Bailey Patrick, and fellow soap icon John Middleton.
Maureen Lipman's Coronation Street Return
Maureen has reduced her screen time on the ITV soap, with Evelyn dropping from a regular character into a recurring capacity. She previously spoke to The Mirror, revealing that if she were to consider another stint, she'd want a 'proper storyline'.
'I love Corrie but I don't know when I am going back, they asked me at Christmas. I said, 'I will come back, but you will have to give me a proper storyline.' I am not just coming back to stand in the Rovers Return and say, 'I'm back'. Who cares?' She later added: 'It is a perfect job and I could be in it for the rest of my sane time.'
She had previously spoken out on her dissatisfaction with the show's direction, as conversations regarding Corrie's focus on crime and dark plots have been heating up. 'We've come to a point in Corrie now where people are getting murdered in knicker factories. We're having domestic abuse. Anything that ticks the box of social problems in the 21st century is going to be in your local soap,' she said. 'Back then you had the freedom to put Martha, Minnie and Ena in the snug and have a conversation about Ben-Hur. It's never been political but I always like it when the women sit down and go, 'Ooh, Donald Trump, ain't his hair shocking.''
Maureen's last appearance saw her discover Daniel Osbourne (Rob Mallard), lying beaten, bloodied and unconscious while walking her dog, Freddie, following Will Driscoll's (Lucas Hodgson-Wale) brutal attack on the teacher.
