{"id":62665,"date":"2026-03-17T09:29:30","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T09:29:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/?p=62665"},"modified":"2026-03-17T09:35:25","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T09:35:25","slug":"olivier-awards-nominees-what-to-see-on-stage-right-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/olivier-awards-nominees-what-to-see-on-stage-right-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Olivier Awards Nominees: What to See on Stage Right Now"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the early years the winners received Wedgwood porcelain vases as trophies \u2014 it was exactly such a vase (teasingly nicknamed \u201clittle urns\u201d) that Laurence Olivier himself received in 1979 for his contribution to British theatre. The award only later acquired his name: in 1984 Sir Laurence personally gave permission for it to be used. Since then the \u201curns\u201d disappeared and the prize took on the form familiar today \u2014 a heavy (over a kilogram) bronze statuette depicting Olivier as Henry V, his legendary role performed at the Old Vic in 1937. Each statuette is cast in a mould and then finished by hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the years the ceremony has moved several times. From Caf\u00e9 Royal it began wandering between venues \u2014 including hotels such as Grosvenor House Hotel, as well as theatres like London Palladium and Royal Opera House \u2014 until the UK\u2019s main theatre prize finally settled in its current home, Royal Albert Hall. The hosts have been just as varied over the past fifty years: from Richard Briers to James Corden (who, incidentally, helped turn the industry ceremony into a show \u201cfor everyone\u201d), from Hugh Jackman to Beverley Knight. This year the ceremony at Royal Albert Hall will be hosted by British actor Nick Mohammed \u2014 Mr. Swallow, Shelley from Ted Lasso, and creator of Intelligence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what about the nominees? The full list can be found anywhere, so we\u2019ve selected the shows that are still running in London. Two clear favourites have emerged: Paddington: The Musical and Into the Woods, each with 11 nominations. What else is worth seeing? Before the big night arrives, several of the nominated productions can still be caught live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inter Alia<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wyndham\u2019s Theatre<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Charing Cross Rd, London WC2H 0DA<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From 19 March<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nominations: Best New Play, Best Actress<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
https:\/\/www.wyndhamstheatre.co.uk\/whats-on\/inter-alia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The play by Suzie Miller, starring Rosamund Pike, tells the story of a woman navigating multiple social roles. Her life is turned upside down when her son is accused of rape. Personal and professional identities become inseparably entangled \u2014 something that clashes completely with the heroine\u2019s own beliefs about justice and responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inter Alia continues themes Miller explored in her previous play Prima Facie. What is the justice system? What do fairness and impartiality really mean? And what happens when legal principles collide with human emotions? Miller, notably, does not provide a clear answer as to whether the son is guilty. The point of the play is not the verdict but the painful question of what to do when law, facts and love for one\u2019s child begin to contradict each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paddington: The Musical<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Savoy Theatre<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Savoy Ct, Strand, London WC2R 0ET<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Running until May 2027<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Nominations: Best New Musical, Best Director, Best Actor in a Musical, Best Theatre Choreographer, Best Costume Design, Best Set Design, Best Sound Design, Best Lighting Design, Best Video Design, Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical, Outstanding Musical Contribution<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
https:\/\/cdn.prod.website-files.com\/<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

An unusual situation: a family commercial musical is suddenly threatening to become the best show of the season. The familiar story of the bear who arrives in London acquires a modern \u2014 but not modernised \u2014 resonance. Even in today\u2019s world, the most important things remain love, kindness, warmth and support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Children are delighted, adults find themselves in tears \u2014 whether from tenderness or from a bittersweet nostalgia for a childhood that seemed lost but suddenly returns. Technically complex, the production turned out not to be a mere spectacle but genuine theatre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Director Luke Sheppard is nominated for Best Director. The joint performance of James Hameed and Arti Shah, who share the role of Paddington, earned a shared nomination for Best Actor in a Musical. Judy Kaye \u2014 incidentally a two-time Tony Award winner (1988 and 2012) \u2014 is nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mrs Brown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Into the Woods<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bridge Theatre<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

3 Potters Flds Pk, London SE1 2SG<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Running until 30 May<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nominations: Best Musical Revival, Best Actor in a Musical, Best Actress in a Musical, Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical, Best Theatre Choreographer, Outstanding Musical Contribution, Best Costume Design, Best Lighting Design, Best Set Design, Best Sound Design, Best Video Design<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
https:\/\/www.bridgetheatre.co.uk\/whats-on\/into-the-woods\/<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Into the Woods is a fairy-tale musical in which the stories of well-known characters intertwine. A baker and his wife dream of having a child but are prevented by a curse cast by a witch. To break the spell, they must venture into an enchanted forest where they encounter Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack of the beanstalk, and Rapunzel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gradually the fairy-tale plots intertwine and, just as it seems that the story has reached a happy ending, reality proves far darker. The musical asks what happens after the fairy tale ends \u2014 after \u201cthey lived happily ever after.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite its philosophical undertones, the production is visually enchanting and utterly absorbing. Jamie Parker and Katie Brayben are nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress in a Musical, Anna Francolini for Best Supporting Actress, and Liam Steel for choreography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Theatre Royal Haymarket<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Haymarket, London SW1Y 4HT<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Running until 18 April<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nominations: Best New Musical, Outstanding Musical Contribution, Best Set Design<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
https:\/\/trh.co.uk\/whatson\/harold-fry\/<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

An ordinary retiree, Harold Fry, receives a letter from an old friend with whom he long ago lost contact \u2014 not out of malice, simply because life happened. The letter reveals that she is dying of a serious illness. Harold sets out to send a reply but, on the way to the postbox, makes an unexpected decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of posting the letter, he keeps walking \u2014 across the whole of England \u2014 convinced that as long as he continues his journey, nothing bad will happen. Along the way he meets strangers, reflects on his life, his mistakes and lost relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is a moving story about how the simplest decision \u2014 to take a step and keep walking \u2014 can change a life. The music was written by singer Passenger, best known for the global hit Let Her Go. He had long wanted to try writing a full theatrical score, and his acoustic folk style proves perfectly suited to this gentle road-movie-like story of an ageing traveller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arcadia<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Old Vic<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

103 The Cut, London SE1 8NB<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Running until 21 March<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nomination: Best Revival<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
https:\/\/www.oldvictheatre.com\/stage\/arcadia\/<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The famous play by Tom Stoppard takes place in the same English country house, Sidley Park in Derbyshire, but across two eras \u2014 the early nineteenth century and the present day. Scholars and historians attempt to unravel the mysteries of the past, discovering that passions, love and mistakes repeat themselves across generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thomasina Coverly, a brilliant young girl \u2014 almost a child prodigy \u2014 begins to glimpse ideas resembling chaos theory while falling in love with her tutor, Septimus Hodge. Yet nothing is simple. The play, layered and intricate, has always been both irresistible and daunting for theatres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It combines science, romance and history: the characters discuss mathematics, chaos, poetry and landscape gardening while trying to understand events that took place in the house two centuries earlier. The present-day characters seek to understand the past and find order in the chaos of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The current Arcadia at the Old Vic opened just weeks after the death of the playwright in November 2025, and the nomination feels almost like a tribute to a great playwriter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh, Mary!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trafalgar Theatre<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

14 Whitehall, London SW1A 2DY<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Running until July 2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nomination: No\u00ebl Coward Award for Best New Entertainment or Comedy Play<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
https:\/\/trafalgartheatre.com\/shows\/oh-mary\/<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

This absurd historical comedy imagines Mary Todd Lincoln dreaming not of politics or domestic duties but of becoming a cabaret performer. The action takes place in the White House on the eve of Abraham Lincoln\u2019s assassination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The characters behave eccentrically, quarrel, plot ridiculous schemes and constantly undermine the historical seriousness of the situation. Carnival laughter turns from delight into something almost sinister \u2014 the play becomes a comedy about vanity, ambition and the theatricality of life itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh, Mary! is deliberately grotesque, almost cabaret-like in tone. The role of Mary Todd Lincoln was originally conceived as an exaggerated drag performance \u2014 played off-Broadway by the playwright himself, Cole Escola. In London the role is performed by Mason Alexander Park until 25 April; afterwards \u2014 plot twist! \u2014 it will be taken over by Catherine Tate, the British comedian known for The Catherine Tate Show and for playing Donna Noble in Doctor Who.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Producers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Garrick Theatre<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

2 Charing Cross Rd, London WC2H 0HH<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Running until September 2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nominations: Best Musical Revival, Best Actor in a Musical (two actors in the same category), Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical, Best Director<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
https:\/\/thegarricktheatre.co.uk\/tickets\/mel-brooks-the-producers\/<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The London revival of the musical by Mel Brooks tells the story of two theatrical schemers: producer Max Bialystock (Andy Nyman) and timid accountant Leo Bloom (Marc Antolin). They devise a brilliant fraud \u2014 to stage a guaranteed flop and keep the investors\u2019 money. Unfortunately for them, their appallingly bad show unexpectedly becomes a hit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The production contains everything that made the original famous: burlesque humour, theatrical parody and the notorious number \u201cSpringtime for Hitler,\u201d turning a story about Broadway fraud into a riotous, unapologetically outrageous theatrical farce. Director Patrick Marber is nominated for Best Director, while Andy Nyman and Marc Antolin are nominated for leading roles. Trevor Ashley, who plays the flamboyant and hilariously eccentric director Roger De Bris, is nominated for Best Supporting Actor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The 50th anniversary ceremony of the Olivier Awards will take place on 12 April at the Royal Albert Hall. It is easy enough to calculate that the first ceremony took place in 1976. It was held at Caf\u00e9 Royal, 68 Regent Street, and was not yet called the Olivier Awards but the Society of West End Theatre Awards \u2014 the prize of the Society of West End Theatres. The professional award of the British theatre world is somewhat younger than its American counterpart, the Tony Awards, but it is valued no less highly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":62677,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"type_post":[184],"column":[185],"class_list":["post-62665","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-misc","column-letters-from-the-theatre"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62665","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62665"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62665\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62678,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62665\/revisions\/62678"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62677"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62665"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62665"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62665"},{"taxonomy":"type_post","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/type_post?post=62665"},{"taxonomy":"column","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/column?post=62665"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}