Olympians watched Olympians last night as more than 60 members of Team GB attended a special gala performance of this year’s medal-winning hit athletic tale Chariots Of Fire.
The boundaries between life and art became a little blurred with shades of gold, silver and bronze as medallists and competitors from London 2012 watched actors play medallists and competitors from the 1924 games in the sporting drama that has turned the auditorium of the Gielgud theatre into a running track.
Canoe Slalom gold medallist Etienne Stott led the roll call of honours on display at the theatre during a very special curtain call that saw Team GB competitors from athletics, basketball, beach volleyball, canoeing, diving, football, handball, hockey, modern pentathlon, rowing, sailing, shooting, swimming, table tennis and water polo take to the stage, receiving rapturous applause, at this most topical of productions.
Chariots Of Fire, which is based on the famous film of the same name, tells the story of two rival runners hoping for success at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, one a devout Scottish Christian running for the glory of God, the other the son of an immigrant Lithuanian Jew running to overcome prejudice. Directed by Edward Hall, the stage production, which features the famous Vangelis music from the film, opened at Hampstead theatre earlier this year before transferring to the West End’s Gielgud theatre for this spectacular summer.
The production has enjoyed success to rival that of Team GB and has recently extended its run on the London stage. It is now booking until 2 February 2013, giving medallists, sportspeople and those of us who can only dream of achieving such incredible feats longer to catch the inspirational show.