Olivier Award Nominations

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 3/6/17 at 7:53am

It's exciting Groundhog Day got so much recognition. They kind of need the publicity, right? https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/CURSD-CHILD-Makes-History-In-2017-Olivier-Awards-Nominations-20170306

Updated On: 3/6/17 at 07:53 AM

[Skimbleshanks2]

Posted: 3/6/17 at 9:12am

OMG!!!!!!!! SO DESERVED.... If he can't win the TONY I will he happy to declare him OLIVIER AWARD WINNER ANDY KARL!!!

What a great show... Hope American audiences love the best original show of the year!!!!

[Mark_E]

Posted: 3/6/17 at 9:40am

I loved Andy in Groundhog Day, but I'll be very surprised if Charlie Stemp doesn't take the award home for Half a Sixpence.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 3/6/17 at 9:43am

I had to look up who the supporting actor for Groundhog Day was-- I don't remember his performance at all. Found that weird. And nothing for Lazarus?

[ggersten]

Posted: 3/6/17 at 9:45am

I'm struck by the dearth of nominations for actors in productions of new plays and musicals.

I could be wrong about my count.  
The 4 nominees for Best Actress are all in revivals.  
3 of 4 Best Actor nominees are from revivals.  
2 of 4 Best Supporting Actress nominees are from revivals (lumping the Ladies of Succor into one).  
3 of 4 Best Supporting Actor nominees are from revivals.  
Best Actress in a Musical  - well, The Girls is new and Dreamsgirls/Funny Girl are "new" to London but are not exactly "new" shows, so is that only 1 of 4 from revivals or 3 of 4? 
2 of 4 Best Actor in a Musical nominees are in revivals.  
3 of 4 Best Actress in Supporting Role in a Musical are in revivals.  
And 2 of 4 (or maybe 3 of 4 depending on how you count Dreamgirls) Best Actor in Supporting Role in a Musical are in a revival.  

Looks to me like 10 (or 13) of the 32 nominations are from productions of new plays and musicals and 22 (or 21) are for roles in shows that have been previously produced.  


I've not compared this to prior years (or even the recent Tony Awards).  But, it seems like the Oliviers are celebrating roles more than performances?   This is not to take away from today's actors tackling great roles and doing great work.  It just may be the case that they just don't write them like they used to.  

 

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 3/6/17 at 9:47am

So excited for Amber Riley!

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 3/6/17 at 9:47am

ggersten, it seems rather typical of how the Oliviers usually go to me, tbh.

[rjm516]

Posted: 3/6/17 at 10:41am

I posted this in the West End board but that's pretty dead - I am calling total b.s. on including ENTIRE ENSEMBLES in slots meant for one actor (in Best Actress in a Musical and Best Supporting Actress). The only arguments I've heard supporting this nonsense is that they've done it in the past with Matilda and Billy - but that was for actors rotating in one role. If they want to honor an entire ensemble, then have a Best Ensemble award. This is utterly ridiculous and cheapens the recognition for me, like a participation trophy.

[chernjam]

Posted: 3/6/17 at 10:51am

How awesome for Glenn Close and Sunset Boulevard earning nominations.  Would be amazing if they win those two categories when the original production didn't (and I think they got renominated, or at least Betty Buckley did after they incorporated the LA production changes)

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 3/6/17 at 11:02am

rjm516 said: "I posted this in the West End board but that's pretty dead - I am calling total b.s. on including ENTIRE ENSEMBLES in slots meant for one actor (in Best Actress in a Musical and Best Supporting Actress). The only arguments I've heard supporting this nonsense is that they've done it in the past with Matilda and Billy - but that was for actors rotating in one role. If they want to honor an entire ensemble, then have a Best Ensemble award. This is utterly ridiculous and cheapens the recognition for me, like a participation trophy."

 

Agreed.

[plzstp]

Posted: 3/6/17 at 11:06am

Does anyone else find it completely bizarre that Dreamgirls is being nominated as a new musical? I mean it's never been produced in London but the show has been around since the 80's. 

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 3/6/17 at 11:08am

They don't have a classics rule like we do for revivals.

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 3/6/17 at 11:09am

The Olivier catagories have always been a hot mess but I agree the multiple actors lumped in as one single nomination takes absurd to a new level and diminishes the prestige of the award.

[ethan231h]

Posted: 3/6/17 at 11:38am

Skimbleshanks2 said: "OMG!!!!!!!! SO DESERVED.... If he can't win the TONY I will he happy to declare him OLIVIER AWARD WINNER ANDY KARL!!!

What a great show... Hope American audiences love the best original show of the year!!!!

 

"

You realize that the show is based on a movie of the same name, therefor it is not original. 

[Skimbleshanks2]

Posted: 3/6/17 at 11:57am

Oh, right. Sorry... Allow me to rephrase to be hip with the 1 percent...

HAMILTON IS A MASTERPIECE!!!!

Updated On: 3/6/17 at 11:57 AM

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 3/6/17 at 11:59am

Skimbleshanks2 said: "Oh, right. Sorry... Allow me to rephrase to be hip with the 1 percent...

HAMILTON IS A MASTERPIECE!!!!

 

"

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 3/6/17 at 11:59am

ethan231h said: "You realize that the show is based on a movie of the same name, therefor it is not original."

What? That's not how it works. Groundhog Day is an original musical. 

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 3/6/17 at 12:16pm

I'm really excited to check out this new musical called Dreamgirls. I've heard great things about it.

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 3/6/17 at 12:43pm

What? That's not how it works. Groundhog Day is an original musical. 

 

No, that is not how it works. It is a new musical, not an original one. Not that one is superior to the other but they are not the same. 

[imeldasturn]

Posted: 3/6/17 at 1:24pm

The Distinctive Baritone said: "I'm really excited to check out this new musical called Dreamgirls. I've heard great things about it.

"

It's also true that they can't consider it a revival, since it's the first British production...

[imeldasturn]

Posted: 3/6/17 at 1:25pm

chernjam said: "How awesome for Glenn Close and Sunset Boulevard earning nominations.  Would be amazing if they win those two categories when the original production didn't (and I think they got renominated, or at least Betty Buckley did after they incorporated the LA production changes)

"

Elaine Paige was nominated too

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 3/6/17 at 1:48pm

Rjm516, I couldn't agree more with you about throwing Ensembles into the acting categories that otherwise feature solo artists. The Oliviers should create a separate Ensemble category instead.

''Outstanding Achievment in Music'' is also a mess. They have the composers of ''Dreamgirls'' (Henry Krieger) and the ''Harry Potter'' show competing against ''the cast and company ... of 'Jesus Christ Superstar''' and the 3 children's bands in ''School of Rock.'' How do you compare writing an original score to actors/musicians who are performing Andrew Lloyd Webber's music?

Besides, there is no specific category to recognize Tom Eyen's contributions to ''Dreamgirls'' as a lyricist and book writer.

Updated On: 3/6/17 at 01:48 PM

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 3/6/17 at 3:05pm

I'm so happy for the Show Boat nominations.  It was such a beautiful production.  Especially Rebecca Trehearn, who stopped the show with the best performance of "Bill" I've ever seen or heard. It's a shame there was no cast recording.

I'm also happy to see the nomination for The Truth, though I'd hoped for a Lead Actor nomination for Alexander Hanson and his tour de force performance in it.

I expect Harry Potter to do well and perhaps even an award for Anthony Boyle's memorable performance as Scorpius Malfoy.  He was simply wonderful.

The only arguments I've heard supporting this nonsense is that they've done it in the past with Matilda and Billy - but that was for actors rotating in one role.

The Chorus from Jerry Springer: The Opera was awarded Best Performance for a Supporting Role in a Musical in 2004.  But the real point is, it the Oliviers and not the Tonys, which means they can do it how they want, NOT how WE want them to do it.  Sometimes they awarded a replacement actor in a subsequent season, or an actor for multiple shows in the same season. It wasn't until 2015 that Supporting Actor was subdivided into male and female categories and before that, it wasn't divided into play/musical categories until 1991.  They have a separate category for comedic plays and as previously mentioned, there is no "classics" rule, so if it never played the West End, it can be considered "new".  Outstanding Achievement in Music was a new category created in 2014, which extends to the "orchestra", which goes unrecognized by the Tonys entirely.  They also give out additional awards for opera and dance.  Expecting them to conform to the Tonys is a bit arrogant.  And if you think about it, they cover most of the complaints we hear about the Tonys every year.

They also have the Evening Standard Awards, which have been around longer and are highly regarded.

[rjm516]

Posted: 3/6/17 at 3:23pm

^ Well then it's good to know the Oliviers have a long history of such nonsense to stand behind and I can stop complaining about this year and instead bemoan their general ridiculousness.

"Expecting them to conform to the Tonys is a bit arrogant." I did not say a thing about the Tonys, nor did any other commenter above in a substantive comparative manner, unless I missed something.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 3/6/17 at 4:01pm

Well then it's good to know the Oliviers have a long history of such nonsense to stand behind and I can stop complaining about this year and instead bemoan their general ridiculousness.

Yeah, that sounds pretty arrogant.

I did not say a thing about the Tonys, nor did any other commenter above in a substantive comparative manner, unless I missed something.

Oh, for God's sake.  I'm not getting into a battle of semantics with you nor did I intend it to be an attack on you personally.  But if you didn't pick up on the implied comparison, then yes, I think perhaps you missed something...like:

They don't have a classics rule like we do for revivals.

At any rate, I guess you won't get your knickers in a twist if I just bemoan your general ridiculousness and complain about what you stand behind, which is nonsense.  GAWD.

Updated On: 3/6/17 at 04:01 PM