Olivier Awards announced

The Laurence Olivier Awards Nominations have been announced.

The winners will be announced at the 33rd Laurence Olivier Awards ceremony at London's Grosvenor House on Sunday 8 March 2009.

Nominations.....

Best Actress
Deanna Dunagan August:Osage County at National
Lindsay Duncan That Face at Duke of York’s
Margaret Tyzack The Chalk Garden at Donmar
Penelope Wilton The Chalk Garden at Donmar

Best Actor
David Bradley No Man’s Land the Duke of York’s
Michael Gambon No Man’s Land the Duke of York’s
Adam Godley Rain Man at Apollo
Derek Jacobi Twelfth Night, at Wyndham’s

Best Performance In a Supporting Role
Oliver Ford Davies Hamlet at Novello
Kevin R McNally Ivanov, at Wyndham’s
Paul Ritter The Norman Conquests at Old Vic
Patrick Stewart Hamlet at Novello

Best Company Performance
August: Osage County at National
Black Watch at Barbican
The Histories at Roundhouse
The Norman Conquests at Old Vic
Sunset Boulevard at Comedy

Best New Play
August: Osage County by Tracy Letts at National
Black Watch by Gregory Burke at Barbican
The Pitmen Painters by Lee Hall at National
That Face by Polly Stenham at Duke of York’s

Best New Comedy
Fat Pig by Neil La Bute at Comedy
Female Of The Species by J Murray-Smith at Vaudeville
God Of Carnage by Yasmina Reza at Gielgud

Best Revival
The Chalk Garden at Donmar Warehouse
The Histories at Roundhouse
The Norman Conquests at Old Vic

Best Entertainment
Noël Coward’s Brief Encounter at Cinema Haymarket
La Clique at Hippodrome
Maria Friedman: Rearranged at Trafalgar Studios 1

Best New Musical
Jersey Boys at Prince Edward
Zorro at Garrick

Best Musical Revival
La Cage Aux Folles at Playhouse
Piaf at Donmar& Vaudeville
Sunset Boulevard at Comedy theatre
West Side Story at Sadler’s Wells

Best Actress In A Musical
Sofia Escobar West Side Story at Sadler’s Wells
Kathryn Evans Sunset Boulevard at Comedy
Ruthie Henshall Marguerite at Haymarket
Elena Roger Piaf at Donmar & Vaudeville
Emma Williams Zorro at Garrick

Best Actor In A Musical
Douglas Hodge La Cage Aux Folles at Playhouse
Denis Lawson La Cage Aux Folles at Playhouse
Ryan Molloy Jersey Boys at Prince Edward
Matt Rawle Zorro at Garrick

Best Performance In A Supporting Role In A Musical
Alexander Hanson Marguerite at Haymarket
Katherine Kingsley Piaf at Donmar & Vaudeville
Lesli Margherita Zorro at Garrick
Jason Pennycooke La Cage Aux Folles at Playhouse
Dave Willetts Sunset Boulevard at Comedy

Best Director
Terry Johnson La Cage Aux Folles at Playhouse
Des McAnuff Jersey Boys at Prince Edward
Emma Rice Brief Encounter at Cinema Haymarket
John Tiffany Black Watch at Barbican

Best Theatre Choreographer
Rafael Amargo Zorro at Garrick
Steven Hoggett Black Watch at Barbican
Lynne Page La Cage Aux Folles at Playhouse
Kate Prince Into The Hoods at Novello
Sergio Trujillo Jersey Boys at Prince Edward

Best Lighting Design
The Chalk Garden Paule Constable at Donmar
Ivanov Paule Constable at Wyndham’s
No Man’s Land Neil Austin at Duke of York’s
Piaf Neil Austin at Donmar & Vaudeville

Best Set Design
August: Osage County Todd Rosenthal at National
Brief Encounter Neil Murray, projections by Gemma Carrington and Jon Driscoll at Cinema Haymarket
The Histories Tom Piper at Roundhouse
The Lover/The Collection Soutra Gilmour at Comedy
Marguerite Paul Brown at Haymarket

Best Costume Design
The Histories Tom Piper/Emma Williams at Roundhouse
La Cage Aux Folles Matthew Wright at Playhouse
The Norman Conquests Rob Howell at Old Vic
Twelfth Night Christopher Oram at Wyndham’s

Best Sound Design
Black Watch Gareth Fry at Barbican
Brief Encounter Simon Baker at Cinema Haymarket
Jersey Boys Steve Canyon Kennedy at Prince Edward
Piaf Christopher Shutt, Max & Ben Ringham at Donmar & Vaudeville

Outstanding Achievement In An Affiliate Theatre
The ensemble cast of Oxford Street, Royal Court Upstairs
The Pride, Royal Court Upstairs
Clive Rowe in Mother Goose at Hackney Empire
Jo Newbery for design of Scarborough, at Royal Court Upstairs

Best New Opera Production
The Royal Opera’s Don Carlo at Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera’s The Minotaur at Royal Opera House
English National Opera’s I Pagliacci at London Coliseum
English National Opera’s Partenope at London Coliseum

Outstanding Achievement In Opera
Patricia Bardon for her performances in The Royal Opera’s The Rake’s Progress at the Royal Opera House and English National Opera’s Partenope and Riders To The Sea at the London Coliseum
Feruccio Furlanetto for his performance in the Royal Opera’s Don Carlo at the Royal Opera House
Ed Gardner for conducting English National Opera’s Boris Goduinov, Cavalliera Rusticana, Der Rosenkavalier, I Pagliacci, Riders To The Sea at the London Coliseum and Punch And Judy at the Young Vic
Christine Rice for her performances in the Royal Opera’s The Minotaur at the Royal Opera House and English National Opera’s Partenope at the London Coliseum

Best New Dance Production
Pina Bausch Tanztheater Wuppertal’s Café Muller/ The Rite Of Spring at Sadler’s Wells
The Royal Ballet of Flanders’ Impressing The Czar at Sadler’s Wells
The Royal Ballet’s Infra at the Royal Opera House
DV8’s To Be Straight With You at the National Theatre, Lyttelton

Outstanding Achievement In Dance
The company of the Royal Ballet of Flanders for their performances in Impressing The Czar at Sadler’s Wells
The company of the The Royal Ballet for their performances in Infra
Savion Glover, Marshall Davis Jr and Maurice Chestnut for their performances in Savion Glover’s Bare Soundz at Sadler’s Wells

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Only "Jersey Boys" and "Zorro?"

I guess The Harder They Come was up for its Stratford run vs. the West End, but surely Come Dancing belonged on that list.

TBH, I see a very dull and predictable Olivier awards.

It's a disgrace that Marguerite didn't get any more, especially Best New Musical.

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"I thought Craig Revel-Horwood deserved a nomination for best director with Sunset."

I thoroughly agree, Phantom. He created a really magical piece out of what was previously a quite ordinary show. This production (at the Watermill and at the Comedy) was one of the three best things I saw anywhere in the UK or USA in the whole of 2008.

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Updated On: 2/3/09 at 10:05 AM

It's a disgrace that Marguerite didn't get any more, especially Best New Musical.

Did we see the same Marguerite? I mean, I've had worse evenings in a theatre, but there's no way it was Best Musical material. I'd rather see a bizarre year that sees only two musicals nominated than a bizarre year that insists on nominating everything that could apply, regardless of quality,

I have noted some strange strange omissions from the nominations. It being the Year of the Donmar, where is Michael Grandage? You'd've thought he'd be able to garner a Best Director nomination from somewhere, but apparently not! No Michael Boyd or Rupert Goold either; in fact, zero recognition for Six Characters in Search of an Author, which isn't necessarily the most surprising omission ever but I have only just noticed it and am pulling the face because of it.

And why no Kenneth Branagh for Best Actor? Now *there's* someone you'd've thought would be a shoo-in for a nomination at the *very* least. O_O Plus how can you nominate Deanna Dunagan for Best Actress and leave out Amy Morton?

I also would really have liked to see a Best Lighting Design nomination for Hamlet. I laugh at the fact it only has two nominations, both in the same category, and it's a category I hope neither of them win. XD

I would like to see Kevin R. McNally taking Best Supporting, Elena Roger taking Best Actress in a Musical, Black Watch taking Best Sound Design, and the Histories taking as much as they possibly can. And might Douglas Hodge take Best Actor in a Musical? One must certainly hope so. Beyond that, it's a decent enough year (for shows if not for nominations; apart from new musicals, anyway XD) that I imagine I shall be faintly pleased whoever wins each category.

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Updated On: 2/3/09 at 02:44 PM

I was surprised by the choice of nominees fro Best director as well - particularly bearing in mind the discussions we've had on this board about the quality of directors we've got at the moment.

I wasn't surprised by Branagh's absence but was by Hiddleston's absence and McNally's inclusion.

WTF is That Face doing in best new play? At least Black Watch or August will see it off. Why isn't Blowing Whistles in there - does the Leicester Square Theatre not count as a West End venue?

Not surprised by Marguerite and Imagine This' absence. At least Gone With the Wind didn't sneak in via the backdoor. No nods for Eurobeat - I thought that would be in Best Musical.

Hadnt even noticed the director category.
In a year where plays clearly outshone musicals its quite a strange set.

Of course, what I'd *really* like to see is McNally winning Supporting Performance *next* year. It's not that I'm over-excited when it comes to all things Hamlet or anything, but I'm SO looking forward to his Claudius and fully expect him to blow Patrick Stewart's efforts out of the frickin' water.

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Todays press are picking up on Brannaghs snub.
What were they thinking?

No its not!

** *** ****** **** NOT!
...if thats the case then put in 'Imagine This' and 'Gone With The Wind' etc etc etc etc

I cant remember a show that was so quickly forgotten and not talked about, in decades. People still talk about 'GWTW', 'Imagine This, 'Murderous Instincts', 'Lutec' 'Metropolis' etc etc ...nobody talks about that Ruthie Henshall show from 5 months ago!

Didn't Oliver miss the qualifying period for this year? It is highly likely that this will be a contender in next year's Olivier's.

Sorry but I didn't like Marguerite at all and am pleased that it din't get a nod as Best Musical.