Jerry’s Lee Relieved at Best Director Miss???

Speaking of nominees, one who wasn’t the least bit disappointed with not winning was Jerry Springer - The Opera’s Stewart Lee. He told Whatsonstage.com that had he won for Best Director, where he was one of three musical directors out of a field of four nominees, “I would have been so embarrassed. I would have spent ten minutes at least deferring to others.” In the end, the award went to the Donmar’s Michael Grandage for Caligula, the category’s single play entry, a decision Lee agree with since, he said, a director’s “imprint” is much more obvious on plays than musicals. And that’s a sentiment that was also reflected in concerns revealed on Whatsonstage.com last week by an Olivier judge (See News, 17 Feb 2004). In any case, Lee had plenty to alleviate any pangs of disappointment, what with Jerry Springer winning a total of four Oliviers, including its fourth Best New Musical award of the year. Quite right too, since anyone who believes the show wasn’t the best new musical of 2003 is, according to Lee, “an idiot”.

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