Benedict Cumberbatch News

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Because we know all our readers eat, sleep and breathe Broadway, what could be better than waking up to it? Today's big news: The Actors Fund hosts its 2016 gala, and FULLY COMMITTED, starring Jesse Tyler Ferguson, opens on Broadway!

The premiere of JFK in Fort Worth on April 23 is a big step forward for composer David T. Little and librettist Royce Vavrek--who made a splash in contemporary opera circles with their post-apocalyptic DOG DAYS--as their first 'grand' opera. It's also a major leap for American Lyric Theater (ALT), and its founder and artistic director, Lawrence Edelson, which co-commissioned the work with the Fort Worth Opera.

National Theatre Live has announced that a selection of their most celebrated and acclaimed broadcasts will be returning to cinemas in 2016. These broadcasts will feature Tony Award winner & host of 'The Late Late Show' James Corden, Academy Award nominee Benedict Cumberbatch, 'Elementary' star Jonny Lee Miller, Academy & Tony Award winner Helen Mirren and more! New 'live' events will be announced soon for the fall 2016 season. For more information, visit www.NTLive.com.

The European premiere of The New Group's critically acclaimed Off-Broadway production, The Spoils, a razor-sharp new comedy written by and starring internationally acclaimed actor Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network, Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice), will transfer for a strictly limited season at London's Trafalgar Studios, from 27 May to 13 August, with press night on 2 June. 

Celebration Theatre at the Lex in association with Nicholas Caprio, Michael C. Kricfalusi, Todd Milliner and Jack Morrissey presents, under the artistic direction of Michael Matthews & Michael A. Shepperd, the West Coast premiere of THE BOY FROM OZ, music and lyrics by Peter Allen, book by Martin Sherman, original book by Nick Enright, choreography by Janet Roston, musical direction by Bryan Blaskie, produced by Andrew Carlberg and directed by Celebration Theatre co-artistic director Michael A. Shepperd. THE BOY FROM OZ will begin previews on Friday, April 22 at 8pm; will open on Friday, April 29 at 8pm and perform through Sunday, June 19 at the Celebration Theatre's new home, Celebration at the Lex Theatre, 6760 Lexington Ave. in Los Angeles.

As expected, the 40th anniversary Olivier Awards showered trophies on the sensational Gypsy. Imelda Staunton and Lara Pulver's performances and Mark Henderson's lighting were recognised, and the production took Best Musical Revival. But there were surprises elsewhere, with starry shows like Benedict Cumberbatch's Hamlet going home empty-handed, Nicole Kidman losing out in the Best Actress race, and an underdog win for Pat Kinevane and Fishamble's Silent at Soho Theatre - all welcome given concerns that changes to the Oliviers voting process might favour long-running West End shows and/or A-listers Here are some of the night's major hits and misses.

The winners of the Olivier Awards 2016 with MasterCard, the most prestigious event in the UK theatrical calendar, were announced tonight (Sunday 3 April 2016) at the star-studded ceremony held at London's Royal Opera House.

Here's a full list of Olivier Award nominees and winners - we updated this story LIVE throughout the ceremony. Winners are indicated in bold type. Who were you cheering for?

It's the biggest night in London Theatre! The Olivier Awards 2016 with MasterCard - the most prestigious event in the UK's theatrical calendar - take place tonight at the Royal Opera House, hosted by Michael Ball. This year's list of Olivier Award nominees includes Gemma Arterton, Kenneth Branagh, Kenneth Cranham, Benedict Cumberbatch, Judi Dench, Mark Gatiss, Denise Gough, Preeya Kalidas, Nicole Kidman, Adrian Lester, Lara Pulver, Mark Rylance, Imelda Staunton, Tom Sturridge and David Suchet. Check back right here at BroadwayWorld tonight at 5pm EST to watch the Oliviers live stream!

Not in the UK for the big night? Fear not! For the first time ever, the ceremony is being live streamed on YouTube in the US, so you can tune in beginning at 5pm  EST!

The Olivier Awards 2016 with MasterCard - the most prestigious event in the UK's theatrical calendar - has revealed further details of the star-studded ceremony, hosted by two-time Olivier Award winner Michael Ball on Sunday 3 April at the Royal Opera House.

Full casting has been announced for RICHARD II at the House of Commons and Arcola Theatre. Jack Gamble and Quentin Beroud's production relocates the action to 21st-century Westminster, where it opens on the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death. This is the first ever performance of a Shakespeare play in the Palace of Westminster, with only 100 tickets available for the one-off performance on St George's Day (April 23).

The Broadway revival of Arthur Miller's The Crucible, starring Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan, opens tonight, March 31, at the Walter Kerr Theatre, 219 West 48 Street. Scroll down to learn more about the full company!

A theatre company nominated for an Olivier Award will open the ninth annual Greenwich Children's Theatre Festival at Greenwich Theatre on Good Friday, March 26.

?RICHARD II (reimagined as a Westminster power struggle) will be staged in the House of Commons on 23 April, exactly 400 years to the day of Shakespeare's death.

Amphibian Stage Productions (Kathleen Culebro, Artistic Director) will show a film of the National Theatre's production of Hamlet by William Shakespeare, starring Benedict Cumberbatch. Back by popular demand, screenings will be on Wednesday, April 6 at 11am and 7pm, and Saturday, April 9 at 1pm in partnership with the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. This will be the fourth National Theatre Live screening of Amphibian's 2016 season.

A theatre company nominated for an Olivier Award will open the ninth annual Greenwich Children's Theatre Festival at Greenwich Theatre on Good Friday, March 26.

Atlantic Theater Company presents the world premiere of Academy Award nominee and Pulitzer Prize finalist Kenneth Lonergan's latest play HOLD ON TO ME DARLING, directed by Atlantic Artistic Director Neil Pepe.

?Nuffield, Southampton's leading professional producing company, today announced their new 2016 Autumn season which boasts two world premieres; a major new musical adaptation of Roald Dahl's Fantastic Mr Fox and a brand new play, dramatising Shakespeare's mysterious relationship with his patron, the 3rd Earl of Southampton.

Curtain Call: A Year Backstage in London Theatre is the first in a series of photography books by photographer Matt Humphrey and actor/director John Schwab featuring an extraordinary collection of fly-on-the-wall backstage photography from London theatre productions in 2015/16. Inspired by the 40th anniversary of the Olivier Awards, in addition to exclusive backstage photography, Curtain Call also includes a foreword by renowned actor David Suchet and extended interviews with Chief Executive of The Old Vic Sally Greene, Artistic Director of the Royal Court Vicky Featherstone, casting director Jessica Ronane and actress Kate Fleetwood. The book is now exclusively available to pre-order from www.curtaincallonline.com