Edward Watson has been awarded the Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance for his physically demanding role in Arthur Pita’s new version of The Metamorphosis.
Staged at the Linbury Studios, part of the Royal Opera House, which houses tonight’s glittering ceremony, Watson played the slime-covered Gregor Samsa, contorting his body to become an insect as the lead character in Kafka’s iconic short story.
The Royal Ballet principal dancer and first time Olivier Award winner was praised by The Guardian who declared the work a: “solo tour de force” adding: “Watson, smeared with the oily goo that Gregor’s new body hideously exudes, knots himself into horrifyingly dehumanised shapes. Rocking on his back, his hands coil around his feet; his long, slender limbs are bizarrely skewed; his splayed prehensile toes and fingers quiver.”
Watson fought off stiff competition from fellow nominees Sylvie Guillem, Tommy Franzen and the design team of the Royal Opera House’s Alice’s Adventure In Wonderland.