Backstage at the 2011 Olivier Awards
April 11, 2011
Acclaimed photographer Charlie Gray went behind the scenes at this year’s Olivier Awards at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane to capture the stars of West End Theatre.
Amanda Holden, backstage at the 2011 Olivier Awards
Charlie Gray is a prominent London photographer, well known for his film and TV work and his coverage of the BAFTA film awards.
He started his career shooting reportage for magazines and this style of capturing the glamour of the entertainment industry, combined with the drama of normal life, has stood him in good stead. He has become well-known for getting beautiful shots of beautiful people outside of their on-camera, on-stage lives.
Last year he completed a “Year Behind The Scenes of British Film” project for The Sunday Times, requiring him to visit 20 film sets. Projects like this, and his work as the official photographer for BAFTA for the last four years, means that he has built up an impressive portfolio packed full of famous faces.
In recognition of the Olivier Award’s step-change this year, to become an altogether more glamorous face of the West End theatre industry, the Sunday Times commissioned Gray to go behind the scenes at the Olivier Awards for a Spectrum feature that ran in the Sunday Times magazine on 3 April. The beautiful colour and black and white shots feature a who’s who of London theatre including Amanda Holden, Stephen Sondheim, Barry Manilow, Elisabeth Moss, Angela Lansbury, Michael Ball, Sheridan Smith and Anne-Marie Duff.
A book and exhibition are the next the logical next steps for Gray, but for the time being he’s happy to be busy out there, getting the work done. “Perhaps next year after my 5th BAFTA”, he said.
LINKS
GALLERY
SUNDAY TIMES MAGAZINE SPREAD
Olivier Awards: National, Legally Blonde
March 14, 2011
In a star-studded awards ceremony last night, Sunday 13 March, at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London, the Society of London Theatre held their 35th annual theatre awards ceremony.
Best actress in a musical winner Sheridan Smith
Hosted by musicals star Michael Ball and actress Imelda Staunton, the awards celebrate the best of the year’s London theatre.
Big winners last night included the National Theatre, which swept up seven awards for two of its productions: Thea Sharrock’s revival of Terence Rattigan’s After the Dance, which won awards including best revival, best actress for Nancy Carroll and best actor in a supporting role for Adrian Scarborough; and its production of Mikhail Bulgakov’s The White Guard, including best director for Howard Davies and best set design for Bunny Christie.
In other subsidised venues the Royal Court picked up three awards, including best new play for Bruce Norris’s comedy Clybourne Park, which is now playing at the Wyndham’s Theatre in the West End, and two awards for the Donmar Warehouse, including David Thaxton picking up best actor in a musical for Passion.
Roger Allam won best actor for his performance as Falstaff in Shakespeare’s Globe’s production of Henry IV Parts 1 & 2, beating stiff competition from Rory Kinnear, Derek Jacobi, David Suchet and Mark Rylance.
The Olivier Awards were held at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
The most successful musical of the night was Legally Blonde at the Savoy Theatre, which picked up three major awards: best new musical, best actress in a musical for Sheridan Smith and best performance in a supporting role in a Musical for Jill Halfpenny.
Other musicals rewarded at the event included We Will Rock You, which won the Olivier Audience Award voted for by members of the theatregoing public, and the Open Air Theatre’s summer production of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods.
Stephen Sondheim was presented with an Olivier Special Award for his enormous contribution to theatre, with the award presented by Sir Cameron Mackintosh and legendary actress Angela Lansbury.
Big shows to miss out on awards this year included Andrew Lloyd Webber’s sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies, which failed to pick up any awards despite seven nominations, and End of the Rainbow at the Trafalgar Studios, which was nominated for four awards including best actress for Tracie Bennett in her performance as Judy Garland.
Thea Sharrock picks up the Best Revival award for her production of After the Dance at the National Theatre
Notable performances during the ceremony included a star turn by legendary American singer Barry Manilow, who also sang a duet with Wicked and Oliver! star Kerry Ellis; current and former stars of The Phantom of the Opera and Love Never Dies – Ramin Karimloo, John Owen-Jones and Sierra Boggess; Emma Williams and Michael Xavier singing Everything We Know from Love Story; Alfie Boe, who is soon to star in Les Miserables at the Queen’s Theatre, singing Some Enchanted Evening from South Pacific; Susan McFadden and the current cast of Legally Blonde; and Adrian Lester paying tribute to Stephen Sondheim by singing Being Alive from Company, along with Angela Lansbury singing a moving rendition of Liaisons from A Little Night Music and 400 students from national drama schools singing Our Time from Merrily We Roll Along.
LISTEN & WATCH AGAIN
BBC iPlayer – Radio 2 coverage
LINKS
Olivier Awards – list of winners
Olivier Awards – Binkie Blog’s Picks and Pans
Olivier Awards tonight
March 13, 2011
The 35th annual Laurence Olivier Awards are to be held tonight, Sunday 13 March 2011, at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London.
Organised by the Society of London Theatre, the awards are the most popular and important in the British theatre calendar. This year they are set for an overhaul, with MasterCard sponsoring the event, and a glitzy ceremony planned for the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
The awards will feature full red carpet arrivals and star-studded ceremony that will be hosted by musical theatre star and TV and radio presenter Michael Ball, and award-winning actress Imelda Staunton.
Star presenters handing out Olivier gongs will include Lost star Matthew Fox, opera tenor Alfie Boe, stars of Frankenstein Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller, Mad Men’s Elisabeth Moss, Rupert Everett, Amanda Holden and Elaine Paige. Musical performances will include Barry Manilow and Kerry Ellis.
The awards will be covered extensively by the BBC on television, radio and online – including full red carpet coverage of stars arriving for the awards. A live broadcast of the ceremony will be played out 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.
This year’s Olivier Awards nominations are lead by Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies with 7 nominations and Thea Sharrock’s National Theatre production of Terence Rattigan’s After The Dance with 6 nominations, including best director for Sharrock and best actress for Nancy Carroll.
The National Theatre has 17 nominations in total, including nods for Fela!, Hamlet, Beauty And The Beast, The White Guard, Earthquakes In London and London Assurance. The Royal Court and the Donmar Warehouse have nine nominations each. The Royal Court’s Clybourne Park has 4 nominations including best play, and has recently enjoyed success at a number of awards including the South Bank Sky Arts Awards.
Also tipped for awards are End Of The Rainbow, with 4 nominations including best actress for Tracie Bennett, and Legally Blonde The Musical, with 5 nominations including best actress in a musical for Sheridan Smith. Other nominees for best actress in the musical category include Sierra Boggess for Love Never Dies, Love Story’s Emma Williams and Elena Roger for Passion at the Donmar.
Mark Rylance is nominated for a best actor award for his performance in La Bete, alongside Derek Jacobi, David Suchet, Rory Kinnear and Roger Allam. And in the musical category, Ramin Karimloo has a nod for Love Never Dies, joined by Legally Blonde’s Alex Gaumond, David Thaxton for Passion, Sahr Ngaujah for Fela! and Love Story’s Michael Xavier.
In the Olivier Audience Award category, four shows have been up for public vote: Billy Elliot the Musical, Jersey Boy, Les Misérables and We Will Rock You. Also at the awards, Stephen Sondheim will receive the Society of London Theatre’s Special Award for his outstanding contribution to theatre.
The UK’s most prestigious theatre awards started in 1976 as The Society of West End Theatre Awards, becoming the Laurence Olivier Awards in 1984.
LINKS
Michael Ball, Imelda Staunton host Oliviers
March 3, 2011
As previously tipped, Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton will host this year’s Olivier Awards, to be held at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 13 March 2011
Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton to host this year's Olivier Awards
Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton are both past Olivier winners, Michael for Best Actor in a Musical in 2008 for Hairspray and Imelda in 1985 for A Chorus Of Disapproval and The Corn Is Green and 1991 for Into The Woods.
The pair are also set to appear together at the Chichester Festival Theatre this summer in a new production of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd (from 24 September), directed by Jonathan Kent and starring Michael Ball in the title role and Imelda Staunton as Mrs Lovett.
This year’s Awards are being covered by BBC Radio 2, which Michael Ball is also hosting, and on the BBC’s red button service.
MORE NEWS
- Stephen Sondheim to receive Special Olivier Award
- More presenters announced for Olivier Awards, including Benedict Cumberbatch, Elaine Paige, Danielle Hope
LINKS
LISTEN: Elaine Paige announces the Olivier Audience Award short list
VIDEO: Michael Ball interviews Imelda Staunton on The Michael Ball Show
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.
Olivier Awards 2011
February 18, 2011
Welcome to our new microsite celebrating this year’s Olivier Awards, to be held at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 13 March 2011.
The awards, which are organised every year by the Society of London Theatre, are the most popular and important in the British theatre calendar. This year they are set for an overhaul, with MasterCard sponsoring the event, and a glitzy ceremony planned at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
Olivier Awards nominations were announced at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 7 February 2011, and you can see a full list of the nominees, by both awards category and by show, here.
This is the 35th year for the awards, which were first held in December 1976 at the Café Royal and broadcast as part of the BBC’s Nationwide programme.
This year musical theatre star and TV and radio presenter Michael Ball, and award-winning actress Imelda Staunton, will host the awards. The awards will be covered extensively by the BBC on television, radio and online – including full red carpet coverage of stars arriving for the awards. The Society will also enlist BBC Radio 2 once again to help promote the Audience Award, which is voted for by members of the public. Last year 55,000 theatregoers voted and Wicked was crowned the Most Popular Show.
Leading this year’s nominations are Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies with 7 nominations and Thea Sharrock’s National Theatre production of Terence Rattigan’s After The Dance with 6 nominations, including best director for Sharrock and best actress for Nancy Carroll.
The National Theatre has 17 nominations in total, including nods for Fela!, Hamlet, Beauty And The Beast, The White Guard, Earthquakes In London and London Assurance. The Royal Court and the Donmar Warehouse have nine nominations each. The Royal Court’s Clybourne Park has 4 nominations including best play, and has recently enjoyed success at a number of awards including the South Bank Sky Arts Awards.
Also tipped for awards are End Of The Rainbow, with 4 nominations including best actress for Tracie Bennett, and Legally Blonde The Musical, with 5 nominations including best actress in a musical for Sheridan Smith. Other nominees for best actress in the musical category include Sierra Boggess for Love Never Dies, Love Story’s Emma Williams and Elena Roger for Passion at the Donmar.
Mark Rylance is tipped for a best actor award for his performance in La Bete, alongside Derek Jacobi, David Suchet, Rory Kinnear and Roger Allam. And in the musical category, Ramin Karimloo has a nod for Love Never Dies, joined by Legally Blonde’s Alex Gaumond, David Thaxton for Passion, Sahr Ngaujah for Fela! and Love Story’s Michael Xavier.
The UK’s most prestigious theatre awards started in 1976 as The Society of West End Theatre Awards, becoming the Laurence Olivier Awards in 1984.
Olivier Award nominations announced
February 7, 2011
The annual Laurence Olivier Awards nominations have been announced at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane today, 7 February 2011.
The Laurence Olivier Awards 2011
The 35th annual awards, sponsored this year by Mastercard, will be held at a glittering ceremony at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 13 March 2011. Michael Ball will host the awards, with BBC I’d Do Anything winner Jodie Prenger covering the red carpet arrivals.
Held by the Society of London Theatre, this year’s awards will be covered extensively by the BBC on television, radio and online – including full red carpet coverage of stars arriving for the awards. The Society will also enlist BBC Radio 2 once again to help promote the Audience Award, which is voted for by members of the public. Last year 55,000 theatregoers voted and Wicked was crowned the Most Popular Show.
Leading this year’s nominations are Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies with 7 nominations and Thea Sharrock’s National Theatre production of Terence Rattigan’s After The Dance with 6 nominations, including best director for Sharrock and best actress for Nancy Carroll.
The National Theatre has 17 nominations in total, including nods for Fela!, Hamlet, Beauty And The Beast, The White Guard, Earthquakes In London and London Assurance. The Royal Court and the Donmar Warehouse have nine nominations each.
The Royal Court’s Clybourne Park has 4 nominations including best play, and has recently enjoyed success at a number of awards including the South Bank Sky Arts Awards.
Also tipped for awards are End Of The Rainbow, with 4 nominations including best actress for Tracie Bennett, and Legally Blonde The Musical, with 5 nominations including best actress in a musical for Sheridan Smith. Other nominees for best actress in the musical category include Sierra Boggess for Love Never Dies, Love Story’s Emma Williams and Elena Roger for Passion at the Donmar.
Mark Rylance is tipped for a best actor award for his performance in La Bete, alongside Derek Jacobi, David Suchet, Rory Kinnear and Roger Allam. And in the musical category, Ramin Karimloo has a nod for Love Never Dies, joined by Legally Blonde’s Alex Gaumond, David Thaxton for Passion, Sahr Ngaujah for Fela! and Love Story’s Michael Xavier.
The UK’s most prestigious theatre awards started in 1976 as The Society of West End Theatre Awards, becoming the Laurence Olivier Awards in 1984.
See the full list of nominations here
LINKS
Awards Data Bank: All past Olivier awards winners
Awards: 2010 Olivier award winners
Love Story to Close at Duchess Theatre
February 1, 2011
The Chichester Festival Theatre production of Love Story will close as scheduled at the Duchess Theatre on 26 February 2011.
Emma Williams and Michael Xavier in Love Story
The new musical, based on Eric Segal’s best-selling book and the acclaimed film, is the first producing venture for musicals star Michael Ball, along with The Mousetrap producer Stephen Waley-Cohen, and Hairspray and Sister Act producer Adam Spiegel.
The show is set to go on a UK tour after it closes in the West End.
The West End cast features Emma Williams, Michael Xavier and Peter Polycarpou, with direction by Rachel Kavanaugh, music by Howard Goodall, book by Stephen Clark and lyrics by Stephen Clark and Howard Goodall.
Other cast in the show include Richard Cordery, Jan Hartley, Gary Milner, Paul Kemble, Julie Stark, Lillie Flynn, Christopher Killik, Jamie Muscato and Rebecca Trehearn.
LINKS
SPECIAL OFFER: Save £22.50 on tickets to Love Story at the Duchess Theatre in London
Interview with Love Story producer Michael Ball
Opening this week: Love Story, Potted Panto
December 6, 2010
This week’s West End openings include romantic new show Love Story, Christmas treats with Potted Panto, The Night Before Christmas and The Nutcracker, plus Derek Jacobi in King Lear.
Emma Williams and Michael Xavier in Love Story
Love Story
Love Story gets its official opening night at the Duchess starring Emma Williams and Michael Xavier on 6 December. Erich Segal’s best-selling novel Love Story, which was famously turned into a film starring Ali MacGraw and Ryan O’Neal, has been given the musicals treatment by Howard Goodall and Stephen Clark.
The show had its premiere earlier this year at the Chichester Festival Theatre and was well received by critics, with The Stage calling it a “gorgeous new chamber musical”. The producers of the show include West End star Michael Ball, Adam Spiegel and Stephen Waley-Cohen and it is directed by Rachel Kavanaugh, with design by Peter McKintosh and musical direction by Stephen Ridley. Read our interview with Michael Ball. Book tickets to Love Story at the Duchess Theatre.
King Lear at the Donmar
Derek Jacobi gives his King Lear at the Donmar Warehouse, opening on 7 December in a new production by Michael Grandage. Also starring Gina McKee. Book tickets.
The Night Before Christmas
Magical family show The Night Before Christmas opens at the Ambassadors Theatre on 8 December. Meet Father Christmas and see a wonderful story come to life in this brand new show, full of songs, poems and stories. Book tickets.
Potted Panto
Those CBBC rascals Dan and Jeff bring Pantomime mayhem to the Vaudeville with Edinburgh family hit Potted Panto on 10 December. CBBC’s Dan and Jeff, the masterminds behind Potted Potter and Potted Pirates, turn their attentions to that much loved British institution, the pantomime. Potted Panto crams seven much-loved pantomimes into one show. Dan and Jeff career through Cinderella in 3D, dazzle with a Dick Whittington featuring Jeff as the Mayor of London and struggle to work out how two people can play seven dwarves and which of them will make the prettiest princess. From conventions and costume to heroes and villains, the dastardly double act explores all the elements of the art form we both love and loathe as a nation. Book tickets to Potted Panto at the Vaudeville Theatre.
English National Ballet’s The Nutcracker
On the same night English National Ballet open their seasonal production of The Nutcracker at the London Coliseum in a sumptuous new production by Artistic Director Wayne Eagling to celebrate the Company’s 60th birthday. Book tickets.
COMING SOON
And next week… A Flear in her Ear opens on 14 December at the Old Vic starring Tom Hollander, Lisa Dillon and Jonathan Cake.
Star Interview: Michael Ball
November 17, 2010
“Michael Ball, this is your two minute call…” Westendtheatre.com catches up with king of West End musical theatre Michael Ball, who adds another string to his bow this month by co-producing new musical LOVE STORY at the Duchess Theatre in London. Here he talks about embarrassing auditions, favourite theatres and the ultimate West End show.
Michael Ball. Photo: Nicky Johnston
I played Judas and John the Baptist in a production of Godspell at the Aberystwyth Arts Centre in 1984. It was just after I’d left Guildford School of Acting.
Les Miserables – it doesn’t run for 25 years for nothing! It’s stuffed full of great characters, great songs and an epic story and it truly demonstrates why musical theatre is one of the most exciting story telling mediums known to man. There’s one play in the West End at the moment which is an absolute must and that’s War Horse – it’s the most astonishing production I’ve ever seen onstage, absolutely brilliant.
I have a soft spot for the Palace Theatre in London – it’s where I saw Jesus Christ Superstar when I was about 11 and decided then and there I wanted to be in musical theatre. Then, when I got my first West End role as Marius in Les Mis, I found myself stepping onto the Palace Theatre stage for the first time – it was an emotional moment I can tell you! I was back at the Palace in 2005 in Woman In White playing the fabulously revolting Count Fosco.
The stars of Love Story, Michael Xavier and Emma Williams, and producer Michael Ball. Photo: Craig Sugden
I’d be a chef – I love cooking for other people; it’s still about being creative and about entertaining people and, as a bonus, you get to eat as much as you like!
I once did an audition for the tour of ‘There’s A Girl In My Soup’ to play the hippy stoned layabout drummer. Unfortunately I turned up wearing a three piece pin striped suit and tie, was very keen and totally wrong for the part! It was the first audition I’d ever done and I thought you had to dress smartly, like you would for a business interview!
They are fabulous and awful in equal measure; the first day of rehearsals is exciting because you’re like the new boy at school, everyone’s getting together for the first time and there’s great expectation in the air because you don’t know what to expect. The first night is really exciting and supremely nerve wracking at the same time; then on the last night of a show you experience a mixture of emotions from elation to sadness.
Port doesn’t work for preserving the voice – honey and water is far better.
Just keep on trying, keep on learning and keep up to date – there’s lots of work out there and although there’s fierce competition, I truly believe that talent will rise to the surface. You’ve got to work extremely hard and be aware of what’s going on – keep a look out for auditions and make sure your CV’s up to date with a great photo.
* * * *
Michael Ball is currently producing new musical LOVE STORY at the Duchess Theatre in London, from 27 November. Based on Erich Segal’s best-selling novel, which was famously turned into a film, the show transfers to the West End from a sell-out season in Chichester starring Emma Williams and Michael Xavier, and is produced by Michael Ball, Adam Spiegel and Stephen Waley-Cohen.
Book tickets to Love Story at the Duchess Theatre
