Arlene Phillips and James Cousins win Olivier Award for Best Theatre Choreographer
April 2024
Arlene Phillips and James Cousins
Photo: Joanne Davidson
Congratulations to Arlene Phillips and James Cousins for winning the Gillian Lynne Award for Best Theatre Choreographer at the 2024 Olivier Awards held at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday for their work on the 1950’s gambling musical Guys and Dolls at the Bridge Theatre.
Michael Ball presented this year’s award and as he announced the winner, the crowd cheered and gave a standing ovation to Arlene who proudly announced that, at the age of 80, she was absolutely delighted to win her first Olivier Award
Arlene and James took this year’s award ahead of other nominees Fabian Aloise for Sunset Boulevard, Ellen Kane and Hannes Langolf for Dear England and Susan Stroman for Crazy for You.
Guys and Dolls is a musical comedy with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. Based on two short stories by Damon Runyon, it premiered on Broadway in 1950, running for 1,200 performances and winning the Tony Award for Best Musical. Since then, it has had several Broadway and London revivals, as well as a 1955 film adaptation starring Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando.
This latest revival at the Bridge Theatre, directed by Nicholas Hytner, is a truly immersive experience with the seating wrapping around the action of the streets of Manhattan and the bars of Havana in a tale encompassing the unlikeliest of love stories, disreputable casinos and downtown crime.
Hannah Waddingham Photo: Danny Kaan
Foundation patrons and trustees were present at the Albert Hall to enjoy the Awards show and in particular to celebrate the second year of naming the Best Theatre Choreographer Award in honour of Gillian Lynne. Patron Hannah Waddingham, spectacular as always, again presented and hosted the show, opening proceedings with a powerful rendition of Anything Goes.
Other patrons and trustees present included Janie Dee, who sang in a star-studded tribute to the National Theatre’s 60th anniversary celebration, Chrissie Cartwright, Luke Rittner, Peter Land and Robert Meadmore, along with Foundation Director Karen Diprose. They were joined by Foundation Scholars Calum Isaacs and Alex Gavin, final year students at Central School and ArtsEd respectively, with Alex performing along with the ArtsEd Choir for the show’s finale.
See photos from the evening below - click to enlarge …..
