Memories of Joan Collins in Chichester as Dame Joan turns 90

Dame Joan, who has been pictured in the nationals preparing to celebrate her big day with her 58-year-old husband Percy Gibson, was at the CFT in 1980 in The Last Of Mrs Cheyney, a production which featured Moyra Fraser as Lady Maria Frinton and Joan as Mrs Cheyney. Her costumes for the show were designed by Erté, the creator of the Art Deco style.

A worldwide television phenomenon thanks to her role in Dynasty, Dame Joan is fondly regarded as one of the last surviving actresses from the Hollywood Golden age. Inevitably there was huge excitement when it was announced that she would be appearing at Chichester and inevitably there was a rush for tickets. Equally inevitably, given the enormous public anticipation, the play never quite lived up to the media hype – which is always the problem with hype.

Equally there was a feeling that her performance was not quite as striking as had been hoped. Yet more than 40 years later it remains a memorable visit for those who were there – one of the biggest in the theatre's history. The feeling perhaps is that her performance was more powerful than was fully appreciated at the time.

Frederick Lonsdale's play, about a jewel thief who passes herself off as a society lady, opened at the St James's Theatre in London on September 22 1925 and ran for 514 performances. It has been adapted four times as a film, three times in the United States from 1929 to 1951, and most recently in 1961 as a German production. Perhaps the most famous film version came in 1937, directed by Richard Boleslawski, Dorothy Arzner and George Fitzmaurice, written by Leon Gordon,Samson Raphaelson and Monckton Hoffe and starring Robert Montgomery, Joan Crawford and William Powell

In Chichester the cast list included Charles – Benjamin Whitrow; George – James Coombes; William – James Murray; Lady Joan Houghton – Briony McRoberts; Lady Mary Sindlay – Alexa Povah; The Hon Willie Wynton – Charles Rogers; Lady Maria Frinton – Moyra Fraser; Lord Dilling – Simon Williams; Mrs Cheyney – Joan Collins

Dame Joan Henrietta Collins was born on May 23. Her awards include Golden Globe Award, a People's Choice Award, two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.