The nominations for the Olivier Awards with MasterCard - the most prestigious event in the UK's theatrical calendar - were announced today (Tuesday 26 March 2013).
The National Theatre's production of The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time leads the list with eight nominations, followed by the toe-tapping new musical Top Hat receiving seven, and the West End transfer of Chichester Festival Theatre's revival of Sweeney Todd in close competition with six. Other stand-out nominations include The Audience and Kiss Me, Kate receiving five each, and Constellations, The Bodyguard and Twelfth Night with four.
The highly anticipated shortlist for the BBC Radio 2 Audience Award - the only Olivier Award voted for by the public and which received a record 65,000 votes this year - is Billy Elliot The Musical, Matilda The Musical, The Phantom Of The Opera and Wicked.
New writing is at the forefront of this year's nominations, leading the way across many categories from The Effect,Constellations and This House to Cinderella (at St James's Theatre) and Goodnight Mr Tom.
Dance nominations are split between The Royal Ballet and Sadler's Wells, with notable opera nominations including three out of four nominations for English National Opera for Best New Opera Production, and The Stage Management Teams at ENO London Coliseum and the Royal Opera House nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Opera.
As previously announced, former Olivier Award winners Gillian Lynne CBE and Michael Frayn are to be honoured with Special Awards for their outstanding contributions to theatre.
The nominations were announced by Olivier Award winners Ruth Wilson and Elaine Paige on Tuesday 26 March at 11.30am live on the BBC Radio 2 Ken Bruce show. The live broadcast was part of a special event at London's May Fair Hotel featuring a performance from last year's seven-time winner, Matilda The Musical.
The star-studded Olivier Awards ceremony will take place at the Royal Opera House on Sunday 28 April, hosted byHugh Bonneville and Sheridan Smith. The ceremony will be live on BBC Radio 2 from 6.30pm with the award announcements as they happen and also exclusive red carpet interviews with the stars as they arrive before the big night. A full television highlights package will also be broadcast on ITV later in the evening.
Theatre-lovers are invited to gather at the BBC Radio 2 Stage in Covent Garden Piazza from 4pm on the day for a free Olivier Awards celebration featuring live performances from several top West End shows - including the four shortlisted BBC Radio 2 Audience Award nominees - as well as special guests. Awards-themed fun on offer will include make-up demos courtesy of MAC, styling tips from Chester Barrie and cocktail making lessons with Radisson Edwardian.
BEST REVIVAL
Long Day's Journey Into Night at the Apollo Macbeth at the Trafalgar Studios Old Times at the Harold Pinter Twelfth Night at Shakespeare's Globe & the Apollo
MASTERCARD BEST NEW PLAY
Constellations by Nick Payne at the Royal Court & the Duke of York's The Audience by Peter Morgan at the Gielgud The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Simon Stephens at the NT Cottesloe & the Apollo This House by James Graham at the NT Cottesloe & the NT OlivierBEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLEPaul Chahidi for Twelfth Night at Shakespeare's Globe & the Apollo Richard McCabe for The Audience at the Gielgud Theatre Adrian Scarborough for Hedda Gabler at the Old Vic Theatre Kyle Soller for Long Day's Journey Into Night at the Apollo TheatreBEST COSTUME DESIGN
Sweeney Todd designed by Anthony Ward at the Adelphi The Audience designed by Bob Crowley at the Gielgud Twelfth Night designed by Jenny Tiramani at Shakespeare's Globe & the Apollo Top Hat designed by Jon Morrell at the Aldwych
XL VIDEO AWARD FOR BEST SET DESIGN
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time designed by Bunny Christie & Finn Ross at the NT Cottesloe & the Apollo Top Hat designed by Hildegard Bechtler at the Aldwych Wild Swans designed by Miriam Buether & Wang Gongxin at the Young Vic The Bodyguard designed by Tim Hatley at the AdelphiWHITE LIGHT AWARD FOR BEST LIGHTING DESIGNThe Master & Margarita designed by Paul Anderson at the Barbican The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time designed by Paule Constable at the NT Cottesloe & the Apollo Constellations designed by Lee Curran at the Royal Court & the Duke of York's Sweeney Todd designed by Mark Henderson at the AdelphiBEST ACTOR
James McAvoy for Macbeth at the Trafalgar Studios Luke Treadaway for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time at the NT Cottesloe & the Apollo Mark Rylance for Twelfth Night at Shakespeare's Globe & the Apollo Rafe Spall for Constellations at the Royal Court & the Duke of York's Rupert Everett for The Judas Kiss at Hampstead & the Duke of York's
BEST SOUND DESIGNThe Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time designed by Ian Dickinson at the NT Cottesloe & the Apollo Sweeney Todd designed byPaul Groothuis at the Adelphi Constellations designed byDavid McSeveney at the Royal Court & the Duke of York's Top Hat designed by Gareth Owen at the AldwychOUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN AN AFFILIATE THEATRE
Caroline Horton for You're Not Like The Other Girls Chrissy at the Bush theatre Kate Bond and Morgan Lloyd for You Me Bum Bum Train, presented by Theatre Royal Stratford East The production of Red Velvet at the Tricycle theatre The season of new writing at the Royal Court UpstairsBEST NEW DANCE PRODUCTION
Aeternum, by the Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House, choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon A Streetcar Named Desire by Scottish Ballet at Sadler's Wells Cacti, at Sadler's Wells, choreographed by Alexander EkmanOUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DANCE
ILL-Abilities company in Breakin' Convention at Sadler's Wells Lez Brotherston for the set and costumes for Sleeping Beauty, New Adventures at Sadler's Wells Marianela Nunez for Aeternum, Diana & Actaeon and Viscera, The Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House
BEST DIRECTOR
Jeremy Herrin for This House at the NT Cottesloe & NT Olivier Marianne Elliott for The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time at the NT Cottesloe & the Apollo Simon McBurney for The Master And Margarita at the Barbican Stephen Daldry for The Audience at the GielgudBEST ACTRESS
Billie Piper for The Effect at the NT Cottesloe Hattie Morahan for A Doll's House at the Young Vic Helen Mirren for The Audience at the Gielgud Kristin Scott Thomas for Old Times at the Harold PinterBBC RADIO 2 AUDIENCE AWARD
Billy Elliot the Musical Matilda the Musical The Phantom of the Opera Wicked
BEST ENTERTAINMENT AND FAMILY
Cinderella at the St James Theatre Goodnight Mister Tom at the Phoenix Theatre Hansel and Gretel at NT Cottesloe Room on the Broom at the Lyric TheatreBEST NEW OPERA PRODUCTION
Billy Budd, English National Opera at the London Coliseum Caligula, English National Opera at the London Coliseum Einstein On The Beach at the Barbican theatre La Traviata, English National Opera at the London Coliseum
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN OPERA
Bryan Hymel for his performances in Les Troyens, Robert Le Diable & Rusalka at the Royal Opera House Edward Gardner for his conducting of The Flying Dutchman and Billy Budd for English National Opera Music Theatre Wales for In The Locked Room/Ghost Patrol at the Linbury, Royal Opera House The Stage Management teams at English National Opera's London Coliseum and at the Royal Opera HouseBEST THEATRE CHOREOGRAPHER
Bill Deamer for Top Hat at the Aldwych Scott Ambler for Chariots Of Fire at Hampstead & the Gielgud Scott Graham & Steven Hoggett for The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time at the NT Cottesloe & the Apollo Stephen Mear for Kiss Me, Kate at the Old VicBEST PERFORMANCE IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Adam Garcia for Kiss Me, Kate at the Old Vic Debbie Kurup for The Bodyguard at the Adelphi Leigh Zimmerman for A Chorus Line at the London Palladium Sian Phillips for Cabaret at the Savoy
BEST MUSICAL REVIVAL
A Chorus Line at the London Palladium Cabaret at the Savoy Kiss Me, Kate at the Old Vic Sweeney Todd at the AdelphiBEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Alex Bourne in Kiss Me, Kate at the Old Vic Michael Ball in Sweeney Todd at the Adelphi Tom Chambersin Top Hat at the Aldwych Will Young in Cabaret at the SavoyBEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Hannah Waddingham in Kiss Me, Kate at the Old Vic Heather Headley in The Bodyguard at the Adelphi Imelda Staunton in Sweeney Todd at the Adelphi Summer Strallen in Top Hat at the AldwychBEST NEW MUSICAL
Loserville at the Garrick Soul Sister at the Savoy The Bodyguard at the Adelphi Top Hat at the AldwychBEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLEJanie Dee for NSFW at the Royal Court Jerwood Theatre Downstairs Anastasia Hille for The Effect at the NT Cottesloe [Cush Jumbo] for Julius Caesar at the Donmar Warehouse Helen McCrory for The Last Of The Haussmans at the NT Olivier Nicola Walker for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time at the NT Cottesloe & the Apollo