The singing star shares her favourite destinations, why Rome still captivates her and the packing mistake she’ll never make again.
Dame Elaine Paige is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest singers in musical theatre history. She created the role of Evita in 1978 and went on to sing Memory in the first production of Cats before also appearing in Anything Goes, Sunset Boulevard and Piaf.
She lives in central London, plays a lot of tennis and presents a weekly show on Radio 2.
From Rome’s timeless beauty to six-week cruises across the Pacific, Elaine’s travels span the globe – and come with a few hard-earned lessons along the way.
Rome. I’ve been there many times, first with my parents Eric and Irene when I was 17 years old. It never ceases to amaze and knock me sideways. There is so much to see of great significance, and oh, the beauty of the place!
I was there last May to celebrate my friend Rick’s 80th birthday with a fabulous luncheon party at the Mirabelle Restaurant on the seventh floor of the Hotel Splendide Royal. Splendide it was! Not only is the food out of this world, but there are the most extraordinary views across the Villa Medici.
Rome has so much history, all the pasta you might want and men who still admire you. One still feels seen! Once I was on the Spanish Steps in a beautiful white silk blouse. My boyfriend bought me an ice cream cone. As we descended the steps, I took a lick and the ice cream fell all over the front of my new blouse! Embarrassing.
I was lucky enough another time to be able to take a private tour of the Vatican. I saw the Pope’s private chapel, with a secret door for when the lift transports him there. The colours of pale blue, grey and gold were outstanding and inspired me to refurbish my apartment in the same colour palette.
Ten years ago I sang in Rome as part of a concert called Music for Mercy held in collaboration with UNESCO, Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi and the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma. We performed outside in the Fori Imperiali, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. I sang with Andrea Bocelli, Carly Paoli and David Foster on piano, with a philharmonic orchestra. It was magical and beautifully lit.
While there, I visited the Villa d’Este Gardens, which are 16th-century Renaissance water gardens with stunning trees and terraces and statues everywhere
That’s a difficult one. I discovered cruising after my breast cancer surgery in the Nineties. A couple of friends invited me to sail around Southeast Asia. It was the most wonderful restorative holiday and the start of many adventures on the high seas.
When cruising, one can see so many countries over a matter of weeks or months.
I’ve been lucky enough to visit places I would never go to otherwise. This year I sailed across the South Pacific Ocean from Los Angeles to New Zealand. It took six weeks. We watched the movie South Pacific, of course, and kept singing all the Rogers and Hammerstein songs.
I swam in the sea, which is not something I ever usually do. I hate cold water, but this was so warm, clear and aquamarine blue. Add in the swaying palm trees, and it was just paradise.
My pillow. I have always done this, from my days touring in concert all over the world. It was the one thing I needed to make certain I’d get some sleep, because you can’t sing without sleep.
I also took a little pump to suck all the air out, so I could get it in my case.
I always used to pack a concert case with all my performing paraphernalia – including gowns, music, make-up, you name it – in the hold.
That all changed after a trip to Vienna. I arrived to discover that British Airways had lost my luggage. As I’m tiny and Vienna isn’t exactly the world epicentre of shopping, we couldn’t find anything to fit me.
I was left with just the pair of jeans and T-shirt I’d travelled in. Luckily for everyone, thanks to many phone calls from my personal assistant, the case turned up just hours before the performance. Now I always carry all my essentials and at least one gown in my hand luggage, just in case.
An elephant, because he’d pack his own trunk! And we’d go on the Orient Express!
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