Theatreland News  (http://www.olivierawards.com/)

Phantom Of The Opera wins first-ever Audience Award 15-02-2002

The Phantom Of The Opera has won the first ever Olivier Audience Award for Most Popular Show. Voting took place on this website and from a television phone poll on this week’s daily A Week In The West End programme on BBC TWO. Current Chicago star Claire Sweeney, who has been fronting the television show this week, rather fittingly presented the bronze award to the show’s producers, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cameron Mackintosh. Lord Lloyd Webber, whose musical has played over 6,000 performances and has won 20 major theatre awards including two Oliviers and seven Tony Awards, said on receiving this latest accolade, “after Cats closes, we’re out of a job, so we’ll be guesting in The Play What I Wrote.”

And here is a post made by one of our supporters, Lindsay Garner.  Thanks Linds.

"I have just watched the Olivier awards on BBC2 and am so angry at Andrew Lloyd Webber for, what I feel is the worst acceptance speech I have heard!

Like everyone, I was delighted that Phantom won that award. It shows that even after all these years, people are still flocking to go and see it. Bringing the show to a whole new generation of Phans.

When he went up to get the award he didn’t look in the slightest happy or anything. He just went on about having vertigo when he stands up and how he was scared about walking up the stairs to the stage. He said he hoped it didn’t win, so he wouldn’t have to go on the stage.

He thanked NOBODY, which really annoyed me. I would have thought it would have been polite and courteous to thank the Phantom loving public for making the show so successful. But NO...poor ole MC didn’t get a mention. He also said that Phantom has been running long enough!

All he kept going on about was being out of a job, when CATS closes in May.  Cameron Mackintosh came on stage and said that Phantom still had a few more years left in it...to which Andrew Lloyd Webber just laughed and walked off.

I have spent rather a lot of money on Phantom, I would personally have liked some bit of gratitude...being a regular theatregoer.

They showed NO clips and the woman giving out the nominations, just could quite get her tongue around the French pronunciation of the show.

All Andrew Lloyd Webber cares about is MONEY, as long as he has the high life of one of his many houses, he is happy.

Sorry if you think I’m moaning but it's how I feel.
Love
Linds"