Christopher Wheeldon wins Olivier Award for Best Theatre Choreographer
April 2025
Christopher Wheeldon with Elaine Paige
Photo: ©Joanne Davidson
Congratulations to Christopher Wheeldon for winning the Gillian Lynne Award for Best Theatre Choreographer at the 2025 Olivier Awards held at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday for his work on MJ The Musical at the Prince Edward Theatre.
Elaine Paige presented this year’s award to Christopher who not only had created the show along with two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage but is also the show’s director. Christopher was thrilled to add the Olivier Award to the Tony Award for Choreography he had received for the show in 2022.
Christopher won this year’s choreography award ahead of stellar nominees Matthew Bourne for Oliver! at Gielgud Theatre, Julia Cheng for Fiddler On The Roof at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and Hofesh Shechter for Oedipus at The Old Vic.
With electrifying dancing and featuring all the great hit songs, MJ The Musical takes audiences behind the scenes during the creation of Michael Jackson’s spectacular 1992 Dangerous World Tour, and relives the astonishing music, jaw-dropping moves, and extraordinary genius of one of the greatest entertainers of all time. The show opened on Broadway at the Neil Simon Theatre in February 2022, where it continues today, and opened in London’s West End in 2024.
Foundation trustees and supporters - including Dan Ross, Robert Meadmore, Karen Diprose, Alex Gavin, Żaneta Ross, Emily Langham and Ian McFarlane - attended the Awards and celebrated the Best Theatre Choreographer Award named in honour of Gillian Lynne.
Foundation Chair Peter Land was delighted musical theatre legend Elaine Paige was able to present the award at the Royal Albert Hall. Elaine had first met Gillian Lynne when they worked together on Leslie Bricusse and Tony Newley’s Roar of the Greasepaint - Smell of the Crowd in 1964. They became lifelong friends as well as famously collaborating on Cats where Elaine played Grizabella in the original production in London in 1981.
See photos from the evening below - click to enlarge …..
and watch a trailer for MJ The Musical below…