The Royal Shakespeare Company’s Matilda The Musical leads this year’s Olivier Awards with MasterCard nominations, recognised in 10 categories, the maximum number of eligible awards for a musical at this year’s awards.
Announced at the May Fair Hotel today by 2011’s Best Actress and Best Actor Nancy Carroll and Roger Allam, all four young actresses playing the magical lead role are nominated collectively for Best Actress in a Musical, while Bertie Carvel is recognised for Best Actor in a Musical and Paul Kaye is nominated for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical.
The hit Roald Dahl musical faces competition in the coveted Best New Musical category from Betty Blue Eyes, Ghost The Musical, London Road and Shrek The Musical, all of which boast nominations in other categories, with Ghost The Musical racking up five nominations.
The National Theatre lead the way for plays with an impressive 15 nominations, which includes recognition for hit comedy One Man, Two Guvnors, musical London Road, Danny Boyle’s Frankenstein and new plays Grief and Collaborators.
One Man, Two Guvnors, which has already collected a host of awards this season, leads the pack with five nominations including the much coveted MasterCard Best New Play, facing competition from fellow NT show Collaborators, the Royal Court’s Jumpy and madcap comedy The Ladykillers. The show’s star James Cordon is recognised for his critically acclaimed performance in the Best Actor category.
Cordon faces competition from two other NT stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller who share the nomination for their high profile performances in Frankenstein. They are joined by David Haig for his TMA Award-winning role in The Madness Of George III, Olivier Award-winner Douglas Hodge for Inadmissible Evidence and Jude Law for the Donmar Warehouse’s Anna Christie.
Law’s Anna Christie co-star Ruth Wilson also celebrates success today nominated for her role in the Best Actress category with Marcia Warren (The Ladykillers), Lesley Manville (Grief), Kristin Scott Thomas (Betrayal) and Celia Imrie (Noises Off) joining her in the category.
Directors Sean Foley (The Ladykillers), Nicholas Hytner (One Man, Two Guvnors), Rufus Norris (London Road) and Matthew Warchus (Matilda The Musical) are recognised in the Best Director category.
Continuing 2011’s drama success is Trevor Nunn’s centenary celebration production of Terence Rattigan’s Flare Path which, as well as being nominated in the Best Revival alongside Noises Off, Much Ado About Nothing and Anna Christie, sees last year’s Best Actress in a Musical winner Sheridan Smith nominated for Best Performance in a Supporting Role.
Affiliate theatres are also celebrated at this year’s awards with the Lyric Hammersmith’s production of Mogadishu, Theatre Royal Stratford East’s Roadkill, the Donmar Warehouse’s Salt, Root And Roe at the Trafalgar Studios 2 and the Royal Court theatre’s The Village Bike nominated for the Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre Award.
This year’s Best Actress in a Musical category sees Kate Fleetwood (London Road), Sarah Lancashire (Betty Blue Eyes) and Scarlett Strallen (Singin’ In The Rain) pitched against the four Matildas, while Carvel faces competition from Nigel Lindsay (Shrek The Musical), Reece Shearsmith (Betty Blue Eyes) and Paulo Szot (South Pacific).
Musical revivals Crazy For You, Singin’ In The Rain, South Pacific and The Wizard Of Oz are also celebrated at this year’s award with the chance of taking home the Best Musical Revival Award.
In the opera categories, English National Opera received six nominations, including an Outstanding Achievement in Opera nomination for the breadth and diversity of its artistic programming, while the Royal Opera House boasts three nominations. Sadler’s Wells is recognised for opera in one category and dominates this year’s dance awards with five nominations, with the Royal Opera House’s three nominations its only competition.
Other nominated shows this year include Jerusalem and The Children’s Hour (both Best Performance in a Supporting Role), Lend Me A Tenor The Musical (Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical), and Derren Brown: Svengali, Midnight Tango, Potted Potter and The Tiger Who Came To Tea, who are all nominated in the Best Entertainment and Family category.
Mark Rubinstein, President of the Society of London Theatre, described the list of nominees as: “truly representative of our diverse world-class London theatre across both the commercial and subsidised sectors, which continue to delight thousands of Londoners and visitors every day.”
Paul Trueman, Head of Marketing UK and Ireland for MasterCard Worldwide, said the company were “proud to enter into the second year of our partnership with the Society of London Theatre and the Olivier Awards. We are delighted to extend our congratulations to the nominees of the MasterCard Best New Play Award.”
The most prestigious award’s ceremony in London’s Theatreland will take place at the Royal Opera House on 15 April. Theatregoers can follow full coverage of the event on www.olivierawards.com, by watching live on the BBC Red Button, listening to BBC Radio 2, or attending the Covent Garden Piazza event where the public can enjoy performances from some of London favourite shows and watch all the action unfold live on a big screen relay.
Full list of nominations:
Best New Play:
Collaborators at the Cottesloe theatre
Jumpy at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court
The Ladykillers at the Gielgud theatre
One Man, Two Guvnors at the Lyttelton theatre
Best Revival
Anna Christie at the Donmar Warehouse
Flare Path at the Theatre Royal Haymarket
Much Ado About Nothing at the Wyndham’s theatre
Noises Off at the Old Vic theatre
Best Entertainment and Family
Derren Brown – Svengali at the Shaftesbury theatre
Midnight Tango at the Aldwych theatre
Potted Potter at the Garrick theatre
The Tiger Who Came To Tea at the Vaudeville theatre
Best Actress
Celia Imrie for Noises Off at the Old Vic theatre
Lesley Manville for Grief at the Cottesloe theatre
Kristin Scott Thomas for Betrayal at the Harold Pinter theatre
Marcia Warren for The Ladykillers at the Gielgud theatre
Ruth Wilson for Anna Christie at the Donmar Warehouse
Best Actor
James Corden for One Man, Two Guvnors at the Lyttelton theatre
Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller for Frankenstein at the Olivier theatre
David Haig for The Madness of George III at the Apollo theatre
Douglas Hodge for Inadmissible 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 theatre
Oliver Chris for One Man, Two Guvnors at the Lyttelton theatre
Johnny Flynn for Jerusalem at the Apollo theatre
Bryony Hannah for The Children’s Hour at the Harold Pinter theatre
Sheridan Smith for Flare Path at the Theatre Royal Haymarket
Best Actress in a Musical
Kate Fleetwood for London Road at the Cottesloe theatre
Sarah Lancashire for Betty Blue Eyes at the Novello theatre
The Matildas for Matilda The Musical at the Cambridge theatre
Scarlett Strallen for Singin’ In The Rain at the Palace theatre
Best Actor in a Musical
Bertie Carvel for Matilda The Musical at the Cambridge theatre
Nigel Lindsay for Shrek The Musical at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Reece Shearsmith for Betty Blue Eyes at the Novello theatre
Paulo Szot for South Pacific at the Barbican theatre
Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical
Sharon D Clarke for Ghost The Musical at the Piccadilly theatre
Sophie-Louise Dann for Lend Me A Tenor The Musical at the Gielgud theatre
Nigel Harman for Shrek The Musical at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Paul Kaye for Matilda The Musical at the Cambridge theatre
Katherine Kingsley for Singin’ In The Rain at the Palace theatre
Best New Musical
Betty Blue Eyes at the Novello theatre
Ghost The Musical at the Piccadilly theatre
London Road at the Cottesloe theatre
Matilda The Musical at the Cambridge theatre
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 theatre
South Pacific at the Barbican theatre
The Wizard Of Oz at the London Palladium
Best Director
Sean Foley for The Ladykillers at the Gielgud theatre
Nicholas Hytner for One Man, Two Guvnors at the Lyttelton theatre
Rufus Norris for London Road at the Cottesloe theatre
Matthew Warchus for Matilda The Musical at the Cambridge theatre
Best Theatre Choreographer
Peter Darling for Matilda The Musical at the Cambridge theatre
Javier de Frutos for London Road at the Cottesloe theatre
Stephen Mear for Crazy For You at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
Andrew Wright for Singin’ In The Rain at the Palace theatre
Best Lighting Design
Anna Christie designed by Howard Harrison at the Donmar Warehouse
Frankenstein designed by Bruno Poet at the Olivier theatre
Ghost The Musical designed by Hugh Vanstone at the Piccadilly theatre
Matilda The Musical designed by Hugh Vanstone at the Cambridge theatre
Best Set Design
Ghost The Musical designed by Rob Howell at the Piccadilly theatre
The Ladykillers designed by Michael Taylor at the Gielgud theatre
Matilda The Musical designed Rob Howell at the Cambridge theatre
One Man, Two Guvnors designed by Mark Thompson at the Lyttelton theatre
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 theatre
Shrek The Musical designed by Tim Hatley at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
South Pacific designed by Catherine Zuber at the Barbican theatre
Best Sound Design
Ghost The Musical designed by Bobby Aitken at the Piccadilly theatre
Frankenstein designed by Underworld and Ed Clarke at the Olivier theatre
The Ladykillers designed by Ben and Max Ringham at the Gielgud theatre
Matilda The Musical designed by Simon Baker at the Cambridge theatre
Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre
Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester for Mogadishu at the Lyric Hammersmith
Theatre Royal Stratford East in association with the Barbican and Traverse Theatre for Roadkill
Donmar Warehouse for Salt, Root And Roe at the Trafalgar Studios 2
The Royal Court for The Village Bike at the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs
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
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 and The Tales Of Hoffmann at the London Coliseum
Mark-Anthony Turnage for his composition of Anna Nicole at the Royal Opera House and Twice Through The Heart at Sadler’s Wells.
Outstanding Achievement in Dance
The Design Team for their work on the Royal Ballet’s Alice’s 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 theatre
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