The 2017 Olivier Awards are fast approaching and are set to be bigger than ever. Following a five year residency at the Royal Opera House, this year’s event will be hosted at the glorious Royal Albert Hall.
As always, there is an incredible amount of talent nominated for an Olivier. Throughout 2016-17 the West End has seen phenomenal productions, from ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ to the beautiful revival of ‘Dreamgirls’. We’ve had treats such as ‘Travesties’ (starring Best Actor nominee Tom Hollander) and witnessed sensational performers.
Here, I discuss some of the nominees, share my thoughts (as well as excitement) and reflect on previous Olivier successes…
Ceremony and coverage
Over the past few weeks, exciting news has been released detailing plans for the event, as well as the increasing number of ways we can engage with the evening’s proceedings.
The red carpet will be streamed live on Facebook, enabling a wider scope of fans to watch nominees arrive at the Albert Hall. The increased coverage of this year’s Olivier’s is both encouraging and exciting. To finally watch ceremony coverage on a prime time slot on ITV is wonderful.
I look forward to musical performances from West End productions such as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘School of Rock’ and Gary Barlow’s new musical ‘The Girls’, as well as performances from the stunning Amber Riley (‘Dreamgirls’) and Audra McDonald.
Nominations
‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ (soon to be celebrating it’s first birthday in the West End with a new cast) holds the record for most nominated play in Olivier history with 11 nominations, including Best Actor (Jamie Parker), Best Director (John Tiffany), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Anthony Boyle) and Best New Play. I am yet to see the production myself (boo), but imagine it will do incredibly well following the show’s incredible success over the past nine months.
‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’ currently holds the record for most Olivier’s for a play with seven wins in 2013. Could the eighth Potter instalment surpass this record? Only time will tell…
Musicals
‘Groundhog Day’ (currently playing on Broadway at the August Wilson Theatre) leads the way in the musical genre with eight nominations. The show, based on the 1993 film, premiered at the Old Vic prior to its Broadway engagement.
‘Matilda’, winning seven Olivier’s in 2012, currently holds the record for most wins for a musical.
Cameron Mackintosh’s production of ‘Half a Sixpence’ is nominated in three categories, including Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress in a Musical. Recent WhatsOnStage award winner, the highly acclaimed Charlie Stemp, is nominated for his portrayal of Arthur Kipps in the Best Actor in a Musical category, up against Andy Karl ('Groundhog Day'), Tyrone Huntley ('Jesus Christ Superstar') and David Fynn ('School of Rock').
Whilst making my predictions, I was particularly stumped when it came to the Best Actress in a Musical category. Having Sheridan Smith, Amber Riley, Glenn Close and ‘The Girls’ (Debbie Chazen, Sophie-Louise Dann, Michele Dotrice, Claire Machin, Claire Moore and Joanna Riding) in one category must have made the judge’s decision incredibly difficult here. How thrilling it will be to discover the winner (or winners in ‘The Girls’ case) and witness their speech.
Outstanding Achievement in Music also seems particularly tight this year, with four strong productions nominated ('Dreamgirls', 'Cursed Child', 'Jesus Christ Superstar' and 'School of Rock'.)
It’s exciting to see a QDOS pantomime, 'Cinderella', nominated in the Best Entertainment and Family category. The production marked pantomime’s overdue return to the London Palladium over the Christmas 2016 season, and I look forward to this December’s production of ‘Dick Whittington’. Their lavish family pantomimes play across the country, and it’s lovely to know that the “London home of pantomime” is now occupied annually with the renowned company. (Theatrabilia’s pantomime collection page is currently being developed and will include further QDOS programmes soon.)
Mischief Theatre Company’s ‘A Comedy about a Bank Robbery’ (their third London success following 'The Play that Goes Wrong' and 'Peter Pan Goes Wrong') is nominated in the Best New Comedy category, alongside ‘Nice Fish’, ‘The Truth’ and ‘Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour’.
Mischief Theatre Company provided one of the highlights of last year’s Olivier’s with a hilarious segment featuring founders Henry Shields, Henry Lewis and Jonathan Sayer. I was lucky enough to see ‘Bank Robbery’ twice in 2016, and I wish the company all the best with their continued endeavours.
Backstage and Technical
As a stage manager, I am particularly excited about the technical/backstage roles that are recognised in the ceremony.
‘Cursed Child’ is represented throughout the Costume Design, Set Design, Lighting Design and Sound Design categories. 'Groundhog Day' fares well here, too. For their set designs, Rob Howell (for 'Groundhog Day') and Christine Jones (for ‘Cursed Child’) are up against Bob Crowley, who is nominated twice for his designs for ‘The Glass Menagerie’ and Disney’s ‘Aladdin’.
Gregg Barnes (‘Dreamgirls’), Hugh Durrant (‘Cinderella’), Rob Howell (‘Groundhog Day’) and Katrina Lindsay are nominated for Best Costume Design.
Best Sound Design nominations go to Paul Arditti (for ‘Amadeus’), Adam Cork (for ‘Travesties’), Gareth Fry (for ‘Cursed Child’) and Nick Lidster (for ‘Jesus Christ Superstar).
Neil Austin (for ‘Cursed Child’), Lee Curran (for ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’), Natasha Katz (for ‘The Glass Menagerie') and Hugh Vanstone (for 'Groundhog Day') are nominated in the Best Lighting Design category.
A full list of nominations can be found here.
With such strong nominees across the board, this year’s Olivier Awards really are tough to call. I wish everyone the best of luck and can’t wait to discover the winners during "theatre’s biggest night!”
The ceremony can be heard live on MagicFM on Sunday 9th April, whilst ITV1 is to broadcast the event two days later (Tuesday 11th April).
Thanks for reading!
TN
- Theatrabilia