This year’s Olivier Award nominations were announced today, with Hollywood stars dominating the line up of talent.
Keira Knightley, James Earl Jones, Jude Law, James McAvoy, Gillian Anderson and Rachel Weisz are among the big name stars vying for Larry gongs.
Also this year plays continue to dominate the West End, reflected by the organiser’s decision to extend the Best Actor, Best Actress in a Supporting Role and Best Revival categories from five to six nominations.
The main drama-producing houses reaped a number of nominations, notably the Royal Court, who picked up 15 nominations for four different productions – Jerusalem, Enron, The Priory and Cock. The Donmar Warehouse and National Theatre have also done well with 19 nominations between them for plays including the Donmar Warehouse production of Hamlet starring Jude Law, who was also nominated.
The Society of London Theatre, the organiser’s of the awards, have also added a new Audience Award to recognise long-running West End shows which opened before 2009, allowing Billy Elliot the Musical, The Phantom of the Opera, War Horse, We Will Rock You and Wicked another crack at the whip.
In the acting categories, competition will be fierce. The Best Actor category includes James Earl Jones, Jude Law, James McAvoy, Mark Rylance, Ken Stott and Samuel West, whilst the Best Actress category features Gillian Anderson, Lorraine Burroughs, Imelda Staunton, Juliet Stevenson and Rachel Weisz. Keira Knightley (pictured) will compete with Hayley Atwell, Michelle Dockery, Alexandra Gilbreath, Rachael Stirling and Ruth Wilson for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
Another closely contested category will be Best Revival, with Arcadia, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Misanthrope, A Streetcar Named Desire, A View From the Bridge and Three Days of Rain all up for the award.
In the musical categories, Spring Awakening leads with six nominations, followed by A Little Night Music with five, and Sister Act and Hello, Dolly!, both with four. Nominees include Rowan Atkinson for Oliver!, Sheila Hancock for Sister Act, Maureen Lipman for A Little Night Music and Melanie C for Blood Brothers.
Society of London Theatre President Nica Burns said: “In an outstanding year for drama, a whole new generation of playwrights step into the spotlight. Eight wonderful new plays – challenging, stimulating and inspiring – include two women in their twenties. Mirroring this, the voting for the best acting awards was so close that the nominations had to be increased, with some of the most exciting young acting talent around taking their place alongside some our most acclaimed screen stars. What a memorable year!”
The winners will be announced at the Grosvenor House Hotel on 21 March.
The list of nominees for the 2010 Olivier Awards in full:
BEST ACTRESS
Gillian Anderson for A DOLL’S HOUSE at the Donmar Warehouse
Lorraine Burroughs for THE MOUNTAINTOP at Trafalgar Studio 1
Imelda Staunton for ENTERTAINING MR SLOANE at Trafalgar Studio 1
Juliet Stevenson for DUET FOR ONE at the Almeida theatre and Vaudeville theatre
Rachel Weisz for A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE at the Donmar Warehouse
BEST ACTOR
James Earl Jones for CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF at the Novello theatre
Jude Law for HAMLET, Donmar at Wyndham’s theatre
James McAvoy for THREE DAYS OF RAIN at the Apollo theatre
Mark Rylance for JERUSALEM at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court and now at the Apollo theatre
Ken Stott for A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE at the Duke of York’s theatre
Samuel West for ENRON at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court and now at the Noël Coward theatre
BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Hayley Atwell for A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE at the Duke of York’s theatre
Michelle Dockery for BURNT BY THE SUN at the National Theatre, Lyttelton
Alexandra Gilbreath for TWELFTH NIGHT at the Duke of York’s theatre
Keira Knightley for THE MISANTHROPE at the Comedy theatre
Rachael Stirling for THE PRIORY at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court
Ruth Wilson for A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE at the Donmar Warehouse
BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Mackenzie Crook for JERUSALEM at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court and now at the Apollo theatre
Rory Kinnear for BURNT BY THE SUN at the National Theatre, Lyttelton
Tim Pigott-Smith for ENRON at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court and now at the Noël Coward theatre
Eddie Redmayne for RED at the Donmar Warehouse
BEST NEW PLAY
ENRON by Lucy Prebble at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court and now at the Noël Coward theatre
JERUSALEM by Jez Butterworth at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court and now at the Apollo theatre
THE MOUNTAINTOP by Katori Hall at Trafalgar Studio 1
RED by John Logan at the Donmar Warehouse
BEST NEW COMEDY
CALENDAR GIRLS by Tim Firth at the Noël Coward theatre
ENGLAND PEOPLE VERY NICE by Richard Bean at the National Theatre, Olivier
PARLOUR SONG by Jez Butterworth at the Almeida theatre
THE PRIORY by Michael Wynne at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court
BEST MUSICAL REVIVAL
Irving Berlin’s ANNIE GET YOUR GUN music and lyrics by Irving Berlin, book by Herbert and Dorothy Fields, at the Young Vic
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
A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by Hugh Wheeler, suggested by a film by Ingmar Bergman, originally produced and directed on Broadway by Harold Prince, at the Garrick theatre
Lionel Bart’s OLIVER! based on the original production by Sam Mendes, at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
BEST NEW MUSICAL
DREAMBOATS AND PETTICOATS book by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran, at the Savoy theatre
PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT – THE MUSICAL book by Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott, based on the Latent Image/Specific Films motion picture distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., at the Palace theatre
SPRING AWAKENING music by Duncan Sheik, book and lyrics by Steven Sater, based on the play by Frank Wedekind, at the Novello theatre
SISTER ACT music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Glenn Slater, book by Cheri Steinkellner and Bill Steinkellner, at the London Palladium
BEST ENTERTAINMENT
ARTURO BRACHETTI: CHANGE written and directed by Sean Foley, original concept by Serge Denoncourt, based on the repertoire of Arturo Brachetti, at the Garrick theatre
DERREN BROWN: ENIGMA written by Derren Brown and Andy Nyman, at the Adelphi theatre
MORECAMBE by Tim Whitnall, at the Duchess theatre
BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL OR ENTERTAINMENT
Melanie C for BLOOD BROTHERS at the Phoenix theatre
Patina Miller for SISTER ACT at the London Palladium
Samantha Spiro for HELLO DOLLY! at the Open Air theatre
Hannah Waddingham for A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC at the Garrick theatre
Charlotte Wakefield for SPRING AWAKENING at the Novello theatre
BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL OR ENTERTAINMENT
Rowan Atkinson for OLIVER! at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
Aneurin Barnard for SPRING AWAKENING at the Novello theatre
Bob Golding for MORECAMBE at the Duchess theatre
Alexander Hanson for A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC at the Garrick theatre
Tony Sheldon for PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT – THE MUSICAL at the Palace theatre
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE IN A MUSICAL OR ENTERTAINMENT
Sheila Hancock for SISTER ACT at the London Palladium
Maureen Lipman for A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC at the Garrick theatre
Kelly Price for A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC at the Garrick theatre
Iwan Rheon for SPRING AWAKENING at the Novello theatre
BEST DIRECTOR
Rupert Goold for ENRON at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court and now at the Noël Coward theatre
Michael Grandage for HAMLET, Donmar at Wyndham’s theatre
Lindsay Posner for A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE at the Duke of York’s theatre
Ian Rickson for JERUSALEM at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court and now at the Apollo theatre
Bijan Sheibani for OUR CLASS at the National Theatre, Cottesloe
BEST REVIVAL
ARCADIA directed by David Leveaux at the Duke of York’s theatre
CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF directed by Debbie Allen at the Novello theatre
THE MISANTHROPE directed by Thea Sharrock at the Comedy theatre
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE directed by Rob Ashford at the Donmar Warehouse
A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE directed by Lindsay Posner at the Duke of York’s theatre
THREE DAYS OF RAIN directed by Jamie Lloyd at the Apollo theatre
BEST THEATRE CHOREOGRAPHER
Matthew Bourne for OLIVER! at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
Bill T Jones for SPRING AWAKENING at the Novello theatre
Anthony Van Laast for SISTER ACT at the London Palladium
Stephen Mear for HELLO DOLLY! at the Open Air theatre
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN
BURNT BY THE SUN designed by Mark Henderson at the National Theatre, Lyttelton
ENRON designed by Mark Henderson the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court and now at the Noël Coward theatre
SPRING AWAKENING designed by Kevin Adams at the Novello theatre
THREE DAYS OF RAIN designed by Jon Clark at the Apollo theatre
BEST SET DESIGN
ENGLAND PEOPLE VERY NICE designed by Mark Thompson with animation by Pete Bishop at the National Theatre, Olivier
ENRON designed by Anthony Ward at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court and now at the Noël Coward theatre
JERUSALEM designed by Ultz at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court and now at the Apollo theatre
RED designed by Christopher Oram at the Donmar Warehouse
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
HELLO DOLLY! designed by Peter McKintosh at the Open Air theatre
MADAME DE SADE designed by Christopher Oram, Donmar at Wyndham’s theatre
THE MISANTHROPE designed by Amy Roberts at the Comedy theatre
PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT- THE MUSICAL designed by Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner at the Palace theatre
BEST SOUND DESIGN
EVERY GOOD BOY DESERVES FAVOUR designed by Christopher Shutt at the National Theatre, Olivier
JERUSALEM designed by Ian Dickinson for Autograph at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court and now at the Apollo theatre
MOTHER COURAGE AND HER CHILDREN designed by Andrew Bruce and Nick Lidster for Autograph at the National Theatre, Olivier
SPRING AWAKENING designed by Brian Ronan at the Novello theatre
THE AUDIENCE AWARD FOR MOST POPULAR SHOW
BILLY ELLIOT THE MUSICAL music by Elton John, books and lyrics by Lee Hall at the Victoria Palace
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA music and book by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Charles Hart, book and additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe at His Majesty’s theatre
WAR HORSE based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo, adapted by Nick Stafford at the New London theatre
WE WILL ROCK YOU based on the songs of Queen, by Ben Elton in collaboration with Brian May and Roger Taylor at the Dominion theatre
WICKED music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, book by Winnie Holzman at the Apollo Victoria theatre
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN AN AFFILIATE THEATRE
Soho Theatre/ Tiata Fahodzi for IYA ILE (THE FIRST WIFE)
The Tricycle Theatre for THE GREAT GAME
The Royal Court for COCK at the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs
BEST NEW OPERA PRODUCTION
The Royal Opera’s DER FLIEGENDE HOLLÄNDER at the Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera’s LULU at the Royal Opera House
English National Opera’s PETER GRIMES at the London Coliseum
The Royal Opera’s TRISTAN UND ISOLDE at the Royal Opera House
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN OPERA
Anja Kampe for her performance in the Royal Opera’s DER FLIEGENDE HOLLÄNDER at the Royal Opera House
Stuart Skelton for his performance in English National Opera’s PETER GRIMES at the London Coliseum
Nina Steme for her performance in the Royal Opera’s TRISTAN UND ISOLDE at the Royal Opera House
Michael Volle for his performances in the Royal Opera’s LULU and TRISTAN AND ISOLDE at the Royal Opera House
BEST NEW DANCE PRODUCTION
Russell Maliphant’s AFTERLIGHT at Sadler’s Wells
Birmingham Royal Ballet’s E=MC² at Sadler’s Wells
The Brandstrup – Rojo project’s GOLDBERG at the Royal Opera House
Rambert Dance Company’s A LINHA CURVA at Sadler’s Wells
Fabulous Beast Dance’s THE RITE OF SPRING at the London Coliseum
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DANCE
Colin Dunne for his performance in OUT OF TIME at The Barbican Pit
Michael Hulls for his lighting designs for Russell Maliphant’s TWO:FOUR:TEN at the London Coliseum; and for Russell Maliphant’s AFTERLIGHT and for Ex Machina & Sylvie Guillem’s EONNAGATA at Sadler’s Wells
Rambert Dance Company for an outstanding year of new work
