Oliviers:2006 Laurence Olivier Award nominations announced

First published: 18 Jan 2006

The nominations for the 2006 Laurence Olivier Awards have been announced. Musicals Billy Elliot and Guys And Dolls lead the running with a total of nine and eight nominations respectively; while 2005 was a big year for revivals, with Hedda Gabler, Mary Stuart and Don Carlos receiving six nominations each.

The Best Revival category is a mouth-watering affair as a quartet of highly-acclaimed productions – Death Of A Salesman, Don Carlos, Hedda Gabler and Mary Stuart – is nominated. Many of the stars of these productions have also been nominated in the Best Actor and Actress categories. Mary Stuart’s Harriet Walter and Janet McTeer are joined by Hedda Gabler’s Eve Best, Death Of A Salesman’s Clare Higgins and As You Like It’s Helen McCrory in the Best Actress category. Higgins will be hoping to pick up the award for the second year in a row following her triumph at the 2005 Laurence Olivier Awards for her performance in Hecuba.

In the Best Actor category, Brian Dennehy (Death Of A Salesman) and Derek Jacobi (Don Carlos) are pitted against Con O’Neill (Telstar), David Threlfall (Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me) and last year’s recipient Richard Griffiths (Heroes).

All four original leads from Guys And Dolls (Jane Krakowski, Jenna Russell, Douglas Hodge and Ewan McGregor) receive nominations in the Best Actress/Actor in a Musical category. Krakowski and Russell face competition from Acorn Antique’s Julie Walters and Billy Elliot’s Haydn Gwynne, who, bizarrely, plays the same character on stage as fellow nominee Walters played on film. Competing against Hodge and McGregor in the Best Actor category is the triumvirate of original Billies, James Lomas, George Maguire and Liam Mower.

The Best Director category will, as always, be hotly contested; this year between Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot), Richard Eyre (Hedda Gabler), Michael Grandage (Don Carlos), Phyllida Lloyd (Mary Stuart) and Melly Still (Coram Boy).

The Best New Musical category sees Billy Elliot, The Big Life and Acorn Antiques pitted against each other, while Guys And Dolls and HMS Pinafore are nominated in the Outstanding Musical Production category.

The Best New Play category is dominated by the National theatre, whose productions Coram Boy, On The Shore Of The Wide World and Paul are nominated alongside the Royal Court’s Harvest. Best New Comedy is contested between Glorious!, Heroes and Shoot The Crow.

The English National Opera is guaranteed success on the night, as it has all the nominations in the Best New Opera Production category and the Outstanding Achievement in Opera category.

The Laurence Olivier Awards, the highlight of the London theatre year, will be held at the Park Lane Hilton on 26 February. Officiallondontheatre.co.uk will be there, rubbing shoulders with a whole host of A-list theatrical bodies, to bring you live interactive commentary on the night, reporting on who has won which award the moment they are announced. There’s still the chance to be there and experience the glamour for yourself by entering our Biggest London Theatre Enthusiast quiz. Simply click here to give it a try.

See below for a complete list of nominations:

BEST ACTRESS
Eve Best for HEDDA GABLER at the Almeida and Duke of York’s
Clare Higgins for DEATH OF A SALESMAN at the Lyric
Helen McCrory for AS YOU LIKE IT at Wyndham’s
Janet McTeer for MARY STUART at the Donmar Warehouse and Apollo
Harriet Walter for MARY STUART at the Donmar Warehouse and Apollo

BEST ACTOR
Brian Dennehy for DEATH OF A SALESMAN at the Lyric
Richard Griffiths for HEROES at Wyndham’s
Derek Jacobi for DON CARLOS at the Gielgud
Con O’Neill for TELSTAR at the New Ambassadors
David Threlfall for SOMEONE WHO’LL WATCH OVER ME at the New Ambassadors

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
David Bradley for HENRY IV PARTS I & II at the Olivier
Benedict Cumberbatch for HEDDA GABLER at the Almeida and Duke of York’s
Noma Dumezweni for A RAISIN IN THE SUN Young Vic at the Lyric Hammersmith
Anne Reid for EPITAPH FOR GEORGE DILLON at the Comedy
Paul Ritter for CORAM BOY at the Olivier

BEST NEW PLAY
CORAM BOY adapted by Helen Edmundson from a novel by Jamila Gavin at the Olivier
HARVEST by Richard Bean at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court
ON THE SHORE OF THE WIDE WORLD by Simon Stephens at the Cottesloe
PAUL by Howard Brenton at the Cottesloe

BEST NEW COMEDY
GLORIOUS! by Peter Quilter at the Duchess
HEROES by Gérald Sibleyras translated by Tom Stoppard at Wyndham’s
SHOOT THE CROW by Owen McCafferty at Trafalgar Studio 1

BEST ENTERTAINMENT
BLUE MAN GROUP at the New London
DUCKTASTIC at the Albery
SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES at the Cambridge

BEST REVIVAL
DEATH OF A SALESMAN by Arthur Miller at the Lyric
DON CARLOS by Friedrich Schiller in a new adaptation by Mike Poulton at the Gielgud
HEDDA GABLER by Henrik Ibsen in a new version by Richard Eyre at the Almeida and Duke of York’s
MARY STUART by Friedrich Schiller in a new version by Peter Oswald at the Donmar Warehouse and Apollo

BEST NEW MUSICAL
ACORN ANTIQUES – THE MUSICAL! Book, music and lyrics by Victoria Wood at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket
THE BIG LIFE written by Paul Sirett, music by Paul Joseph at the Apollo
BILLY ELLIOT – THE MUSICAL book and lyrics by Lee Hall, music by Elton John at the Victoria Palace

OUTSTANDING MUSICAL PRODUCTION
GUYS AND DOLLS based on a story and characters of Damon Runyon, music and lyrics by Frank Loesser, book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows at the Piccadilly
HMS PINAFORE a new version by Herbert Appleman, music by Arthur Sullivan. Original libretto by W. S. Gilbert at the Open Air

BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Haydn Gwynne for BILLY ELLIOT – THE MUSICAL at the Victoria Palace
Jane Krakowski for GUYS AND DOLLS at the Piccadilly
Jenna Russell for GUYS AND DOLLS at the Piccadilly
Julie Walters for ACORN ANTIQUES – THE MUSICAL! at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket

BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Douglas Hodge for GUYS AND DOLLS at the Piccadilly
Ewan McGregor for GUYS AND DOLLS at the Piccadilly
James Lomas, George Maguire and Liam Mower for BILLY ELLIOT - THE MUSICAL at the Victoria Palace

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Tameka Empson for THE BIG LIFE at the Apollo
Tim Healy for BILLY ELLIOT - THE MUSICAL at the Victoria Palace
Celia Imrie for ACORN ANTIQUES – THE MUSICAL! at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket
Scarlett Strallen for HMS PINAFORE at the Open Air

BEST DIRECTOR
Stephen Daldry for BILLY ELLIOT – THE MUSICAL at the Victoria Palace
Richard Eyre for HEDDA GABLER at the Almeida and Duke of York’s
Michael Grandage for DON CARLOS at the Gielgud
Phyllida Lloyd for MARY STUART at the Donmar Warehouse and Apollo
Melly Still for CORAM BOY at the Olivier

BEST THEATRE CHOREOGRAPHER
Rob Ashford for GUYS AND DOLLS at the Piccadilly
Peter Darling for BILLY ELLIOT - THE MUSICAL at the Victoria Palace

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN
BILLY ELLIOT – THE MUSICAL designed by Rick Fisher at the Victoria Palace
DON CARLOS designed by Paule Constable at the Gielgud
MARY STUART designed by Hugh Vanstone at the Donmar Warehouse and Apollo
GUYS AND DOLLS designed by Howard Harrison at the Piccadilly

BEST SET DESIGN
BILLY ELLIOT – THE MUSICAL designed by Ian MacNeil at the Victoria Palace
DON CARLOS designed by Christopher Oram at the Gielgud
HEDDA GABLER designed by Rob Howell at the Almeida and Duke of York’s

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
THE DOG IN THE MANGER designed by Es Devlin at the Playhouse
DON CARLOS designed by Christopher Oram at the Gielgud
HEDDA GABLER designed by Rob Howell at the Almeida and Duke of York’s
MARY STUART designed by Anthony Ward at the Donmar Warehouse and Apollo

BEST SOUND DESIGN
BILLY ELLIOT – THE MUSICAL designed by Paul Arditti at the Victoria Palace
CORAM BOY designed by Christopher Shutt at the Olivier
GUYS AND DOLLS designed by Terry Jardine & Chris Full at the Piccadilly

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN AN AFFILIATE THEATRE
BLOODY SUNDAY – SCENES FROM THE SAVILLE INQUIRY at the Tricycle
COMFORT ME WITH APPLES at Hampstead
MY NAME IS RACHEL CORRIE at the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court
Laura Wade for BREATHING CORPSES at the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court and COLDER THAN HERE at Soho

BEST NEW DANCE PRODUCTION
Rambert Dance Company’s CONSTANT SPEED at Sadler’s Wells
Fabulous Beast Dance Theatre’s GISELLE at the Barbican
Sylvie Guillem and Russell Maliphant’s PUSH at Sadler’s Wells
Akram Khan/Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui/Antony Gormley/Nitin Sawhney’s ZERO DEGREES at Sadler’s Wells

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DANCE
Ballet Nacional de Cuba’s corps de ballet for their season at Sadler’s Wells
Pina Bausch for the creation of NELKEN and PALERMO PALERMO at Sadler’s Wells
Johan Kobborg for his performance in the Royal Ballet’s THE LESSON and his production of LA SYLPHIDE at the Royal Opera House
Russell Maliphant for his choreography and performance in PUSH at Sadler’s Wells

BEST NEW OPERA PRODUCTION
English National Opera’s BILLY BUDD at the London Coliseum
English National Opera’s LA CLEMENZA DI TITO at the London Coliseum
English National Opera’s MADAM BUTTERFLY at the London Coliseum
English National Opera’s ON THE TOWN at the London Coliseum

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN OPERA
Sarah Connolly for her performance in English National Opera’s LA CLEMENZA DI TITO at the London Coliseum
Simon Keenlyside for his performances in the Royal Opera’s 1984 at the Royal Opera House and English National Opera’s BILLY BUDD at the London Coliseum
David McVicar for his direction of English National Opera’s LA CLEMENZA DI TITO at the London Coliseum
Anthony Minghella and Carolyn Choa for the direction and choreography of English National Opera’s MADAM BUTTERFLY at the London Coliseum

MA