There’s no business like show business – Larkland House resident reminisces about New York glory day

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Jul 26, 2019

A Larkland House resident and former showgirl went on a trip down memory lane with a professional dance entertainer.

The team at Larkland House, on London Road, arranged a surprise tap dance session for resident Madge Brown after hearing about her years as a showgirl in New York.

Madge, 96, was born in England in 1922, but lived in New York for over 30 years. She worked in the theatre as a dancer and in later life worked backstage. Madge, who is living with dementia, often speaks about her love for glitz and glamour and shares many stories about life behind the stage curtain. 

The team at Larkland House contacted Katie Lewis, a professional London-based tap dancer, as part of Care UK’s Wishing Tree initiative, who led a dance session for Madge and the other residents.  

Maggie Candy, home manager at Larkland House, said: “Madge is a very interesting lady and always speaks about how much she loved showbiz, so we were really excited to bring that part of her life back to her after all these years.

“Madge really enjoyed watching Katie dance and sharing stories about all the theatres she performed in. It was a really lovely afternoon and it was great to see how engaged she was during the performance and hear her reminiscing about such fond memories.”