Olivier Winners Announced

March 22, 2010

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Last night at a star-studded ceremony at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane, the 34^th annual Laurence Olivier Award winners were announced.

The awards, which are the London equivalent of the Tony Awards and run by the Society of London Theatre, saw a number of surprise wins, with many of the top awards going to plays and musicals that are no longer running in town.

For the first time this year, the Olivier’s were broadcast live on the Society of London Theatre’s website alongside coverage on BBC’s Radio 2. The web stream allowed an international audience to enjoy the show for the first time, with some colourful tweeting from theatregoers accompanying the live video. The awards have not been televised since 2003.

Hosted by Anthony Head, who is currently starring in Six Degrees of Separation at the Old Vic Theatre, entertainment at the ceremony featured musical numbers from shows including Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Sister Act and Melanie C from Blood Brothers.

PLAYS

Best Actress and Actor winners Rachel Weisz and Mark Rylance

As with other award ceremonies this year, much of the attention centred on drama. Jez Butterworth’s play Jerusalem, which started at the Royal Court Theatre and is now playing at the Apollo Theatre in the West End, won two awards including Best Actor for Mark Rylance, a popular choice with critics and audiences alike, and Best Set Design but missed out on the Best New Play. This was won by The Mountaintop, a two-hander by young American playwright Katori Hall which only played a short run in the West End last summer despite great notices from critics.

Mark Rylance’s award for Best Actor beat some big hitters including Jude Law, James McAvoy, Ken Stott, Samuel West and James Earl Jones, who is currently starring in Debbie Allen’s production of Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at the Novello Theatre, which won Best Revival.

Rachel Weisz picked up a Best Actress gong for her role as Blanche DuBois in the Donmar Warehouse production of A Streetcar Named Desire, and Rupert Goold won Best Director for Enron, currently playing at the Noel Coward Theatre.

MUSICALS

Two musicals garnered many of the musical awards on offer last night, and both have now closed in London: Spring Awakening and Hello, Dolly!.

Spring Awakening was not a commercial success at the Novello Theatre, where it ran for a short time until May 2009 after a sell-out run at the Lyric Hammersmith, but managed to pull four Olivier awards including Best New Musical, Best Actor in a Musical for Aneurin Barnard and Best Supporting Performance in a Musical for Iwan Rheon. It also won Best Sound Design for Brian Ronan.

Hello, Dolly!, which played at the Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park last summer, won Best Musical Revival, Best Actress in a Musical for Samantha Spiro and Best Theatre Choreographer for Stephen Mear.

However, all was not completely lost for musicals still playing in London, with Priscilla winning Best Costume Design and Wicked picking up the Audience Award for Most Popular Show.

Special awards were also granted to two of London Theatre’s most significant living practitioners: The Society’s Special Award honoured Dame Maggie Smith, whilst legendary theatre producer Michael Codron was presented with an Outstanding Achievement Award after nearly 60 years in the business.

See a full list of Olivier Award winners here.

Tags: Enron, Jerusalem, olivier awards 2010, society of london theatre, Spring Awakening, Wicked

Olivier Awards – Winners 2010

March 21, 2010

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Awards announced: 21 March 2010

Audience Award for Most Popular Show
Wicked
Music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, book by Winnie Holzman at the Apollo Victoria theatre
Best Actress
Rachel Weisz
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE at the Donmar Warehouse
Best Actor
Mark Rylance
JERUSALEM at the Royal Court Jerwood Theatre Downstairs and now at the Apollo theatre
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Ruth Wilson
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE at the Donmar Warehouse
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Eddie Redmayne
RED at the Donmar Warehouse
Best Revival
Cat On A Hot Tin Roof
Directed by Debbie Allen at the Novello theatre
Best Entertainment
Morecambe
By Tim Whitnall, at the Duchess theatre
Best New Play
The Mountaintop
By Katori Hall at Trafalgar Studio 1
Best New Comedy
The Priory
By Michael Wynne at the Royal Court Jerwood Theatre Downstairs
Best Musical Revival
Hello Dolly!
Book by Michael Stewart, music and lyrics by Jerry Herman, based on the play The Matchmaker by Thornton Wilder, at the Open Air theatre
Best New Musical
Spring Awakening
Music by Duncan Sheik, book and lyrics by Steven Sater, based on the play by Frank Wedekind, at the Novello theatre
Best Actress in a Musical or Entertainment
Samantha Spiro
HELLO DOLLY! at the Open Air theatre
Best Actor in a Musical or Entertainment
Aneurin Barnard
SPRING AWAKENING at the Novello theatre
Best Supporting Performance in a Musical or Entertainment
Iwan Rheon
SPRING AWAKENING at the Novello theatre
Best Director
Rupert Goold
ENRON at the Royal Court Jerwood Theatre Downstairs and now at the Noël Coward theatre
Best Theatre Choreographer
Stephen Mear
HELLO DOLLY! at the Open Air theatre
Best Lighting Design
Burnt By The Sun
Designed by Mark Henderson at the National Theatre, Lyttelton
Best Set Design
Jerusalem
Designed by Ultz at the Royal Court Jerwood Theatre Downstairs and now at the Apollo theatre
Best Costume Design
Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert – The Musical
Designed by Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner at the Palace theatre
Best Sound Design
Spring Awakening
Designed by Brian Ronan at the Novello theatre
Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre
The Royal Court for COCK
Jerwood Theatre Upstairs
Best New Opera Production
The Royal Operas TRISTAN UND ISOLDE
At the Royal Opera House
Outstanding Achievement in Opera
Nina Stemme
For her performance in the Royal Operas TRISTAN UND ISOLDE at the Royal Opera House
Best New Dance Production
The Brandstrup-Rojo projects GOLDBERG
At the Royal Opera House
Outstanding Achievement in Dance
Rambert Dance Company
For an outstanding year of new work
Outstanding Achievement
Michael Codron
Special Award
Maggie Smith