“Forgotten Hollywood”- The Cat’s Meow…
Manny P. here…
“`Choreographer Gillian Lynne for years collaborated with composer Andrew Lloyd Webber on a number of his most iconic plays. Her credits include the phenomenally successful Cats and The Phantom of the Opera. She won a Tony Award for each production.
“`Lynne began her career as a lead solo dancer with Sadler’s Wells Ballet in 1944, and moved into directing and choreography. She was a choreographer for Northern Ballet and the Bolshoi. Lynne directed many productions in London’s West End and on Broadway. She also worked on television specials, collaborating with performers from a variety of music genres, including Ray Charles, Perry Como, and Petula Clark.
“`Just last month, Lloyd Webber re-named his New London Theatre as The Gillian Lynne Theatre, making it the first in London’s theater district named for a woman. Though she had a prolific career as a choreographer on stage, her work also involved film. Gillian appeared in The Master of Ballantrae with Errol Flynn, and became the dance supervisor for Man of La Mancha and Yentl.
“`She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1997 Birthday Honours, and as a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2014 New Year Honours: for service to musical theatre and dance. Lights around London’s theater district will dim for a minute over the next few days before each show as a fitting tribute to Lynne.
“`Gillian Lynne (right) transformed and updated modern musical theatre through dance. She was 92.
Until next time> “never forget”
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