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Oliviers 2000: WOS Picks & Predictions

Date: 31 January 2000

Olivier Nominations 2000 The Laurence Olivier Awards are the UK's most prestigious theatre awards but, as the only ones that are judged by experts along with members of the public, they are also some of the hardest to call. Still, we've done our best here at Whatsonstage.com. All of our regular reviewers have clubbed together to make our predictions for who will win and to state our own choices for who should win in each category. Feel free to email us with your own thoughts!

For the full news story on this year's nominations, click here. And watch this space for full coverage of the awards ceremony on 18 February.

Best Actress
Nominations: Janie Dee, Comic Potential Jennifer Ehle, The Real Thing Maggie Smith, The Lady in the Van Alison Steadman , The Memory of Water	Our prediction: Maggie Smith Our choice: Tied - Jennifer Ehle and Janie Dee	Comments: There are so many possibilities for this category this year, but Smith just needs to walk on stage to win an award. Omissions include: Cate Blanchett for Plenty; Victoria Hamilton for Troilus and Cressida; and Emma Fielding for Look Back in Anger.
Best Actor
Nominations: Roger Allam, Summerfolk Stephen Dillane, The Real Thing Henry Goodman, The Merchant of Venice Michael Sheen , Look Back in Anger Antony Sher, The Winter's Tale	Our prediction: Stephen Dillane Our choice: Stephen Dillane	Comments: Dillane is nothing short of stunning in this Stoppard revival which is better than the 1982 original.
Best Supporting Actor
Nominations: Roger Allam, Money Michael Bryant, Summerfolk Ron Cook , Juno and the Paycock Michael Williams, The Forest	Our prediction: Michael Williams Our choice: Ron Cook	Comments: This will probably be Williams' year to win, not so much for this production, but for his body of work. But Cook really deserves it, his Joxer Daly was the best thing by far about Juno and the Paycock
Best Supporting Actress
Nominations: Anne-Marie Duff, Collected Stories Patricia Hodge, Money Estelle Kohler , The Winter's Tale Kika Markham, Song at Twilight	Our prediction: Patricia Hodge Our choice: Anne-Marie Duff	Comments: Hodge should have been nominated for Summerfolk over Money so may win for body of work. Duff is our choice because she's come out of nowhere and is a delight. Omission: Matilda Ziegler, Look Back in Anger
Best New Musical
Nominations: Honk! The Ugly Duckling Mamma Mia Spend Spend Spend The Lion King	Our prediction: Spend Spend Spend Our choice: Tied - Spend Spend Spend and Mamma Mia	Comments: Lion King is the blockbuster, but we reckon voting will be anti-American. Spend Spend Spend is a great British musical and Mamma Mia stands out because it could have been so awful but isn't.
Outstanding Musical Production
Nominations: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Candide Dick Whittington The Pajama Game	Our prediction: Candide Our choice: Candide	Comments: This category is a joke, underlining the quantity over quality of West End musicals this year. Candide has to win because the others are all ghastly. The Pajama Game is the 'worst musical revival ever'.
Best New Play
Nominations: Goodnight Children Everywhere Perfect Days Rose The Lady in the Van Three Days of Rain	Our prediction: The Lady in the Van Our choice: Perfect Days	Comments: Alan Bennett's The Lady in the Van, with Smith, is a default. Omissions: Simon Bennett's Drummers and Mark Ravenhill's Some Explicit Polaroids. It's fine to have this category, but what about the stonking revivals this year? A category for outstanding dramatic production is 'notable by its absence'.
Best New Comedy
Nominations: Comic Potential Quartet The Memory of Water	Our prediction: Comic Potential Our choice: The Memory of Water	Comments: It would've made more sense to nominate Perfect Days for this category and Shelagh's Stephenson's impressive debut The Memory of Water for Best New Play. Still, Ayckbourn is Ayckbourn - his Comic Potential is almost a cert.
Best Entertainment
Nominations: Al Murray - The Pub Landlord Defending the Caveman Fascinating Aida - Barefaced Chic Soul Train	Our prediction: Al Murray Our choice: Al Murray	Comments: Murray is very hot at the moment.
Best Actor in a Musical
Nominations: Rob Edwards, The Lion King Daniel Evans, Candide Ben Keaton, Animal Crackers Gus MacGregor, Buddy Simon Russell Beale, Candide	Our prediction: Simon Russell Beale Our choice: Ben Keaton	Comments: A difficult one to foretell. Though a great actor, Russell Beale isn't a great singer - but he deserves an award for all his work at the NT this year. Animal Crackers isn't really a musical but Keaton's Groucho is fab.
Best Actress in a Musical
Nominations: Josette Bushell-Mingo, The Lion King Barbara Dickson, Spend Spend Spend Rachel Leskovac, Spend Spend Spend Siobhan McCarthy, Mamma Mia	Our prediction: Siobhan McCarthy Our choice: Siobhan McCarthy	Comments: McCarthy's time has come, she fizzes with excitement in a tailormade starring role in Mamma Mia. Bushell-Mingo is good but performers are subordinated to the overall concept that is The Lion King.
Best Supporting Performance in a Musical
Nominations: Joseph Alessi, Animal Crackers Jenny Galloway , Mamma Mia Steven Houghton, Spend Spend Spend Louise Plowright , Mamma Mia Denis Quilley, Candide	Our prediction: Jenny Galloway Our choice: Jenny Galloway	Comments: Houghton is the best singer but Galloway is an all-round hoot. The only danger is that Plowright's nomination may split the Mamma Mia vote.
Best Director
Nominations: David Leveaux, The Real Thing Trevor Nunn, Summerfolk, The Merchant of Venice and Troilus and Cressida Jeremy Sams, Spend Spend Spend Julie Taymor, The Lion King	Our prediction: Trevor Nunn Our choice: Trevor Nunn	Comments: He didn't win it last year for Oklahoma! so it's compensation time, besides Nunn deserves it for the NT's excellent rep season. Omission: Gregory Hersov for Look Back in Anger.
Best Choreographer
Nominations: Peter Darling, Candide Garth Fagan, The Lion King Craig Revel Horwood for Spend Spend Spend Stephen Mear, Soul Train	Our prediction: Garth Fagan Our choice: Garth Fagan	Comments: The only possible winner.
Best Set Designer
Nominations: Lez Brotherston, Spend Spend Spend Maria Bjornson, Plenty Rob Howell, Richard III, Troilus and Cressida and Vassa Richard Hudson, The Lion King	Our prediction: Richard Hudson Our choice: Richard Hudson	Comments: The Lion King dominates in these technical categories, but Bjornson's dissolves in Plenty were also divine.
Best Lighting Designer
Nominations: Howard Harrison, Private Lives, Sleep with Me and The Tempest Mark Henderson, Plenty, Spend Spend Spend, Suddenly Last Summer, The Forest, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Real Thing and Vassa Donald Holder, The Lion King Peter Mumford, Collected Stories, Richard III, Summerfolk and The Merchant of Venice Richard Hudson, The Lion King	Our prediction: Mark Henderson Our choice: Mark Henderson	Comments: There are only a handful of top-notch lighting designers operating in the West End, and they circulate Oliviers amongst them. It's Henderson's turn this year.
Best Costume Designer
Nominations: Rob Howell, Money and Troilus and Cressida Robert Jones, The Winter's Tale, RSC at the Barbican John Napier with Elise Napier, Candide Julie Taymor, The Lion King	Our prediction: Julie Taymor Our choice: Julie Taymor	Comments: Oh, those amazing masks! Taymor has got to win this one for some of the most imaginative costumes ever conceived.
Best New Opera
Nominations: ENO's Alcina Welsh National Opera's Hansel and Gretel ENO's Parsifal ENO's Semele	Our prediction: Semele Our choice: Parsifal	Comments: Semele is brilliantly executed but ENO's production of Parsifal deserves an award because it's one of the trickiest operas to pull off.
Outstanding Achievement in Opera
Nominations: Kim Begley for his performance in Parsifal English National Opera for its high standard of production and for championing the works of Handel Rosemary Joshua for her performance in Semele Bryn Terfel for his performance in the Royal Opera's Falstaff	Our prediction: English National Opera Our choice: None	Comments: The award should go to a glaring omission - Yvonne Kenny for her faultless performance in ENO's Der Rosenkavalier.

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