The London stage community and its fans are readying for the 2019 Olivier Awards, to be held 7 April at the Royal Albert Hall in a ceremony hosted by Jason Manford. Celebrating the “world-class status of London theatre” since 1976, the Oliviers are presented by the not-for-profit Society of London Theatre (SOLT) and sponsored by Mastercard, and are considered the UK’s highest stage honours.
Announced today by actors Sheila Atim and Giles Terera, this year’s nominees include newcomers and Olivier regulars, dance and opera as well as West End productions, and shows transferring to and coming from Broadway. Marianne Elliott’s Gielgud Theatre revival of Company and Christopher Ashley’s Tony-winning production of Come From Away at the Phoenix Theatre each earned nine nods total in the musical categories, including for directing and choreography.
Rosalie Craig, in the gender-swapped leading role of the Stephen Sondheim revival, is nominated in the best actress in a musical category alongside Kelli O’Hara for The King And I at The London Palladium, Sharon D. Clarke for Caroline, Or Change at Playhouse Theatre, and Adrienne Warren for Tina - The Tina Turner Musical at Aldwych Theatre. Best actor in a musical will go to Marc Antolin for Little Shop Of Horrors at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith for Tina, Zubin Varla for Fun Home at the Young Vic, and Ken Watanabe for The King And I.
The Inheritance, a new play from Matthew Lopez that transferred from the Young Vic to the West End’s Noël Coward Theatre, earned the most play nods with eight, its supporting actress Vanessa Redgrave and leading actor Kyle Soller among them. The latter is nominated alongside Arinzé Kene for Misty at Trafalgar Studios 1, Ian McKellen for King Lear at Duke of York’s Theatre, David Suchet for The Price at Wyndham’s Theatre, and, collectively, Adam Godley, Ben Miles, and Simon Russell Beale for The Lehman Trilogy at the National Theatre. This marks the 11th Olivier nomination of McKellen’s career.
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Competing for best actress are Gillian Anderson for All About Eve at Noël Coward Theatre, Eileen Atkins for The Height Of The Storm at Wyndham’s Theatre, Patsy Ferran for Summer And Smoke at Almeida Theatre and Duke of York’s Theatre, Sophie Okonedo for Antony and Cleopatra at the National Theatre, and Katherine Parkinson for Home, I’m Darling at the National Theatre and Duke of York’s Theatre.
Chief Executive of Society of London Theatre and Executive Producer Julian Bird said in a statement, “This year’s nominations really highlight the sheer breadth and diversity of the modern British theatre landscape, with an exciting mix of well-established and new voices. We look forward to celebrating all this incredible creative talent on Sunday 7 April.”
For more on the Laurence Olivier Awards and the best of London theatre, visit officiallondontheatre.com.
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