'Mummy's still looking after me'

When Gillian Lynne was 13, her mother died in a car accident. Surprisingly, it has become a terrible loss in the catalyst for a successful career in theater, film and television, and was inspired by her mother all

Child

Gillian Lynne

ended when he was 13, in what should have been a carefree summer day. He played with four friends in a garden in Kent, the children because their parents were together, a group of four couples had been together for the weekend, and the grandparents of two children were looking five years. "We went to a tree, have a wonderful time," says Gillian, "when we saw the grandparents of our friends walk across the lawn towards us. This seems strange, because they can not go in the garden like that. And then I realized How strange it seemed, and then asked everyone to enter, and it was very rare

"We could see the grandparents were in a state of affairs, and a veil seemed to descend on the house something terrible had happened -. We could feel it."

Gillian and her friends were right. Something had happened, something more terrible than they could imagine. That same day, elsewhere in the country where they spent the weekend, his 36 year old mother of Barbara and three friends had gone shopping in the back of his car skidded into the path of a tanker. The four men were killed.

was very late that night when the father of Gillian, Leslie and other parents, returned to Kent with the news of the death of their mother to child. "Never forget how Dad seemed - that seemed to have shrunk, with clothes hanging, and he trembled," he recalls. "Then I said the mummy was dead, I put my arm around him and said:" I take care of you "- and at the same time, I knew that my childhood was over."

History

Gillian is remarkable for several reasons. The first is that even though she says it like it was yesterday - no detail is forgotten, did not spare the nuances - the tragedy took place over 70 years in 1939. Also remarkable is the power of a story - something about a group of children are orphaned at the same time is very impressive. The most remarkable of all is that this tragedy, far from diminishing, and even destroy Gillian, became the building block in the foundation of the end of his long life (now 85).

And what turned out to be brilliant life, for in spite of Gillian Lynne's not a household name, is a legend in theater, well known by anyone in the entertainment world. She was a ballet dancer, actor, director, a television director and choreographer - and excels in all. His greatest success was with cats and The Phantom of the Opera, which choreography. "I was very lucky," he said. "Most people in my company does not have a great success, and I had two."

But I do not think Gillian has been a matter of luck: she knows that her success is due to labor discipline and dedication - and also, she says, her mother was helped to beyond the grave. "Many times in my life when things went well, I thought," This is Mom - still with me aa .'"

You do not believe in the afterlife to see the strength of the influence of his mother, Barbara Pyrker (Gillian changed its name to the scene), because it is clear is that his mother packed in 13 years sufficient guidance, support and love for his son that last a lifetime. "She was my best friend, my protector. We had fun as a whole, "she said." She taught me a lot, too: it taught me discipline, real discipline has always been hard work, discipline, because I expect so .. "

Barbara also encouraged her daughter in the ballet, which, after his family was to matter more than anything in his life. (One of the other children of the first class I took was Beryl Gillian boyfriend, who became Beryl Grey -. Give and Gillian are great friends to this day)

Barbara has always believed in the talent of his daughter - at the time of his death, Gillian won a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Dance. "So what saved me, after the mummy was dead, was in a ballet company and be able to dance as she wished. She had high hopes for me." kept alive the love to live the dream they had dreamed all of his mother, one of the most poignant moments in his recently published autobiography is the description of the days in February 1946, when she danced her first solo at Covent Garden, Sleeping with Margot Fonteyn, before an audience which included the royal family. As he ran on stage and started dancing, Gillian wrote, all in the theater is gone. "It was my mother around and around me, ready to dance with all my heart ... we were alone, to enter the world he had always wanted for me, and I offered my dance with her. "

• throughout his long career, he says, went to talk with his mother and his work to devote to it. "Someone told me the other day, I could have been Trevor Nunn -. 'His mother would have felt very proud, "I hope he would. "
But there is another element, too, for the purpose of the death of his mother. "The pallor of my experiences gave me another dimension that has been of great help in my work when I'm directing people - especially Phantom -. Something that you can take advantage is not on the page There is something in the air, something you must feel to understand, and I can do because of what happened to people I'm working mother often say that I said has opened some of them -. and everything happened because of this terrible time. "

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