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Olivier Winners 1998

Best New Comedy

Winner: Popcorn by Ben Elton at the Apollo

Nominees:

  • East Is East by Ayub Khan-Din at the Royal Court
  • Popcorn by Ben Elton at the Apollo
  • A Skull In Connemara by Martin McDonagh at the Royal Court

Best Entertainment

Winner: Slava’s Snowshow created by Slava Polunin at the Old Vic

Nominees:

  • Maureen Lipman Live And Kidding at the Duchess
  • Marlene by Pam Gems at the Lyric
  • She Knows You Know by Jean Fergusson at the Vaudeville
  • Slava’s Snowshow created by Slava Polunin at the Old Vic

Best Actress

Winner: Zoe Wanamaker for Electra at the Donmar Warehouse

Nominees:

  • Judi Dench for Amy’s View at the National Theatre Lyttelton and the Aldwych
  • Sally Dexter for Closer at the National Theatre Cottesloe and the National Theatre Lyttelton
  • Maggie Smith for A Delicate Balance at the Haymarket
  • Zoe Wanamaker for Electra at the Donmar Warehouse

Best Actor

Winner: Ian Holm for King Lear at the National Theatre Cottesloe

Nominees:

  • Michael Gambon for Tom & Clem at the Aldwych
  • Ian Holm for King Lear at the National Theatre Cottesloe
  • Simon Russell Beale for Othello at the National Theatre Cottesloe in a co-production with the Salisbury Festival
  • Rupert Graves for Hurlyburly at the Queen’s
  • John Wood for The Invention Of Lure at the National Theatre Cottesloe and Lyttelton

Best Director

Winner: Richard Eyre for King Lear at the National Theatre Cottesloe

Nominees:

  • Walter Bobbie for Chicago at the Adelphi
  • Richard Eyre for King Lear at the National Theatre Cottesloe
  • Sam Mendes for Othello at the National Theatre Cottesloe in a co-production with the Salisbury Festival
  • Matthew Warchus for Hamlet, RSC at the Barbican

Best Set Designer

Winner: Tim Goodchild for Three Hours After Marriage, RSC at the Barbican Pit

Nominees:

  • William Dudley for The Homecoming at the National Theatre Lyttelton
  • Tim Goodchild for Three Hours After Marriage, RSC at the Barbican Pit
  • John Gunter for The Peter Hall Company’s Season at the Old Vic
  • Rob Howell for Chips With Everything at the National Theatre Lyttelton

Best Lighting Designer

Winner: Rick Fisher for Chips With Everything and Lady In The Dark at the National Theatre Lyttelton

Nominees:

  • Paul Anderson for The Chairs at the Royal Court
  • Rick Fisher for Chips With Everything and Lady In The Dark at the National Theatre Lyttelton
  • Howard Harrison for The Fix at the Donmar Warehouse
  • Hugh Vanstone for Hamlet, RSC at the Barbican

Best Costume Designer

Winner: Tim Goodchild for Three Hours After Marriage, RSC at the Barbican Pit

Nominees:

  • Nicky Gillibrand for Lady In The Dark, at the National Theatre Lyttelton
  • Tim Goodchild for Three Hours After Marriage, RSC at the Barbican Pit
  • Ann Hould-Ward for Beauty And The Beast at the Dominion
  • William Ivey Long for Chicago at the Adelphi

Best Theatre Choreographer

Winner: Simon McBurney for The Caucasian Chalk Circle, in collaboration with Theatre de Complicite at the National Theatre Olivier

Nominees:

  • Simon McBurney for The Caucasian Chalk Circle, in collaboration with Theatre de Complicite at the National Theatre Olivier
  • Rob Marshall for Damn Yankees at the Adelphi
  • Ann Reinking for Chicago at the Adelphi
  • Matt West for Beauty And The Beast at the Dominion

Best New Opera Production

Winner: The Royal Opera’s Paul Bunyan at the Shaftesbury

Nominees:

  • English National Opera and Opera North’s Falstaff at the London Coliseum
  • The Royal Opera’s Palestrina at the Royal Opera House
  • The Royal Opera’s Paul Bunyan at the Shaftesbury
  • The Royal Opera’s Platee at the Barbican

Outstanding Achievement in Opera

Winner: Paul Daniel for conducting English National Opera’s From The House Of The Deal at the London Coliseum and for his contribution to English National Opera

Nominees:

  • Paul Daniel for conducting English National Opera’s From The House Of The Deal at the London Coliseum and for his contribution to English National Opera
  • Alan Opie for his performance in English National Opera and Opera North’s Falstaff at the London Coliseum
  • The Royal Opera’s creative team: Nikolaus Leloff (director), Tobias Moheisel, Bettina J Walker and Mark Hendersen for their opera Palestrina at the Royal Opera House
  • Francesco Zambello for directing the Royal Opera’s Paul Bunyan at the Shaftesbury

Best New Dance Production

Winner: L’Allegro, Il Penseroso Ed Il Moderato performed by Mark Morris Dance Group, English National Opera in association with Dance Umbrella, at the London Coliseum

Nominees:

  • L’Allegro, Il Penseroso Ed Il Moderato performed by Mark Morris Dance Group, English National Opera in association with Dance Umbrella, at the London Coliseum
  • The Birmingham Royal Ballet’s The Nutcracker Sweeties at the Royal Opera House
  • The English National Ballet’s Swan Lake in the round, in association with Raymond Gubbay at the Royal Albert Hall

Outstanding Achievement in Dance

Winner: Lez Brotherston for the set design and costume for Adventures In Motion Pictures’s Cinderella at the Piccadilly

Nominees:

  • Altynai Asylmuratova for her performance in English National Ballet’s Swan Lake in the round, in association with Raymond Gubbay at the Royal Albert Hall
  • Lez Brotherston for the set design and costume for Adventures In Motion Pictures’s Cinderella at the Piccadilly
  • Mark Morris for his choreography of L’Allegro, Il Penseroso Ed Il Moderato, performed by the Mark Morris dance group, English National Opera in association with dance Umbrella, at the London Coliseum

Best Performance in a Supporting Role

Winner: Sarah Woodward for Tom & Clem at the Aldwych

Nominees:

  • Sarah Woodward for Tom & Clem at the Aldwych
  • Michael Bryant for King Lear at the National Theatre Cottesloe
  • Ronald Pickup for Amy’s View at the National Theatre Lyttelton and the Aldwych
  • Paul Rhys for King Lear at the National Theatre Cottesloe

Best Actor in a Musical

Winner: Philip Quast for The Fix at the Donmar Warehouse

Nominees:

  • John Barrowman for The Fix at the Donmar Warehouse
  • Henry Goodman for Chicago at the Adelphi
  • Philip Quast for The Fix at the Donmar Warehouse
  • Andrew C Wadsworth for Kiss Me Kate at the Regent’s Park Open Air

Best Actress in a Musical

Winner: Ute Lemper for Chicago at the Adelphi

Nominees:

  • Maria Friedman for Lady In The Dark at the National Theatre Lyttelton
  • Ruthie Henshall for Chicago at the Adelphi
  • Ute Lemper for Chicago at the Adelphi
  • Sian Philips for Marlene at the Lyric

Best Supporting Performance in a Musical

Winner: James Dreyfus for Lady In The Dark at the National Theatre Lyttelton

Nominees:

  • James Dreyfus for Lady In The Dark at the National Theatre Lyttelton
  • Nicky Henson for Enter The Guardsman at the Donmar Warehouse
  • April Nixon for Damn Yankees at the Adelphi
  • Issy van Randwyck for Kiss Me Kate at the Regent’s Park Open Air

The American Express Award for Best New Musical

Winner: Beauty And The Beast, music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, book by Linda Wolverton, at the Dominion

Nominees:

  • Beauty And The Beast, music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, book by Linda Wolverton, at the Dominion
  • Enter The Guardsman, book by Scott Wentworth, music by Craig Bohmer, lyrics by Marian Adler, based on “The Guardsman” by Ferenc Molnar, at the Donmar Warehouse
  • The Fix, book and lyrics by John Dempsey, music by Dana P Rowe, at the Donmar Warehouse
  • Lady In The Dark, a musical play by Moss Hart, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and music by Kurt Weill, at the National Theatre Lyttelton

Outstanding Musical Production

Winner: Chicago, lyrics by Fred Ebb, music by John Kander, book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, at the Adelphi

Nominees:

  • Chicago, lyrics by Fred Ebb, music by John Kander, book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, at the Adelphi
  • Damn Yankees, book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, words and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, at the Adelphi, based on Douglass Wallop’s novel The Year The Yankees Lost the Pennant, book revisions by Jack O’Brien
  • Kiss Me Kate, music and lyrics by Cole Porter, book by Bella and Samuel Spewack, at the Regent’s Park Open Air

BBC Award for the Play of the Year

Winner: Closer by Patrick Marber at the National Theatre Cottesloe and the National Theatre Lyttelton

Nominees:

  • Amy’s View by David Hare at the National Theatre Lyttelton and the Aldwych
  • Closer by Patrick Marber at the National Theatre Cottesloe and the National Theatre Lyttelton
  • Hurlyburly by David Rabe at the Queen’s
  • The Invention Of Love by Tom Stoppard at the National Theatre Cottesloe and the National Theatre Lyttelton
  • Tom & Clem by Stephen Churchett at the Aldwych

The Society’s Special Award

Ed and David Mirvish in recognition of their outstanding contribution to restoring and operating London’s historic site, the Old Vic