Best Omission Raises Olivier Judging Concerns???

In the year that the Laurence Olivier Awards won’t be televised for the first time ever, perhaps organisers at the Society of London Theatre (SOLT) will be thankful for any publicity (See News, 15 Jan 2004). Or maybe not. This weekend, the annual awards’ complex voting procedures have attracted newspaper reports suggesting that the nominations shortlists are decided ‘blind’. In an interview with Theatrevoice.com, awards chairman Peter Wilkins explained that, though the ‘long’ shortlists were drawn up by official panellists, comprising independent professionals and members of the public, these were then voted on, and sometimes added to, by about 100 theatre owners and producers who belong to SOLT, many of whom may not have seen all the productions in question. He admits that this may be why Eve Best was not nominated, though her Mourning Becomes Electra co-star Helen Mirren, whose reputation precedes her, was. Theatregoers on the Whatsonstage.com Discussion Forum were outraged by the omission of Best, who did figure in the nominations for this year’s Theatregoers’ Choice Awards and who won the Critics’ Circle Best Actress award outright (See News, 3 Feb 2004).

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