'Blonde' has fun at London awards
Source: Agencies |
March 15, 2011, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
FROTHY, film-inspired funfest "Legally Blonde: The Musical" won three big prizes at London's Laurence Olivier theater awards, while Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Love Never Dies" went home empty-handed despite seven nominations.
"Legally Blonde" was named best new musical at Britain's equivalent of Broadway's Tonys on Sunday. Star Sheridan Smith was crowned best actress in a musical, and Jill Halfpenny took the prize for supporting -performer in a musical.
The story of a California girl who proves her mettle at Harvard Law School - based on the 2001 Reese Witherspoon movie - received lukewarm reviews on Broadway and closed in October 2008 after 595 performances. But London's often curmudgeonly critics greeted it as a burst of sunshine in the rainy West End when it opened here in January 2010.
"It's credit crunch, terrible weather, and all you want to do is have two and a half hours of escapism," Smith said.
Lloyd Webber's sequel to monster hit "Phantom of the Opera" received more nominations than any other show, but won nothing. The musical opened a year ago to mixed reviews, and recently announced a series of cast changes as it fights to match "Phantom's" success.
Productions from the state-subsidized National Theatre, Donmar Warehouse and Royal Court Theatre dominated the prizes - just as deep government cuts are about to slash funding to the arts in Britain.
The best new play award went to "Clybourne Park," a provocative comedy about race relations and property prices in Chicago by American playwright Bruce Norris. It was first staged in London at the Donmar and is running in the West End.
"Legally Blonde" was named best new musical at Britain's equivalent of Broadway's Tonys on Sunday. Star Sheridan Smith was crowned best actress in a musical, and Jill Halfpenny took the prize for supporting -performer in a musical.
The story of a California girl who proves her mettle at Harvard Law School - based on the 2001 Reese Witherspoon movie - received lukewarm reviews on Broadway and closed in October 2008 after 595 performances. But London's often curmudgeonly critics greeted it as a burst of sunshine in the rainy West End when it opened here in January 2010.
"It's credit crunch, terrible weather, and all you want to do is have two and a half hours of escapism," Smith said.
Lloyd Webber's sequel to monster hit "Phantom of the Opera" received more nominations than any other show, but won nothing. The musical opened a year ago to mixed reviews, and recently announced a series of cast changes as it fights to match "Phantom's" success.
Productions from the state-subsidized National Theatre, Donmar Warehouse and Royal Court Theatre dominated the prizes - just as deep government cuts are about to slash funding to the arts in Britain.
The best new play award went to "Clybourne Park," a provocative comedy about race relations and property prices in Chicago by American playwright Bruce Norris. It was first staged in London at the Donmar and is running in the West End.
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