Olivier Awards nominations announced
March 26, 2013
The nominations for the 2013 Olivier Awards were announced today at the May Fair Hotel in London.
Actresses Ruth Wilson (L) and Elaine Paige, with President of the Society of London Theatre, Mark Rubinstein
Presented by Olivier Award winners Ruth Wilson and Elaine Paige live on BBC Radio 2′s Ken Bruce show, the announcement also featured a performance from last year’s big Olivier winner Matilda The Musical.
The shows dominating this year’s awards include the National Theatre’s The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time, Hollywood musical Top Hat at the Aldwych Theatre and recent Chichester and Adelphi Theatre production of Sweeney Todd.
In the publicly voted Audience Award, the shows now vying for the award are Billy Elliot The Musical, Matilda The Musical, The Phantom Of The Opera and Wicked.
The National Theatre’s production of The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time leads the list with eight nominations, followed by new musical Top Hat with seven, and the West End transfer of Chichester Festival Theatre’s revival of Sweeney Todd with six. Other stand-out nominations include The Audience starring Helen Mirren and the recent Chichester and Old Vic revival of Kiss Me, Kate each receiving five nominations, and Constellations, The Bodyguard and Twelfth Night with four.
A wealth of star names have been given the nod for awards this year including Helen Mirren and Richard McCabe in The Audience, Heather Headley and Debbie Kurup in The Bodyguard, Leigh Zimmerman in A Chorus Line, Luke Treadaway in The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time, Rupert Everett in The Judas Kiss, James McAvoy in Macbeth and Kristen Scott Thomas in Old Times.
Billie Piper, Helen McCrory, Imelda Staunton, Hannah Waddingham, Michael Ball, Tom Chambers, Adam Garcia, Mark Rylance, Rafe Spall and Will Young have also been singled out for award nominations..
Voting for the BBC Radio 2 Audience Award is well underway, with 65,000 votes already recorded, and the shortlist now announced as Billy Elliot The Musical, Matilda The Musical, The Phantom Of The Opera and Wicked.
New writing is at the forefront of this year’s nominations, leading the way across many categories from The Effect, Constellations and This House to Cinderella (at St James’s Theatre) and Goodnight Mr Tom.
Dance nominations are split between The Royal Ballet and Sadler’s Wells, with notable opera nominations including three out of four nominations for English National Opera for Best New Opera Production, and The Stage Management Teams at ENO London Coliseum and the Royal Opera House nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Opera.
As previously announced, former Olivier Award winners Gillian Lynne CBE and Michael Frayn are to be honoured with Special Awards for their outstanding contributions to theatre.
The Olivier Awards will take place at the Royal Opera House on Sunday 28 April, hosted by Hugh Bonneville and Sheridan Smith. The ceremony will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 2 from 6.30pm and exclusive red carpet interviews with the stars as they arrive before the big night. A full television highlights package will also be broadcast on ITV later in the evening.
LINKS
Full list of Olivier Award nominations
Ruth Wilson and Elaine Paige to reveal Olivier Awards nominees
March 22, 2013
Actresses Ruth Wilson and Elaine Paige will reveal this year’s nominees for the Olivier Awards at London’s May Fair Hotel on 26 March 2013.
The nominees will be broadcast live at 11:30am on BBC Radio 2′s Ken Bruce show, including the shortlist for the Audience Award.
Wilson, who won the Best Actress accolade for her performance in Anna Christie at the Donmar Warehouse last year, and 1978’s Performance of the Year in a Musical winner Paige, who performed on stage at 2012’s Olivier Awards, will return to announce the individuals and productions set to fight it out for one of London theatre’s most prestigious prizes at the star-studded ceremony taking place on 28 April at the Royal Opera House.
Presented by Sheridan Smith and Hugh Bonneville, this year’s awards will be aired live on BBC Radio 2, where you can also hear exclusive interviews with the stars on the red carpet, shown on ITV in a fantastic highlights package and experienced live at a special public Covent Garden piazza event.
Taking place from 16:00 on the day of the awards, the public event will allow theatregoers to gather at the BBC Radio 2 stage in Covent Garden, where they can watch the ceremony on the big screen, see the quartet of shows shortlisted for the BBC Radio 2 Audience Award perform live and get involved with a host of awards-themed fun, including prize giveaways, make-up demos courtesy of MAC, styling tips from Chester Barrie and cocktail mixing lessons with Radisson Edwardian.
Matilda The Musical scoops 7 Olivier Awards
April 15, 2012
Matilda The Musical dominated the 2012 Olivier Awards this evening at the Royal Opera House, winning seven awards.
The 2012 Olivier Awards were presented at the Royal Opera House today in a star-studded ceremony organised by The Society of London Theatre.
Matilda creators Dennis Kelly and Tim Minchin
The awards were dominated by the RSC’s production of Matilda The Musical which scooped seven awards including Best New Musical, Best Director for Matthew Warchus, Best Actress in a Musical for the four young Matilda leads, Sophia Kiely, Kerry Ingram, Cleo Demetriou and Eleanor Worthington Cox, and Best Actor in a Musical for Bertie Carvel. The show also won Best Sound Design for Simon Baker, Best Theatre Choreography for Peter Darling and Best Set Design for Rob Howell. Based on Roald Dahl’s best-selling children’s book and written by Dennis Kelly with music and lyrics by comedian Tim Minchin, the show continues to play to packed audiences at the Cambridge Theatre in London.
Other big winners tonight included the Donmar’s production of Anna Christie which scooped Best Revival for Rob Ashford’s production and Best Actress for Ruth Wilson.
Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller were jointly awarded the prize for Best Actor for their alternating roles in Danny Boyle’s Frankenstein at the National theatre, plus Bruno Poet won Best Lighting Design for the show. The National Theatre also took home Best New Play for Collaborators by John Hodge, although missed out on any awards for its blockbuster comedy One Man, Two Guvnors now playing on Broadway and at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.
The Open Air Theatre’s production of Crazy For You won both Best Musical Revival and Best Costume Design for Peter McKintosh. Other musical nods included the Radio Two Audience Award which went to Les Miserables and Nigel Harman winning Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical for Shrek The Musical at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
Sheridan Smith, who won Best Actress in a Musical last year for her role in Legally Blonde, kept the momentum by taking home a Best Performance in a Supporting Role award for her role in Trevor Nunn’s Flare Path at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.
Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre went to the Theatre Royal Stratford East in association with the Barbican and Traverse Theatre for Roadkill.
Tim Rice was honoured with a Special Award
In dance, the Outstanding Achievement in Dance went to Edward Watson for his acclaimed performance in The Metamorphosis at the Royal Opera House, and the Royal Opera House’s Dame Monica Mason was presented with a Special Award by Zoe Wanamaker for her extraordinary contribution to British dance. The Best New Dance Production went to DESH by Akram Khan Company at Sadler’s Wells.
In the Opera categories, English National Opera triumphed by winning both awards: Best New Opera Production for Castor And Pollux and the Outstanding Achievement in Opera award for the breadth and diversity of its artistic programme.
Best Entertainment and Family show was won by Derren Brown for Svengali, taking home his second Entertainment Olivier Award.
The evening ended with a Special Award tribute to lyricist Sir Tim Rice, with Siobhan McCarthy and Maria Friedman singing I know Him So Well from Chess, Elaine Paige performing Don’t Cry For Me Argentina from Evita and the cast of The Lion Ling.
Hosted for a second year by Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton, who are currently starring in Sweeney Todd at the Adelphi Theatre, the awards celebrate the best of London’s West End Theatre.
LINKS
See the full list of Olivier Awards 2012 winners here
WATCH the Olivier Awards on BBC iPlayer
First-look Photos: Elaine Paige, Bernadette Peters in Follies at the Kennedy Center
May 18, 2011
Production photos for Stephen Sondheim’s Follies at the Kennedy Center in Washington starring Bernadette Peters and Elaine Paige
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is currently presenting the Kennedy Center revival production of Follies. The musical runs from 7 May to 19 June 2011 in the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater. The production features a book by James Goldman and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and is directed by Eric Schaeffer with choreography by Warren Carlyle and musical direction by James Moore.
Principal casting includes Bernadette Peters as Sally Durant Plummer, Jan Maxwell as Phyllis Rogers Stone, Danny Burstein as Buddy Plummer, Ron Raines as Benjamin Stone, and Elaine Paige as Carlotta Campion.
The production also stars Terrence Currier as Theodore Whitman, Christian Delcroix as Young Buddy, Rosalind Elias as Heidi Schiller, Colleen Fitzpatrick as Dee Dee West, Lora Lee Gayer as Young Sally, Michael Hayes as Roscoe, Florence Lacey as Sandra Crane, Linda Lavin as Hattie Walker, Régine as Solange LaFitte, David Sabin as Dimitri Weismann, Kirsten Scott as Young Phyllis, Frederick Strother as Max Deems, Nick Verina as Young Ben, Susan Watson as Emily Whitman and Terri White as Stella Deems. Rounding out the ensemble is Lawrence Alexander, Brandon Bieber, John Carroll, Sara Edwards, Leslie Flesner, Jenifer Foote, Leah Horowitz, Suzanne Hylenski, Danielle Jordan, Joseph Kolinski, Amanda Larsen, Brittany Marcin, Edrie Means, Erin Moore, Pamela Otterson, Clifton Samuels, Kiira Schmidt, Brian Shepard, Sam Strasfeld, Amos Wolff and Ashley Yeater.
Originally produced on Broadway by Harold Prince with orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick, Follies opened on April 4, 1971 starring Dorothy Collins, John McMartin, Gene Nelson, and Alexis Smith. It ran for 522 performances in the Winter Garden Theatre and received seven Tony Awards®, including Best Original Score.
LINKS
Olivier Awards – Picks and Pans
March 14, 2011
What we loved and loathed about this year’s newly reinvigorated Olivier Awards
That is was actually held in a theatre again (who knew that a London theatre would make a great venue for a London awards ceremony!)
How pregnant was Nancy Carroll? “Awards shock induces labour” headlines were thankfully (sadly) unnecessary.
Elaine Paige claiming all thanks for bringing the Olivier Awards back to the telly (well, kind of back to the telly, so long as you had a red button). Do you think Julian Bird of the Society of London Theatre felt that he might have also helped to get the Beeb back on board?
Note to the BBC: Aren’t the Olivier Awards what BBC4 was created for? Why not shove it on there and be done with it?
No expense was spared on the television coverage of the BBC Radio 2 coverage… including Paul Gambaccini and Matt Wolf’s plastic punnets of grapes on display during the televised Radio 2 segments, and just enough microphones for about ONE GUEST. That said, we did love Paul and Matt’s chattettes, but also resented the disastrous cutting away from the awards action, in particular missing the Railway Children receiving Best Entertainment was a crime. Isn’t the red button all about skipping about and being in lots of places at the same time, split screens, viewers deciding what to see and listen to?…
Barry Manilow’s face: scary, and clearly inspiration for Rupert Everett (and tell me again, other than Cobacabana The Musical playing in the West End in 1994, why was Barry there?)
The Stage’s Mark Shenton: please God have a holiday and don’t get up at 4.30am to listen to the Olivier Awards (although we are always pleased that you do make the effort).
I don’t care what they say, Jodie Prenger was a trouper doing the live Red Carpet coverage. You need someone who can just TALK INCESSENTLY whilst thrusting a microphone in the faces on posing celebrities – and she did the Larry’s proud.
Sheridan Smith’s heartfelt, natural speech when picking up best actress in a musical made us love her even more and we have a sneaky feeling she may be back next year for her part in Flare Path (and who wouldn’t swear on camera when you find out you’ve won a MAJOR AWARD?!)
LISTEN & WATCH AGAIN
BBC iPlayer – Radio 2 coverage
LINKS
Olivier Awards – list of winners
Olivier Awards: Last Chance to Vote
March 9, 2011
Today is the last chance for theatregoers to vote for their favourite West End shows and choose a winner for this year’s Olivier Audience Award.
Recent press advertising for We Will Rock You
Voting ends just before midnight tonight, Wednesday 9 March 2011.
The short list of shows are Billy Elliot the Musical, Jersey Boy, Les Misérables and We Will Rock You. They received more votes than the 14 other eligible shows in the Audience Award category, and were voted for by members of the theatregoing public.
The winner will be announced at the Olivier Awards at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on Sunday 13 March.
All four musicals have been promoting their nominations, with shows such as Jersey Boys and We Will Rock You taking out press advertising to canvas theatregoer’s votes.
LINKS
Broadway Theatre Spring Round-up
March 8, 2011
Our USA round-up of what’s hot on Broadway and beyond, including Daniel Radcliffe in How To Succeed…, transfers of Priscilla and Sister Act, Elaine Paige in Follies and much more.
Catch Me If You Can
Aaron Tveit, star of Catch Me If You Can
Previews begin this week for major new Broadway musical Catch Me If You Can at the Neil Simon Theatre (opens 10 April), based on the Stephen Spielberg movie and the true story that inspired it. The show is led by rising new Broadway star Aaron Tveit (Next to Normal, Wicked) as con-man Frank Abagnale, and also stars Kerry Butler and Norbert Leo Butz. Aaron is featured in this month’s issue of Vanity Fair and there is a real buzz about him. The musical comes from the Hairspray and Love Never Dies creative team of Jack O’Brien (director) and Jerry Mitchell (Choreography), with a book by Terence McNally (The Full Monty), and score by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.
Spider-Man: Julie out?
The New York Times is reporting that Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark director Julie ‘The Lion King’ Taymor may have to fall on her sword and depart the production if she doesn’t seek help. Apparently the producers of the troubled, multi-million dollar show would like her to work with an expanded creative team to try and bring work on the production to a close – or she may have to leave the show. Other current decisions being made on the show include to what extent the script and music should be overhauled. The five-times rearranged opening night of 15 March now seems almost certain to be… rearranged!
London to Broadway: Priscilla, Sister Act, War Horse, Jerusalem
Patina Miller rehearses for Sister Act on Broadway
Four big West End shows are opening on Broadway in the coming weeks. Priscilla Queen of the Desert is currently in previews at the Palace Theatre on Broadway (and the Palace Theatre, London!), starring Will Swenson as Tick. Swenson appeared in the recent Broadway and London productions of Hair, and is joined in Priscilla by Tony Sheldon, who revisits the role of Bernadette after wowing audiences in Australia and London, and Nick Adams (La Cage Aux Folles) as Adam.
Over at the Broadway Theatre previews start on 24 March for Sister Act, which wings its way to America following a decent run at the London Palladium. The star of the London show, Patina Miller, will reprise her role as nightclub singer Deloris Van Cartier, joined by Victoria Clark (The Light in the Piazza) as Mother Superior.
Also transferring to Broadway, the National Theatre’s production of War Horse will start previews at the Lincoln Center in New York from 15 March, and the Royal Court’s smash-hit production of Jez Butterworth’s play Jerusalem will play the Music Box theatre from 2 April. The play will feature its Olivier Award-winning London star Mark Rylance, who is sure become a major Tony Awards contender for his tour de force performance as Johnny ‘Rooster’ Byron.
Daniel Radcliffe in How To Succeed in Business…
Daniel Radcliffe in How To Succeed...
Life after Harry Potter is going to be particularly glamorous for Daniel Radcliffe as he is currently starring in How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre (now in previews, opens 27 March). The show has hit the press recently over rumours that Warner Bros. are furious with the show’s producers for not letting Radcliffe out of performances to promote the final Harry Potter film later in the year.
Elaine Paige in Follies
Not long to go until the Eric Schaeffer revival of Sondheim’s Follies at the Kennedy Center in Washington (7 May – 19 June) starring Bernadette Peters as Sally, Jan Maxwell as Phyllis, Danny Burstein as Buddy, Ron Raines as Benjamin Stone – and our very own Elaine Paige as Carlotta. The casting of Paige caught many off guard (she’s TOO YOUNG you cry!) and it will be interesting to see if Paige turns up in Trevor Nunn’s mooted revival of the show at the Theatre Royal Haymarket later this year.
Hot tip: Gavin Creel in Prometheus Bound
Michael Cunio and Gavin Creel in Prometheus Bound. Photo: Marcus Stern.
Whilst Hair alumni Will Swenson is camping it up in Priscilla, fellow co-worker Gavin Creel, who also starred with Swenson in the London transfer of Hair, is currently wowing audiences in Prometheus Bound at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Mass. Rumour mills are buzzing over whether the show might transfer to Broadway. Written by Tony and Grammy Award-winning playwright and lyricist Steven Sater, who scored a huge hit with Spring Awakening on Broadway and less so in London, and with music composed by Grammy Award-winning System of a Down lead singer Serj Tankian, the show is inspired by Aeschylus’s Ancient Greek tragedy.
Stars on Broadway
There’s no shortage of stars turning up on Broadway over the next few weeks, with Frances McDormand having just opened in Good People at the Manhattan Theatre Club, Brian Cox, Chris Noth, Jason Patric and Kiefer Sutherland starring in That Championship Season at the Bernard Jacobs Theatre, Billy Crudup in Arcadia at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre (opens 17 March), Robin Williams in Bengal Tiger In The Baghdad Zoo at the Richard Rodgers Theatre from 11 March, Chris Rock in Motherf**Ker With The Hat at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre from 15 March, Kathleen Turner in High at the Booth Theatre from 25 March, Edie Falco, Ben Stiller and Jennifer Jason Leigh in The House of Blue Leaves at the Walter Kerr Theatre from 25 April, and Tyne Daly and Sierra Boggess in Master Class at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre from 24 May. Phew!
LINKS
More presenters announced for Olivier Awards
March 4, 2011
The Society of London Theatre has released more details of the presenters at this year’s revamped Olivier Awards, at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 13 March 2011.
Benedict Cumberbatch, one of the presenters at this year's Olivier Awards
Showbiz stars who will be presenting awards include:
- Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller, current stars on Frankenstein
- Anne-Marie Duff, star of the Old Vic’s Cause Celebre
- Elisabeth Moss (Peggy from Mad Men), currently appearing in The Children’s Hour at the Comedy Theatre
- Actor Rupert Everett
- The League of Gentlemen and the National’s Season’s Greetings star Mark Gatiss
- Amanda Holden from Shrek The Musical
- Elaine Paige
- Tamara Rojo, Royal Ballet star
- Star of The Wizard of Oz, Danielle Hope
- Wicked’s Rachel Tucker
- Actor Patrick Stewart
They will join already announced stars that include Lost star Matthew Fox and Olivia Williams, the star of In A Forest, Dark and Deep at the Vaudeville Theatre, and Alfie Boe, opera and musicals leading man, who will play Jean Valjean in the West End production of Les Miserables this summer.
Also the first musical number presenters have been confirmed as legendary singer / songwriter Barry Manilow, who will be performing a number alongside West End star Kerry Ellis (Wicked, Oliver!).
Olivier Audience Award short list announced
February 27, 2011
The short list for this year’s Olivier Audience Award was announced today by Elaine Paige on her BBC Radio 2 show.
Gareth Gates in Les Miserables - on the short list for the Olivier Audience Award
The short list of shows are Billy Elliot the Musical, Jersey Boy, Les Misérables and We Will Rock You. They received more votes than the 14 other eligible shows in the Audience Award category, and were voted for by members of the theatregoing public.
Voting has now reopened to choose the winner, until 9 March 2011. The winner will be announced at the Olivier Awards at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on Sunday 13 March.
Queen musical We Will Rock You and Billy Elliot both made it on to the short list last year but were beaten by Wicked as the Audience Award winner 2010. Wicked was not included in the awards line-up this year. The nomination of Les Misérables follows the show’s recent win at the Whatsonstage Awards for its 25th anniversary O2 concert and UK touring production. Jersey Boys is the biographical musical telling the story and featuring the music of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, which opened at the Prince Edward theatre in 2008.
Also on Elaine Paige’s show this Sunday, a new song written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice for the new London Palladium production of The Wizard of Oz was given its world premiere. Red Shoes Blues was sung by Hannah Waddingham, who plays the Wicked Witch of the West in the show alongside Danielle Hope as Dorothy and Michael Crawford as the Wizard.
LINKS
LISTEN: Red Shoes Blues from The Wizard of Oz, sung by Hannah Waddingham
LISTEN: Elaine Paige announces the Olivier Audience Award short list
Olivier Awards 2011 – Awards Night
February 18, 2011
This year’s Awards night promises to be one of the most glamorous in years, with a host of well known stage and music stars coming together at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London to celebrate the best of the West End.
HOST
This year’s awards will be hosted by Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton. Past hosts of the awards include Kevin Spacey, Clive Anderson, Angela Lansbury, Barry Norman, Anthony Hopkins, Sue Lawley, Diana Rigg, Edward Fox, Jane Asher and Angela Rippon.
PRESENTERS
Confirmed presenters for this year’s awards include:
- Lost star Matthew Fox, star of In A Forest, Dark and Deep at the Vaudeville Theatre
- Olivia Williams, Matthew’s co-star in In A Forest, Dark and Deep
- Alfie Boe, opera and musicals leading man, who will play Jean Valjean in the West End production of Les Miserables this summer
- Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller, current stars on Frankenstein
- Anne-Marie Duff, star of the Old Vic’s Cause Celebre
- Elisabeth Moss (Peggy from Mad Men), currently appearing in The Children’s Hour at the Comedy Theatre
- Actor Rupert Everett
- The League of Gentlemen and the National’s Season’s Greetings star Mark Gatiss
- Amanda Holden from Shrek The Musical
- Elaine Paige
- Tamara Rojo, Royal Ballet star
- Star of The Wizard of Oz, Danielle Hope
- Wicked’s Rachel Tucker
- Actor Patrick Stewart
- More presenters to be announced shortly
MUSICAL NUMBERS
Barry Manilow will perform a number alongside West End star Kerry Ellis (Wicked, Oliver!). More musical numbers to be announced.
TIMELINE
7 February 2011: Olivier Award nominees announced
In a launch event at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, the 2011 nominees were announced. See the full list here.
22 February 2011: Nominees’ Lunch at the Haymarket Hotel
The Nominees’ Lunch to celebrate all performers and practitioners who have received nominations for the awards.
27 February 2011: BBC Radio 2 Audience Award shortlist announced:
The shortlist for the BBC Radio 2 Audience Award is announced on Elaine Paige’s Sunday morning Radio 2 show. This shortlist is based on the first round of public voting (vote for your favourite show here). Then a second round of public voting will take place, before the winner is announced on 13 March.
Late February: Public tickets to the Olivier Awards go one sale
For the first time in the Olivier Award’s history, theatregoers will be able to attend the Olivier Awards ceremony at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 13 March. Details of how to get tickets will be announced by The Society of London Theatre in late February.
Early March: Olivier Award Special Award winner announced
Each year the Society of London Theatre presents a Special Award to a theatre practitioner who has made an invaluable contribution to the stage arts in London. Previous winners include Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson, John Gielgud, Alec Guinness, Peggy Ashcroft, Harold Pinter, Peter Hall, Judi Dench, Alan Bennett, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Alan Ayckbourn. Last year Dame Maggie Smith was honoured with the award.
13 March 2011: The Awards ceremony at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
WATCH & LISTEN
This year’s awards will be broadcast via the BBC’s red button service (digital, cable or satellite viewers only), and also Paul Gambaccini will host Radio 2’s live coverage of the night, along with Jodie Prenger who will cover the Red Carpet arrivals. Plus BBC News will have special live coverage of the red carpet arrivals, and a post-awards reaction programme presented by Jane Hill and BBC Arts Editor Will Gompertz. Also highlights of the awards will be available on BBC iplayer the following week.
