Matthew Bourne and Stephen Mear were joint recipients of the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Theatre Choreographer for their work on magical musical Mary Poppins. In a category packed with big names, Bourne and Mear came out top over Adam Cooper (Grand Hotel) and Susan Stroman (The Producers).
Set the task of choreographing a show based on one of the best-loved family films ever, Mear and Bourne, who also co-directs with Richard Eyre, have put together fantastic numbers. Step In Time, Jolly Holiday and Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious are ensemble extravaganzas, while there have also been a few surprise moments thrown in for good measure.
Bourne, who has previously won four Oliviers, began dancing at the age of 22 when he enrolled at the Laban Centre. In 1987 he became Artistic Director of Adventures in Motion Pictures, the company that originally produced the ground-breaking male Swan Lake. Bourne’s other work includes The Car Man, Nutcracker!, Highland Fling and Play Without Words.
Mear has been nominated for Oliviers on two previous occasions, for Singin’ In The Rain and for Soul Train. He has also choreographed shows such as Anything Goes, Tonight’s The Night and the upcoming production of On The Town at the Coliseum.
Bourne and Mear were presented with their awards by Arlene Philips, the founder member of Hot Gossip and choreographer of Starlight Express, Saturday Night Fever, Grease and Annie. Also presenting was Adam Garcia who will soon be performing in On The Town at the Coliseum.
