Rendering on theatre (3)

The article published by Vanessa Thorpe on the website  observer.guardian.co.uk  on the 24th o March, 2013 is headlined “Reality TV is harming the theatre”. The article reports at length that the doyenne of dance, Gillian Lynne, who is soon to receive an Olivier special award, believes culture of instant fame is bad for stage shows.

Speaking of the situation it is interesting to note that the woman behind a host of bestselling West End shows over the past 30 years is worried about the future of the industry. Gillian Lynne, the doyenne of live dance as choreographer of Cats, The Phantom of The Opera and Aspects of Love, is to receive an Olivier award for lifetime achievement next month. She told the Observer she senses a growing threat to musical theatre from television.

It is an open secret that at 87, Lynne is the most successful choreographer of several generations. The Olivier award will celebrate her contribution to theatre and a career she believes has been built ona commitment to her art and a dislike of shortcuts. In spite of a close working relationship with Lord Lloyd-Webber, who uses TV contests to pick out his new stage stars, Lynne fears the reliance on celebrities has undermined her craft.

There is some comment on that her Olivier award means she joins an elite list of previous recipients, including Lloyd Webber, Stephen Sondheim, Dame Maggie Smith and Sir Alan Ayckbourn. The ceremony in London will crown a career in which she has danced with both Frederick Ashton and Fred Astaire. It’s necessary to note that Lynne danced the Black Queen in Checkmate, among other leading roles, at the Royal Opera House, where Dame Ninette de Valois picked her out as a rebel.  Eventually, Lynne left Covent Garden, returning much later to choreograph and dance in opera interludes. In recent years, she has complained that the Royal Ballet has let its dancers forget the sensuality of dance.  

The article draws a conclusion that in the West End, where she appeared on stage with Dudley Moore and then worked with Anthony Newley on the revue show The Roar of the Greasepaint, the Smell of the Crowd, Lynne blossomed. To my mind, we must be proud of such magnificent choreographers. Gillian Lynne is a doyenne o dance nowadays and what a pity we know so little about her interesting life and her brilliant career.