Last night in London, the Olivier Awards, the UK’s most prestigious theatre accolades, were handed out at the Royal Albert Hall. The ceremony was hosted by Billy Porter and Beverley Knight.
The award for Best New Play went to Mark Rosenblatt for Giant at the Royal Court Theatre. Meanwhile, the sold-out The Fear of 13 by Lindsey Ferrentino (we wrote about the Donmar Warehouse production here) left empty-handed, as did Shifters and the much-discussed The Years.
Still, The Years wasn’t entirely overlooked – Eline Arbo won for Best Director, and Romola Garai picked up Best Supporting Actress for her role in the production.
But it was Giant that truly swept the evening: in addition to Best Play, John Lithgow won Best Actor, and Elliot Leveytook home Best Supporting Actor.
Oedipus (read more) was awarded Best Production, a well-earned win after a string of sold-out performances and wide-ranging praise from both audiences and critics.
Lesley Manville was named Actress of the Season for her role in Oedipus (the category also featured Rosie Sheehy for Machinal and *Indira Varma, also in Oedipus).
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button won Best New Musical, beating out MJ The Musical and Why Am I So Single?
Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812 didn’t go unnoticed either – Maimuna Memon won Best Supporting Performance for her role.
Finally, Fiddler on the Roof was crowned Best Revival of a Classic Musical, leaving contenders like Hello, Dolly!, Oliver!, and Starlight Express without wins.
But Imelda Staunton shone through, winning Best Actress in a Musical for Hello, Dolly!, while John Dagleish took Best Actor in a Musical for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
