As the most prestigious accolades in London and British theatre are about to disclose their new list of nominees, Dame Arlene Phillips and Sir Derek Jacobi have been made the beneficiaries of this year’s categories. Set to hold their ceremony in the beginning of April at the Royal Albert Hall, all the rest of candidates will be released next Tuesday.
The doors are open, they’re on their way! Let’s hear what they have to say! It’s only a few days now until we finally learn who’ll have the chances this year to take home the Holy Grail of British theatre recognition. But to cope with the long wait, fans will be pleased to know that this week, two major beneficiaries have been made official as a prelude to the much expected ceremony. Given in collaboration with Mastercard, the Oliviers have granted two of their most prestigious categories to a couple of legends in the industry, assigning the Special Award to Dame Arlene Phillips, while the Lifetime Achievement Award has been granted to iconic actor Sir Derek Jacobi.
“We would like to offer an enormous congratulations to the two recipients of the Special Awards – Dame Arlene Phillips, for her inspiring work in dance and choreography, and Sir Derek Jacobi, for his incredible, life-long service to the theatre as an actor”, say Claire Walker and Hannah Essex, co-CEOs of Society of London Theatre. “This year’s honourees have inspired generations with their work, and it is a privilege to be able to publicly recognise them in this year’s awards”.
Having worked as a choreographer and a theatre director for over 45 years, Phillips’s credits also feature high profile music videos (Whitney Houston, Elton John, Queen) and films (Annie, Ridley Scott’s Legend, Monty Python) apart from serving as a judge on TV talent competitions such as Strictly Come Dancing and So You Think You Can Dance. On the other hand, Jacobi’s accolade commemorates his remarkable 60-year career onstage and screen. Throughout his astonishing list of film and theatre credits, highlights include many Shakespearian works on both media (Hamlet, Romeo And Juliet, King Lear), as well as blockbuster productions like Gladiator, The Kings Speech and Murder On The Orient Express.
The 2023 Olivier Awards will take place on Sunday 2 April at London’s Royal Albert Hall. The full list of nominees will be announced on February 28 at 2PM and will be available on the following link.
First Night Magazine 