Gillian Lynne by Al Hirschfeld
1987
Al Hirschfeld was an American artist and caricaturist best known for his black and white portraits of celebrities and Broadway stars. During his eight-decade career, he gained fame by illustrating the actors, singers, and dancers of various Broadway plays and shows, which would often then appear in The New York Times to herald the show's opening.
Al met Gillian in a studio in New York in 1987 where Cats rehearsals were taking place - the show had opened on Broadway in 1982. Al had some photos taken for reference and subsequently produced the caricature of Gillian shown here, superbly encapsulating the lines and grace of Gillian as she choreographed the cast with her vision of how the Cats dancers should move.
Mirror with Hirschfeld image in the Gillian Lynne Corridor at the Victoria Palace Theatre - photo: Philip Vile
Gillian was extremely fond and proud of Hirschfeld’s drawing and it became her unofficial logo. When Cameron Mackintosh created the Gillian Lynne corridor within the Victoria Palace Theatre in London in 2016, the image appears overlaid on a beautiful mirror.
One of the photographic images taken that day in New York in 1987 is shown below.
New York - 1987
Mac Cartoon
Daily Mail 2014
In 2014 with the technical and filming skills of her husband, Gillian, despite being 88 years old, devised and produced her own exercise DVD - Longevity Through Exercise - aimed at all ages but with greater emphasis for the older body. Long believing in the importance of exercise and staying flexible, she demonstrated the exercises herself on camera, a natural extension of the daily workouts she had practised throughout all her life.
This prompted Stanley McMurtry, famously better known by his pen name Mac and long-time cartoonist for the Daily Mail, to create one of his wonderful drawings - he duly sent a personally signed copy to Gillian and Peter which can be seen here..
Sardi’s Portrait
2026
For theatre artists, receiving a Sardi’s portrait is an esteemed honour, stretching back decades. Located on New York’s 44th Street, the walls of the famed midtown restaurant are lined with caricatures of Broadway's faces, from legends like Barbra Streisand to newer stars like Ben Platt.
On Thursday March 19, the honour of joining Sardi’s illustrious faces went to Dame Gillian Lynne as her portrait took its place beside the showbiz stars of the last 100 years at a ceremony in New York with many longtime friends and colleagues present.
Broadway and West End legend Jim Dale and longtime friend introduced proceedings, and Gillian’s husband, Peter Land spoke movingly about his wife and her career. A host of theatrical stars were present including Phantom of the Opera star Sierra Boggess as well many former Phantom and Cats performers.
Sardi’s tradition is that subjects sign or dedicate their portrait. Peter Land dedicated Gillian’s portrait with the quote ”Truly Now and Forever!” in memory of the love and passion Gillian brought to all her work.
Broadway's legendary restaurant is decorated with close to 1,000 caricatures of the most celebrated names in New York theatre - Richard Baratz has done a third of them - and counting. Ever since opening in 1927, Sardi's has had a resident artist. First on the scene was a quirky Russian émigré named Alex Gard, who sat around sketching the regulars. With an unswerving eye to business, restaurateur Vincent Sardi Sr. decided to dress his walls with stars. He made Gard an offer he was too hungry to refuse: a meal for every caricature. Gard was followed by John Mackey and then Donald Bevan before Brooklyn born Richard Baratz took over in 1974 as resident caricaturist, a role which he continues to this day.