Fellow child star Bonnie Langford, who was at stage school with Zavaroni in the Seventies, said she was deeply saddened. 'She was an incredibly gifted and very sweet person. It is a tragedy that she has died so young.' When it comes to wallpaper, there are a few things that you need to take into account before making your decision. The first and most important factor is the size of your room. A wallpaper with a large image will not fit well in a small room, and vice versa.

Whitnall points out that Lena Zavaroni initially viewed performance as a hobby. She was in no way prepared for the avalanche of interest which was to fall upon her after being discovered by Glaswegian record producer Tommy Scott while she was singing in her parents’ chip shop. It is a comparison more poignant than she knew. Attending the Italia Conti stage school, Zavaroni brought out a couple of records, Ma, He's Makin' Eyes at Me and Personality, but even at this early point in her career she felt unhappy with her 4ft 10in tall body.This compelling play, about the girl from the remote Scottish island and daughter of the local chip shop owner, is a real lesson about what fame can do to people. The play features Zavaroni’s hits, including Ma! He’s Making Eyes At Me, Roses and Rainbows, and (You’ve Got) Personality. Her mum and dad had divorced by then. She stayed with me when she came for the funeral, and again when she came to do Songs Of Praise.” Lena was nine. She was playing about with her sister on the floor at the time and she just said, ‘That’d be great, Dad.’ So I decided to sign it.” Before the likes of Britney Spears and Amy Winehouse struggled with the pressures of celebrity in the social media era, Lena, catapulted to stardom as a young girl with little control over her own money-making abilities and maturing in the limelight, suffered her own demons. You remember, too, that she had long struggles with anorexia nervosa; you recall that she died tragically young, in October 1999. She was just 34.

In LENA, we are met with a very different girl, 25 years later, one for whom the glory days are long gone. Director Paul Hendy carefully explores what happened to the young girl. While attending London's Italia Conti Academy stage school, Zavaroni met and became long-term friends with another young star, Bonnie Langford. [ citation needed] They starred in the ITV special Lena and Bonnie. [5] In September 1978, the BBC broadcast Lena Zavaroni on Broadway. [6] Her performance led to a real ‘Susan Boyle’ moment, where viewers just couldn’t believe the talent of this wee girl from Rothesay.I was approached by Scottish Screen about 10 years ago, who asked me for my blue-sky list of subjects I’d like to write about, and I said Lena Zavaroni. The film didn’t work out, although it’s something I’d like to return to but our director Leslie Finlay suggested we do it for theatre.” The following week, Lena defeated a slightly older female singer, Jacqueline Edwards, who, the critic said, “has one of those voices that turn up once in a lifetime”. On and on Lena continued (“I think she has the voice and the talent to go as far as Lulu”) until she was finally beaten by a group named Airborne (“which is probably the best musical group since the Beatles”). This August will see LENA, the new play by BAFTA and Olivier Award winner Tim Whitnall, come to the Assembly George Square playing throughout the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Lena's father Victor, his wife Christine, and Lena's sister Carla, who lives near London, were with her when she died last night, Margaret Zavaroni said.

For Lena’s dad the memories are bittersweet. “You don’t expect your daughter to die before you,” he says. I wanted to be just right for them, but I had to go to all these breakfasts, dinners and lunches. I only became fanatical about not eating when the pressure got too much. I just wanted to have a nice shape.”When you interviewed her you felt she was making an immense effort to be a star and it was all a bit much for her." Momentarily, the big belter hits such as Ma! He’s Making Eyes at Me add dazzle. Lena’s inner turmoil comes across in her numbers, and physically she looks weaker with each new tune. Her development through childhood, teenage years and adulthood is marked neatly with added gravitas in her voice. Armstrong is certainly a talent – and the supporting cast are strong too. But this is a pedestrian retelling that never quite makes your heart ache.