Interview: 'It's Joy From Start to Finish': Beverley Knight on Hosting The Olivier Awards With Mastercard at the Royal Albert Hall

Established in 1976, the Olivier Awards celebrate the world-class status of London theatre, and are Britain’s most prestigious stage honours. This year, the Olivier Awards with Mastercard 2025 will take place on Sunday 6 April at the iconic Royal Albert Hall, hosted by Beverley Knight and Billy Porter.

BroadwayWorld caught up with co-host Beverley Knight, a three-time Olivier award nominee and one-time winner herself, about preparation for the show, working with Billy Porter, her new projects and why theatre is so important for everyone.

So what is it like to be hosting the Olivier Awards with Mastercard?

Oh, my goodness me! It's quite scary because I sing, I write songs, I act - I'm not necessarily a presenter. I've done presenting on a radio, but this is in front of a huge audience of 5,500 people and it goes out live, pretty much while we're still broadcasting! But thank God, I'm not on my own. I'm with the beautiful Billy Porter. So very excited and nervous at the same time.

And what have the rehearsals been like?

They've been great! We've had a lot of fun with the script, as you will find out on Sunday - a lot of fun. And our opening number . . . If I was to sum up the evening and the tone that we're setting at the top of the show, one word to sum that up, would be joy. It is joyful. We start with joy, and it is joy from start to finish.

Can you tell us a bit about what rehearsals are like for an awards show in comparison to a typical show?

Well, there are a lot of them! Initially, you rehearse the script. You've got a skeleton script, beautifully written by Ivor Baddiel. And as you're reading it, you might change some of the phraseology. He'll put it into your language, into your lexicon. He'll collect the natural banter between myself and Billy, write some of those little things in there, so that by the time we do a second run of it, it becomes more of our own natural rhythm. And then we just niche down constantly. You go over it and then tidy up little words.

And it's the same with the musical rehearsal. We knew the song we were going to do, we knew the arrangement of the song we were going to do, and we knew we were going to probably make people sit up very straight when they heard it - it’s so different to anything that they will have been familiar with. And we ran it just with piano. We had the most glorious sitzprobe with the orchestra, who sounded fantastic. It's a process of repetition and honing.

And what has it been like working with Billy Porter as your co-host?

Billy and I have wanted to work together for so long, and the alignment couldn't be more perfect! He's currently in Cabaret with my beautiful friend Marisha [Wallace] - career-defining role for her, just absolutely kills it, and he kills it as the Emcee. So he was here already. The Oliviers put us together as co-hosts, and we were like, “Finally, we're working together!” And it's been just wonderful. We have laughed, we have, you know, focused down, and we've just been able to be ourselves with each other, which hopefully, you will see on Sunday night. It's been nothing but wonderful.

And what is it like attending the Olivier Awards with Mastercard, as you've been several times in the past? 

I've had the privilege of attending many different award ceremonies - Brits, Classic Brits, MOBOs . . . But the thing with the Oliviers is there's so much camaraderie. Everybody's rooting for everybody's show. Obviously, you want the show that you're in to do well, but it's not to the exclusion of somebody else's show. It's, “Oh, my God, my mate’s in that show. You need to go and see it. It's amazing!” There's so much camaraderie and togetherness. And when you're performing on the show, the backstage energy is brilliant. Everybody's hugging everybody, everybody's excited to see everyone. It's just great. And sitting in the [Royal] Albert Hall, looking around you, seeing the greater good of theatre and of the entertainment world . . . It's spectacular. And that place is that oval shape, that round shape, so you can look around easily and just see the magnificence of it all. It's a wonderful, wonderful time.

Do you have any favourite past Olivier memories?

I'd be lying if I didn't say the minute they called my name as the winner for Sylvia, which is such a passion project for me. And going up those steps and thinking, “Don't trip. You're in a latex dress, Beverley; everybody's eyes are on you. Just don't trip!” [Laughs] And being in a complete daze because I couldn't believe I'd won - just the most humbling experience, but also euphoria.

There have been other great moments. Performing in the Oliviers is always great. And that year I had the joy of performing twice, which I don't think it's ever been done before! I performed with my Sylvia company, “March, Women, March,” and then performed again with my Sister Act company. That was just brilliant - I loved it!

Do you have any performances you're looking forward to this year?

I'm looking forward to seeing Starlight Express, because roller skates at the Albert Hall, come on! It's going to be great. I've had the absolute joy of seeing Simon Lipkin as Fagin in Oliver!, and he really is very special in that role. And then Fiddler [on the Roof], because that revival is extraordinary. So really looking forward to seeing that. Yeah, and of course. MJ, because, MJ, hello? Myles Frost, of course! He scooped that Tony. Let's see him do his thing!

Were you able to see a lot of the shows that are nominated for Olivier Awards With Mastercard this year?

I did! I saw Oedipus, I saw Fiddler, I saw Oliver!, Starlight [Express] . . . Yet to see [The Curious Case of] Benjamin Button, yet to see [Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of] 1812. I've managed to see a lot! So for me, that's a joy because I can have them in my mind when I'm presenting. So that's exciting!

It's amazing how many British shows there are - it’s quite interesting!

It's encouraging! It's encouraging to see new work coming from our fair isle that people can see and enjoy. Of course, we love the revivals, but it is so important that theatre keeps moving forward. And that only happens with new work, new ideas, new direction. It's vital for the lifeblood of theatre to keep it something fresh and interesting for audiences to visit again and again. So it's a great year for British theatre, particularly.

And speaking of new things, you have quite a few things coming up! You're making your play debut - what’s that like?

God, Marie and Rosetta . . . I'm on my way to rehearsals right now! Doing a play is a very different prospect to doing a musical where, in some cases, I'm singing the whole thing. With Marie and Rosetta, the majority of the piece is exploring this relationship between these two women. It's a two-hander - that's new to me! - and the singing is there to accent certain periods. Sometimes the songs are there as part of a conversation. I'm very excited about that. Very excited.

The last time I did a play, I was in school! I'm very, very much looking forward. And I have to talk about my co-star, Ntombizodwa Ndlovu, who is glorious as Marie. And this is her London debut! She's always done performances up in Manchester, where she's from. So for me to see someone young, vibrant and talented, to be right there with her, to take on this journey with her, that's a privilege, and I'm so happy to get that front seat with her going through this. And the songs . . . Well, it's Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Of course the songs are great! And also to showcase gospel music, which will largely be unfamiliar to the audience that are coming to see it - massively familiar to myself and Ntombizodwa, very much our wheelhouse. And early rock and roll - it's fabulous. There's so much to look forward to!

And you also have a new single coming out as well, so it's been busy for you!

It's a busy time! My single with Billy Porter is out now, “Never Say Never.” Again, something we've wanted to do, sing together. And it's wonderful that this all coincides! It's all happening - all these firsts for us both. “Never Say Never” is a soulful groove ballad in the vein of silk, Sonic, Earth, Wind and Fire . . . it's so proper, proper soul R&B, and we had a blast singing it together, produced by Ben Jones, who is a talented multi-instrumentalist and worked on my last album. We are so looking forward to hearing people's reactions to the song, and hopefully, they will love it and take it into their hearts.

What do you what advice do you have for those who want to eventually like reach the point you're at? 

The love of it keeps you practising and honing your craft. You've got to hone your craft. There is no shortcut - you've got to put the hours in. And that sounds daunting, and it sounds like it's a chore to practice . . . No. The love of what you do will keep you on it and keep you motivated. So you've got to love it, because there are times where it is difficult. There will be rejections. I've been turned down for a lot of roles, particularly in film, but you keep going. It's not how many rejections you get, it's not about that. It's how you pick yourself up from those and keep moving forward and keep the love in your heart, because one of those nos will turn into a yes one day. So keep that love, keep that energy, and you will keep moving forward in your career.

What do you hope audiences take away from the Olivier Awards With Mastercard this year?

That theatre is vibrant. It is relevant to every aspect of life because theatre is a reflection of human life, every aspect of the human condition - what we feel, what we go through. We are merely the mirror reflecting ourselves back at you. So it is always going to be a relevant and important. Theatre tells us something about ourselves, night after night after night, and it also is a wonderful escape away from our lives too, just for two and a bit, depending on the show hours, you can disappear and immerse yourself into something 

Read BWW's Olivier Awards with Mastercard predictions here!