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London's Olivier Award Winners Announced

by BWW News Desk Feb. 20, 2005

Mel Brooks' blockbuster musical THE PRODUCERS has won the coveted Best New Musical award at this year's Laurence Olivier Awards. The show, which was nominated in eight categories, took home three awards including Best Actor in a Musical for Nathan Lane, who saw off competition from his co-star Lee Evans, and Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical for Conleth Hill, who plays flamboyant director Roger DeBris.

Alan Bennett's critically-acclaimed play THE HISTORY BOYS also won three awards including Best New Play, Best Director for Nicholas Hytner and Best Actor for Richard Griffiths. Alan Bennett also received the Special Award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to British theatre. The National Theatre, which had eight nominations, won five awards in total adding Best Lighting Design and Best Set Design for HIS DARK MATERIALS to the HISTORY BOYS' wins.

MARY POPPINS, which had nine nominations, won two awards including Best Actress in a Musical for Laura Michelle Kelly and Best Theatre Choreographer for Matthew Bourne and Stephen Mear.

Claire Higgins picked up the Best Actress award for her performance in HECUBA at the Donmar Warehouse. The Donmar, which had three nominations this year, also won Outstanding Musical Production for GRAND HOTEL.

The RSC collected two awards, out of five nominations, including Best Performance in a Supporting Role for Amanda Harris for her role as Emilia in OTHELLO and Best Costume Design for ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL designed by Deirdre Clancy. Another Shakespearean production, Trevor Nunn's HAMLET at The Old Vic, collected the award for Best Revival.

The Outstanding Achievement in Dance Award went to San Francisco Ballet for their season at Sadler's Wells. The Royal Opera's LADY MACBETH OF MTSENSK at the Royal Opera House won Best New Opera Production.

The 29th Laurence Olivier Awards were presented, on Sunday 20 February 2005, by Richard Wilson at the London Hilton on Park Lane.

The winners names appear in bold.

Best Actress

Victoria Hamilton for SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER at the Albery
Clare Higgins for HECUBA at the Donmar Warehouse
Anna Maxwell Martin for HIS DARK MATERIALS at the Olivier
Caroline O'Connor for BOMBSHELLS at the Arts

Best Actor

Michael Gambon for ENDGAME at the Albery
Richard Griffiths for THE HISTORY BOYS at the Lyttelton
Jonathan Pryce for THE GOAT, OR WHO IS SYLVIA? at the Almeida and Apollo
Ben Whishaw for HAMLET at The Old Vic

Best Performance in a Supporting Role

Samuel Barnett for THE HISTORY BOYS at the Lyttelton
Judi Dench for ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL at the Gielgud
Amanda Harris for OTHELLO at Trafalgar Studios
Eddie Redmayne for THE GOAT, OR WHO IS SYLVIA? at the Almeida and Apollo

Best New Play

BY THE BOG OF CATS by Marina Carr at Wyndhams
FESTEN A dramatisation by David Eldridge Based on the Dogme film and play by Thomas Vinterberg, Mogens Rukov and Bo Hr. Hansen at the Almeida and the Lyric
THE GOAT, OR WHO IS SYLVIA? by Edward Albee at the Almeida and the Apollo
THE HISTORY BOYS by Alan Bennett at the Lyttelton

Best Revival

ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL by William Shakespeare at the Gielgud
ENDGAME by Samuel Beckett at the Albery
HAMLET by William Shakespeare at The Old Vic
JOURNEY'S END by R C Sherriff at the Comedy, Playhouse and Duke of York's

Best New Musical

MARY POPPINS a musical based on the stories of PL Travers and the Walt Disney Film; original music and lyrics by Richard M Sherman and Robert B Sherman; book by Julian Fellowes; new songs and additional music and lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe; co-created by Cameron Mackintosh at the Prince Edward
THE PRODUCERS book by Mel Brooks & Thomas Meehan; music and lyrics by Mel Brooks and by special arrangement with StudioCanal at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
THE WOMAN IN WHITE a new musical freely adapted from the classic novel by Wilkie Collins; music by Andrew Lloyd Webber; lyrics by David Zippel; book by Charlotte Jones at the Palace

Outstanding Musical Production

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM book by Burt Shevelove & Larry Gelbart; music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim at the Olivier
GRAND HOTEL book by Luther Davis; music & lyrics by Robert Wright and George Forrest; additional music and lyrics by Maury Yeston; based on Vicki Baum's Grand Hotel at the Donmar Warehouse
SIMPLY HEAVENLY book and lyrics by Langston Hughes; music by David Martin at Trafalgar Studios
SWEENEY TODD music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim; book by Hugh Wheeler from an adaptation by Christopher Bond at Trafalgar Studios and the New Ambassadors

Best Actress in a Musical

Maria Friedman for THE WOMAN IN WHITE at the Palace
Leigh Zimmerman for THE PRODUCERS at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
Laura Michelle Kelly for MARY POPPINS at the Prince Edward

Best Actor in a Musical

Lee Evans for THE PRODUCERS at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
Paul Hegarty for SWEENEY TODD at Trafalgar Studios and New Ambassadors
Nathan Lane for THE PRODUCERS at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
Gavin Lee for MARY POPPINS at the Prince Edward

Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical

Michael Crawford for THE WOMAN IN WHITE at the Palace
David Haig for MARY POPPINS at the Prince Edward
Conleth Hill for THE PRODUCERS at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane

Best Director

Richard Eyre for MARY POPPINS at the Prince Edward
Nicholas Hytner for THE HISTORY BOYS at the Lyttelton
Rufus Norris for FESTEN at the Almeida and Lyric
Susan Stroman for THE PRODUCERS at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane

Best Theatre Choreographer

Matthew Bourne and Stephen Mear for MARY POPPINS at the Prince Edward
Adam Cooper for GRAND HOTEL at the Donmar Warehouse
Susan Stroman for THE PRODUCERS at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane

Best Lighting Design

ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL designed by Paul Pyant at the Gielgud
FESTEN designed by Jean Kalman at the Almeida and Lyric
HIS DARK MATERIALS designed by Paule Constable at the Olivier
MARY POPPINS designed by Howard Harrison at the Prince Edward

Best Set Design

FESTEN designed by Ian McNeil at the Almeida and Lyric
HIS DARK MATERIALS designed by Giles Cadle at the Olivier
MARY POPPINS designed by Bob Crowley at the Prince Edward
SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER designed by Christopher Oram at the Albery
THE WOMAN IN WHITE designed by William Dudley at the Palace

Best Costume Design

ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL designed by Deirdre Clancey at the Gielgud
HAMLET designed by John Gunter and Mark Bouman at The Old Vic
MARY POPPINS designed by Bob Crowley at the Prince Edward
THE PRODUCERS designed by William Ivey Long at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane

Best Sound Design

FESTEN designed by Paul Arditti at the Almeida and Lyric
SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER designed by Adam Cork at the Albery
THE WOMAN IN WHITE designed by Mick Potter at the Palace

Outstanding Achievement or Performance in an Affiliate Theatre

Kevin Harvey for his performance in YELLOWMAN at Hampstead
Aidan McArdle for his performance in THE SHADOW OF A GUNMAN at the Tricycle
An Drew Scott for his performance in A GIRL IN A CAR WITH A MAN at the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court
The Tricycle Theatre for its production of GUANTANAMO

Best New Opera Production

The Royal Opera's LADY MACBETH OF MTSENSK at the Royal Opera House
Les Arts Florissants, Compagnie Montalvo-Hervieu, Théâtre Du Châtelet and BITE 04's LES PALADINS at the Barbican
The Royal Opera's PETER GRIMES at the Royal Opera House

Outstanding Achievement in Opera

Ben Heppner for The Royal Opera's PETER GRIMES
John McFarlane for his designs of The Royal Opera's PETER GRIMES and LADY MACBETH OF MTSENSK at the Royal Opera House
The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House under the musical direction of Antonio Pappano for their season's work
Thomas Adès and the Royal Opera House for the world premiere of THE TEMPEST

Best New Dance Production

Northern Ballet Theatre's A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM at Sadler's Wells
Royal New Zealand Ballet's MILAGROS at Sadler's Wells
Royal New Zealand Ballet's ROMEO AND JULIET at Sadler's Wells
Rambert Dance Company's SWAMP at Sadler's Wells

Outstanding Achievement in Dance

Julien Macdonald for his costume designs for Richard Alston Dance Company's SHIMMER at Sadler's Wells
San Francisco Ballet for their season at Sadler's Wells
The Royal Ballet for their recreation of SYLVIA at the Royal Opera House
Rambert Dance Company for the range and quality of new work in their November season at Sadler's Wells