London theater is gearing up for its biggest celebration of the year! This Sunday, April 3 at 10 p.m. BST, the 40th annual Laurence Olivier Awards will be held at Covent Garden’s iconic Royal Opera House, hosted by two-time Olivier winner Michael Ball. For the first time ever, you can watch the ceremony be broadcasted live on the awards’ YouTube channel.
Among the acting nominees for the 2015–16 London theater scene are such stage vets as Kenneth Branagh, Benedict Cumberbatch, Judi Dench, Preeya Kalidas, Nicole Kidman, Adrian Lester, and Mark Rylance. Also nominated are Lara Pulver, Dan Burton, Peter Davison, and Imelda Staunton, stars of this year’s most nominated production, the Jonathan Kent–directed revival of “Gypsy” at the Savoy Theatre. For a full list of Olivier nominees, visit olivierawards.com.
Staunton will open the ceremony with a number from the musical; the casts of the other nominees for best musical revival, “Bugsy Malone,” “Guys And Dolls,” and “Seven Brides For Seven Brothers” will perform, as will new musical nominees “Bend It Like Beckham,” “In the Heights,” “Mrs. Henderson Presents,” and “Kinky Boots,” which will include a special performance from Cyndi Lauper. In addition, Jack Savoretti will deliver William Shakespeare’s 18th sonnet to mark the 400th anniversary of the Bard’s death. Expected to present awards are Uzo Aduba, Shirley Bassey, Noma Dumezweni, Alfred Enoch, Kit Harington, Eddie Izzard, Rory Kinnear, Vanessa Redgrave, Amber Riley, and many more.
Tune in below on April 3 to see all the stars, performances, and results of the 40th annual Olivier Awards streamed live!
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