OLIVIERS 2011: Reflection - The Winners And Losers

Kaite Welsh gives her thoughts on the prizewinners - and the television coverage...

Back on TV by popular demand, coverage of this year's Olivier Awards had viewers in uproar as live footage of the ceremony itself was frequently replaced by Paul Gambaccini and Matt Wolf providing commentary for Radio 2. In between backstage discussions, some awards were handed out - but were they given to the right people?

Please note: I appear to have blocked out any and all Queen references from the entire ceremony and all I have written next to the winner of the BBC Radio 2 Audience Award, We Will Rock You, is 'I'd rather you didn't'.

The surprises started early, with Thea Sharrock's production of After the Dance winning Best Revival. I'd expected the award to go to All My Sons, mostly because of the hype its star power garnered, but this wasn't a night for the obvious choice. As Sharrock explained afterwards, the strength of the play lies in "how precise and detailed and delicate Rattigan is" when it comes to characterisation - and in having a cast that can do him justice. Sharrock certainly had that, as the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor awards won by Nancy Carroll and Adrian Scarborough prove. The BBC did Carroll a disservice in cutting away from her acceptance speech, but at least Scarborough got his moment in the spotlight

When it came to Best Actor, I was rooting for Rory Kinnear but expected Jacobi to win. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed Roger Allam's Falstaff when I caught the final performances of Henry IV Parts 1 & 2 last year and he's certainly deserving of the award. Michelle Terry's Best Supporting Actress was another surprise, but a very welcome one.

Saying you don't like Legally Blonde is like saying you hate puppies, rainbows, unicorns and happiness. I don't hate it, but I don't love it either. It was easily the Best New Musical, but when your competition is insipid (Love Story), overhyped (Fela!) or Love Never Dies, that's not really a compliment. And while I'd have preferred Best Actress in a Musical to go to the sublime Elena Roger, Sheridan Smith's boundless enthusiasm and frankly adorable acceptance speech mollified me somewhat. David Thaxton's Best Actor in a Musical meant that Passion at least got some recognition, although it would have been nice to see that take Best Musical Revival rather than the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre's rather cheesy Into the Woods.

In the end, the real losers were the viewers at home - let's hope that the BBC learn from their mistakes and that next year's Olivier Awards are accompanied by coverage worthy of the ceremony.