In how many categories is it possible for a show to be nominated for this year's Olivier Awards? Answer: 10. The producers of Matilda the Musical will be smiling from ear to ear after the nominations for next month’s awards were revealed, with the RSC’s Roald Dahl adaptation nominated in all 10. Tim Minchin is in the running for best score, and the four young actresses who share the lead are also nominated. In various categories Matilda will be up against Ghost the Musical at the Piccadilly Theatre and the National Theatre’s London Road, which have five and four nominations respectively.
As for the non-musical nominations, it’s clearly a year for laughter, with both the staged Ealing Comedy The Ladykillers at the Gielgud Theatre and the National’s One Man, Two Guvnors, now installed at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, both gaining five nominations. Other intrigue includes the joint nomination, in the Best Actor category, of Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller. If they win, will they swap the award each night the way they swapped the roles of Frankenstein and his monster?
This year’s ceremony will be held at the Royal Opera House on Sunday 15 April, where the hosts will be Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton, stars of Chichester Festival Theatre’s Sweeney Todd, now at the Adelphi Theatre. It will also be shown live on BBC television via the Red Button.
BEST NEW PLAY
COLLABORATORS at the Cottesloe
JUMPY at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court
THE LADYKILLERS at the Gielgud
ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS at the Lyttelton
BEST REVIVAL
ANNA CHRISTIE at the Donmar Warehouse
FLARE PATH at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING at the Wyndham’s
NOISES OFF at the Old Vic
BEST ENTERTAINMENT AND FAMILY
DERREN BROWN – SVENGALI at the Shaftesbury
MIDNIGHT TANGO at the Aldwych
POTTED POTTER at the Garrick
THE TIGER WHO CAME TO TEA at the Vaudeville
BEST ACTRESS
CELIA IMRIE for Noises Off at the Old Vic
LESLEY MANVILLE for Grief at the Cottesloe
KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS for Betrayal at the Harold Pinter
MARCIA WARREN for The Ladykillers at the Gielgud
RUTH WILSON for Anna Christie at the Donmar Warehouse
BEST ACTOR
JAMES CORDEN for One Man, Two Guvnors at the Lyttelton
BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH AND JONNY LEE MILLER for Frankenstein at the Olivier
DAVID HAIG for The Madness of George III at the Apollo
DOUGLAS HODGE for Inadmissable Evidence at the Donmar Warehouse
JUDE LAW for Anna Christie at the Donmar Warehouse
BEST PERFORMANCE IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
MARK ADDY for Collaborators at the Cottesloe
OLIVER CHRIS for One Man, Two Guvnors at the Lyttelton
JOHNNY FLYNN for Jerusalem at the Apollo
BRYONY HANNAH for The Children’s Hour at the Harold Pinter
SHERIDAN SMITH for Flare Path at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket
Musical and backstage nominations overleaf
BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
KATE FLEETWOOD for London Road at the Cottesloe
SARAH LANCASHIRE for Betty Blue Eyes at the Novello
THE MATILDAS for Matilda The Musical at the Cambridge
SCARLETT STRALLEN for Singin’ In The Rain at the Palace
BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
BERTIE CARVEL for Matilda The Musical at the Cambridge
NIGEL LINDSAY for Shrek The Musical at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
REECE SHEARSMITH for Betty Blue Eyes at the Novello
PAULO SZOT for South Pacific at the Barbican
BEST PERFORMANCE IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
SHARON D CLARKE for Ghost The Musical at the Piccadilly
SOPHIE-LOUISE DANN for Lend Me A Tenor The Musical at the Gielgud
NIGEL HARMAN for Shrek The Musical at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
PAUL KAYE for Matilda The Musical at the Cambridge
KATHERINE KINGSLEY for Singin’ In The Rain at the Palace
BEST NEW MUSICAL
BETTY BLUE EYES at the Novello
GHOST THE MUSICAL at the Piccadilly
LONDON ROAD at the Cottesloe
MATILDA THE MUSICAL at the Cambridge
SHREK THE MUSICAL at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
BEST MUSICAL REVIVAL
CRAZY FOR YOU at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN at the Palace
SOUTH PACIFIC at the Barbican
THE WIZARD OF OZ at the London Palladium
BEST DIRECTOR
SEAN FOLEY for The Ladykillers at the Gielgud
NICHOLAS HYTNER for One Man, Two Guvnors at the Lyttelton
RUFUS NORRIS for London Road at the Cottesloe
MATTHEW WARCHUS for Matilda The Musical at the Cambridge
BEST THEATRE CHOREOGRAPHER
PETER DARLING for Matilda The Musical at the Cambridge
JAVIER DE FRUTOS for London Road at the Cottesloe
STEPHEN MEAR for Crazy For You at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
ANDREW WRIGHT for Singin’ In The Rain at the Palace
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN
ANNA CHRISTIE designed by Howard Harrison at the Donmar Warehouse
FRANKENSTEIN designed by Bruno Poet at the Olivier
GHOST THE MUSICAL designed by Hugh Vanstone at the Piccadilly
MATILDA THE MUSICAL designed by Hugh Vanstone at the Cambridge
BEST SET DESIGN
GHOST THE MUSICAL designed by Rob Howell at the Piccadilly
THE LADYKILLERS designed by Michael Taylor at the Gielgud
MATILDA THE MUSICAL designed Rob Howell at the Cambridge
ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS designed by Mark Thompson at the Lyttelton
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
CRAZY FOR YOU designed by Peter McKintosh at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
MATILDA THE MUSICAL designed by Rob Howell at the Cambridge
SHREK THE MUSICAL designed by Tim Hatley at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
SOUTH PACIFIC designed by Catherine Zuber at the Barbican
BEST SOUND DESIGN
GHOST THE MUSICAL designed by Bobby Aitken at the Piccadilly
FRANKENSTEIN designed by Underworld and Ed Clarke at the Olivier
THE LADYKILLERS designed by Ben and Max Ringham at the Gielgud
MATILDA THE MUSICAL designed by Simon Baker at the Cambridge
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN AN AFFILIATE THEATRE
The Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester for MOGADISHU at the Lyric Hammersmith
Theatre Royal, Stratford East in association with the Barbican and Traverse Theatre for ROADKILL
The Donmar Warehouse for SALT, ROOT AND ROE at the Trafalgar Studios 2
The Royal Court for THE VILLAGE BIKE at the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs
Opera and dance nominations overleaf
BEST NEW OPERA PRODUCTION
English National Opera’s CASTOR AND POLLUX at the London Coliseum
English National Opera’s A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM at the London Coliseum
English National Opera’s THE PASSENGER at the London Coliseum
ROH2’s CLEMENCY (in association with Scottish Opera) at the Linbury Studio, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN OPERA
ENO for the breadth and diversity of its artistic programme
AMANDA HOLDEN for her translation of CASTOR AND POLLUX at the London Coliseum
RICHARD JONES for his direction of ANNA NICOLE and IL TRITTICO at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and THE TALES OF HOFFMANN at the London Coliseum
MARK-ANTHONY TURNAGE for his composition of ANNA NICOLE at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and TWICE THROUGH THE HEART at Sadler’s Wells.
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DANCE
THE DESIGN TEAM for their work on the Royal Ballet’s ALICES ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND at the Royal Opera House.
EDWARD WATSON for his performance in THE METAMORPHOSIS at the Linbury Studio at the Royal Opera House
SYLVIE GUILLEM for her performance in her production of 6000 MILES AWAY at Sadler’s Wells
TOMMY FRANZEN for his performance in ZooNation’s SOME LIKE IT HIP HOP at the Peacock
BEST NEW DANCE PRODUCTION
DESH by Akram Khan Company at Sadler’s Wells, choreographed by Akram Khan
GARDENIA by Les Ballets C de la B at Sadler’s Wells, directed by Alain Platel and Frank van Laecke
THE METAMORPHOSIS by ROH2 at the Linbury Studio, choreographed by Arthur Pita
SOME LIKE IT HIP HOP by ZooNation at the Peacock, choreographed by Kate Prince, Tommy Franzen and Carrie-Anne Ingrouille
