Joan Rivers to mark 75th birthday with acting debut

London, May 24 : Celebrating her 75th birthday, the American comedienne renowned for her quips, Joan Rivers will make her acting debut in the self-penned autobiographical play 'Joan Rivers: A Work in Progress by a Life in Progress'.

The premiere production will relaunch The Venue off Leicester Square, which has been refurbished and renamed the Leicester Square Theatre.

While talking about her acting debut at this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the actress says she can't wait to return to "magical" Edinburgh so she can stock up on tacky souvenirs.

"You better bring out all your cheap, tacky Scottish stuff when I come over, because me and my friends just love that stuff and we're gonna buy it all in spades," The Scotsman quoted her, as saying.

"I just love Edinburgh, there's something magical about the place and I can't wait to see it again," she added.

The show, which opens on August 7, will then transfer to London's West End where it will be the opening production at the newly refurbished and re-named Leicester Square Theatre before moving to Broadway in 2009.

Rivers said she couldn't wait to return to the Capital after first performing in the city seven years ago.

She said: "I visited the place for the first time when I was in a very bad place in my life.

"I'd just split up with someone and I was feeling very low and a friend said to me 'why don't you go to the Edinburgh Festival to cheer yourself up'.

"I said, 'Nobody's ever asked me' and then the very next day I got the phone call inviting me over.

"It was almost like it was meant to be. I came over, had a wonderful time and when I got home my career really took off in a big way."

ANI