She is the mother of stage actress Susan Neil and folk musician Andy Irvine. The couple settled in Merseyside, and Felicia was the fourth of their seven children, five of whom survived into adulthood. Felicia had performed at concerts from the age of five and, since she had always aspired to be an actress, also left Wallasey for London.
After simply turning up at the Winter Garden Theatre in London, she was offered a place in the chorus and gained experience in her chosen profession under the stage name of Felice Lascelles.
Lascelles began her stage career touring in two plays by George Grossmith Jr. In , Lascelles joined the cast of Charles B. In addition to playing a small, uncredited comedy part, [ ii ] Lascelles understudied Hermione Baddeley for a year. A preview, published in the Weekly Dispatch on 15 November, included her photo, captioned: "Felice Lascelles, to appear in Still Dancing , the new revue at the Pavilion.
She was part of the chorus in the run of Kid Boots at the Winter Garden , London, [ 28 ] when Leslie Henson saw her rehearsing as understudy to the leading lady and made her an offer of her first leading part as Polly [ 3 ] [ 5 ] in that play's national tour, [ 12 ] which opened at the Palace Theatre, Manchester , on 30 August , [ 29 ] and in which she sang "The Two Of Us" with Claude Bailey.
Lascelles starred in the title role of Sunny Peters in the national tour of Sunny β , presented by Jack Buchanan and Lee Ephraim, [ 33 ] in which she sang " Who? The whole company was deemed about the strongest on the road, with over 70 people: performers, bandsmen, stage carpenters, baggage men, flymen, wardrobe women and dressmakers. Nineteen tons of scenery and electrical effects were carried in seven railway carriages, including one for the horse and the dogs.
