Dame Judi won an Oscar for her part in Shakespeare in Love

He credited her with "a force of willpower, concentration, technique and sheer radiance that brands her presence into your memory".

New York Daily News critic Finan O'Toole was equally complimentary, hailing "the marvellous Judi Dench".

Tickets to see the 64-year-old actress in her first performance on Broadway in 40 years are the hottest in town. The play has broken Broadway records for advance box office sales.

Dame Judi said: "It does feel unreal. My feet haven't really touched the ground for a long time".

Her portrayal of an actress who battles with her daughter and son-in-law - a media man who denigrates theatre - first won acclaim when the show opened in London in 1997.

But Dame Judi's best supporting actress award at this year's Oscars has put the play firmly in the headlines.

It also features US actor Tate Donovan, as well as British stars Ronald Pickup and Samantha Bond, who played Miss Moneypenny opposite Dame Judi's M in the last two James Bond movies.