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New Musicals Omitted from 2002 Olivier Nominations

The nominations for the 26th annual Laurence Olivier Awards, London's equivalent of the Tonys and the UK's most prestigious stage awards, are announced today, with a few notable changes to the usual categories and some unusual tussles between stars and their alter egos.

Self-Inflicted Competition

In perhaps the most interesting nomination head-to-head, Lindsay Duncan stands a 50-50 chance of winning this year's Best Actress Award - out of the field of four, two of the contenders are Duncan and Duncan. The actress has been nominated first for the Royal Court's Mouth To Mouth and again, separately, for Private Lives. Lined up against Duncan and Duncan are Victoria Hamilton for A Day In The Death Of Joe Egg and Zoe Wanamaker for Boston Marriage

Meanwhile, in Best Actor, comic duo Sean Foley and Hamish McColl, aka The Right Size, have been nominated jointly for The Play What I Wrote , with fierce competition from Roger Allam (Privates On Parade ), Alan Rickman (Private Lives ) and Simon Russell Beale (Humble Boy ).

Revivals Lead the Count

Three revivals have dominated this year's nominations. In the musical categories, the Broadway transfer of Kiss Me Kate leads with nine nominations, followed by the National production of My Fair Lady with eight. The original stars of both shows - Americans Marin Mazzie and Brent Barrett for the former and Brits Martine McCutcheon, Jonathan Pryce for the latter - are competing in the Best Actress and Best Actor in a Musical categories. And in the Best Supporting Performance in a Musical category, Kiss Me Kate's Nancy Anderson and Michael Berresse are up against each other, as well as My Fair Lady's Nicholas Le Prevost.

Meanwhile, Howard Davies' revival of Noel Coward's Private Lives dominates many of the non-musical categories, with a total of seven nominations. In addition to Best Actor and Actress for Duncan and Rickman, these include Best Supporting Actress (for Emma Fielding), Best Director and Best Set Designer.

Other well-recognised productions, with four nominations a piece, are: Kevin Elyot's Mouth To Mouth and Charlotte Jones' Humble Boy (both up for Best New Play, amongst other awards); the Right Size's The Play What I Wrote (up for Best New Comedy); and Cultural Industry's cult favourite Shockheaded Peter, soon to return for its fifth London season.

Company-wise, the National Theatre has once again achieved the most number of nominations with 17 in total. The Donmar Warehouse and Royal Court theatres have received an impressive nine nominations apiece, while the Royal Shakespeare Company earned four nominations for its London productions, including its acclaimed This England cycle of Shakespeare's history plays.

New Musicals Miss Out

Interestingly, this year's nominations exclude the usual category for Best New Musical, while the remaining Outstanding Musical Production embraces just three productions, all of which are revivals - Cole Porter's Kiss Me Kate, Lerner and Loewe's My Fair Lady and Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific, just recently opened at the National.

In place of that omission, however, are three new categories. Two, for Most Promising Playwright and Most Promising Performer, are aimed at newcomers to London theatre and more specifically - according to awards organisers, the Society of London Theatre - to recognise the contribution of SOLT affiliate members outside the traditional West End. Amongst these are leading London theatres such as the Almeida, Hampstead, Lyric Hammersmith, Young Vic, Tricycle and Royal Court Theatre Upstairs.

The third addition, the Audience Award for Most Popular Show, will be decided by theatregoers selecting their most favourite of the West End's long-running productions. A shortlist of four productions will be announced at the end of January. Those eligible are the 14 West End productions which, as of 1 January 2002, had been running for at least a year and had not announced a closure date.

Awards Ceremony on 15 February 2002

Winners will be announced on Friday, 15 February 2002 at the West End's Victoria Palace Theatre, in a star-studded lunchtime ceremony which will once again be hosted by TV presenter Clive Anderson. The Oliviers will subsequently be broadcast on BBC2 in an edited programme that combines the awards presentation with highlights of the past year in London theatre.

For the first time, the categories will also include one for long-running West End productions, the winner of which will be decided by audiences. This year's awards are sponsored by hotel group Hilton UK and Ireland.

- by Terri Paddock

The full list of nominations, across 23 categories, is as follows:

BEST ACTRESS

- Lindsay Duncan for Mouth To Mouth at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court and the Albery
- Lindsay Duncan for Private Lives at the Albery
- Victoria Hamilton for A Day In The Death Of Joe Egg at the New Ambassadors and now at the Comedy
- Zoë Wanamaker for Boston Marriage at the Donmar Warehouse and now at the New Ambassadors

BEST ACTOR

- Roger Allam for Privates On Parade at the Donmar Warehouse
- Sean Foley and Hamish McColl for The Play What I Wrote at Wyndham's
- Alan Rickman for Private Lives at the Albery
- Simon Russell Beale for Humble Boy at the Cottesloe

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

- Bríd Brennan for The Little Foxes at the Donmar Warehouse
- Emma Fielding for Private Lives at the Albery
- Lyndsey Marshal for Boston Marriage at the Donmar Warehouse and now at the New Ambassadors
- Marcia Warren for Humble Boy at the Cottesloe

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

- Desmond Barrit for Henry IV Parts I and II at the Barbican
- Ned Beatty for Cat On A Hot Tin Roof at the Lyric
- Adam Godley for Mouth To Mouth at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court
- Toby Jones for The Play What I Wrote at Wyndham's
- Malcolm Sinclair for Privates On Parade at the Donmar Warehouse

BEST NEW PLAY

- Boy Gets Girl by Rebecca Gilman at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court
- Gagarin Way by Gregory Burke at the Cottesloe
- Humble Boy by Charlotte Jones at the Cottesloe
- Jitney by August Wilson at the Lyttelton
- Mouth To Mouth by Kevin Elyot at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court and at the Albery

BEST NEW COMEDY

- Boston Marriage by David Mamet at the Donmar Warehouse and now at the New Ambassadors
- Caught In The Net by Ray Cooney at the Vaudeville
- Feelgood by Alistair Beaton at the Garrick
- The Play What I Wrote by Hamish McColl, Sean Foley and Eddie Braben at Wyndham's

BEST ENTERTAINMENT

- The Pub Landlord - My Gaff, My Rules created by Al Murray at the Playhouse
- Barbara Cook Sings Mostly Sondheim at the Lyric
- Shockheaded Peter created and devised by Julian Bleach, Anthony Cairns, Julian Crouch, Graeme Gilmour, Tamzin Griffin, Jo Pocock, Phelim McDermott, Michael Morris and The Tiger Lillies (Martyn Jacques, Adrian Huge and Adrian Stout) at the Piccadilly
- The League Of Gentlemen written by Jeremy Dyson, Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
- The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler at the New Ambassadors and now at the Arts

OUTSTANDING MUSICAL PRODUCTION

- Kiss Me Kate music and lyrics by Cole Porter, book by Sam & Bella Spewack at the Victoria Palace
- My Fair Lady book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, music by Frederick Loewe, adapted from Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and Gabriel Pascal's motion picture at the Lyttelton and now at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
- South Pacific music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, book by Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan at the Olivier

BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL OR ENTERTAINMENT

- Barbara Cook for Mostly Sondheim at the Lyric
- Ruthie Henshall for Peggy Sue Got Married at the Shaftesbury
- Martine McCutcheon for My Fair Lady at the Lyttelton and at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
- Marin Mazzie for Kiss Me Kate at the Victoria Palace

BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

- Brent Barrett for Kiss Me Kate at the Victoria Palace
- Paul Keating for Closer To Heaven at the Arts
- Jonathan Pryce for My Fair Lady at the Lyttelton and now at the Theatre - Royal, Drury Lane
- Philip Quast for South Pacific at the Olivier

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE IN A MUSICAL

- Nancy Anderson for Kiss Me Kate at the Victoria Palace
- Michael Berresse for Kiss Me Kate at the Victoria Palace
- Martyn Jacques for Shockheaded Peter at the Piccadilly
- Nicholas Le Prevost for My Fair Lady at the Lyttelton and now at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane

BEST DIRECTOR

- Michael Blakemore for Kiss Me Kate at the Victoria Palace
- Michael Boyd for Henry VI Parts I, II and III and Richard III at the Young Vic
- Howard Davies for Private Lives at the Albery
- Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch for Shockheaded Peter at the Piccadilly
- Ian Rickson for Mouth To Mouth at the at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court and the Albery

BEST THEATRE CHOREOGRAPHER

- Matthew Bourne for My Fair Lady at the Lyttelton and now at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
- Irving Davies for The Play What I Wrote at Wyndham's
- Scarlett Mackmin for Privates On Parade at the Donmar Warehouse
- Kathleen Marshall for Kiss Me Kate at the Victoria Palace

BEST SET DESIGNER

- Lez Brotherston for The Little Foxes at the Donmar Warehouse and A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Albery
- Julian Crouch and Graeme Gilmour for Shockheaded Peter at the Piccadilly
- Tim Hatley for Humble Boy at the Cottesloe and Private Lives at the Albery
- Robin Wagner for Kiss Me Kate at the Victoria Palace
- Anthony Ward for My Fair Lady at the Lyttelton and now at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane

BEST COSTUME DESIGNER

- Jenny Beavan for Private Lives at the Albery
- Martin Pakledinaz for Kiss Me Kate at the Victoria Palace
- Kevin Pollard for Shockheaded Peter at the Piccadilly
- Anthony Ward for My Fair Lady at the Lyttelton and now at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane

BEST LIGHTING DESIGNER

- Howard Harrison for Cat On A Hot Tin Roof at the Lyric and Tales From Hollywood at the Donmar Warehouse
- Mark Henderson for A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Albery and The Playboy Of The Western World at the Cottesloe
- David Hersey for My Fair Lady at the Lyttelton and now at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and South Pacific at the Olivier
- Tim Mitchell for Henry IV Parts I and II at the Barbican
- Peter Mumford for Hamlet at the Barbican and Private Lives at the Albery

MOST PROMISING PLAYWRIGHT

- Grae Cleugh for Fucking Games at the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court
- Abi Morgan for Tender at Hampstead Theatre
- Simon Stephens for Herons at the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court

MOST PROMISING PERFORMER

- Jack Davenport for The Servant at the Lyric Hammersmith
- Benjamin Davies for Fucking Games at the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court
- Ralf Little for Presence at the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court
- Leah Muller for Six Characters Looking For An Author at the Young Vic

BEST NEW OPERA PRODUCTION

- The Royal Opera's Boulevard Solitude at the Royal Opera House
- The Royal Opera's Jenufa at the Royal Opera House
- English National Opera's The Rape Of Lucretia at the London Coliseum
- The Royal Opera's Rigoletto at the Royal Opera House

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN OPERA

- English National Opera for its commitment to 20th Century work through four major productions: From Morning To Midnight, The Rake's Progress, The Rape Of Lucretia and War And Peace at the London Coliseum
- Bernard Haitink for his contribution to The Royal Opera's Jenufa and The Queen Of Spades and the musical directorship of a season of great distinction by the Royal Opera at the Royal Opera House
- Karita Mattila for her performances in The Royal Opera's Jenufa and The Queen Of Spades at the Royal Opera House
- David Sawer for English National Opera's From Morning To Midnight at the London Coliseum, an impressive first opera

BEST NEW DANCE PRODUCTION

- Ballett Frankfurt's Eidos: Telos at Sadler's Wells
- Sankai Juku's Hibiki at Sadler's Wells
- Dutch National Ballet's Live at Sadler's Wells
- The Royal Ballet's Onegin at the Royal Opera House

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DANCE

- Ushio Amagatsu for the concept, direction, choreography and performance of Sankai Juku's Hibiki at Sadler's Wells
- Dana Caspersen for her performances in Ballett Frankfurt's Artifact and Eidos: Telos at Sadler's Wells
- William Forsythe for Ballett Frankfurt's Artifact and Eidos: Telos at Sadler's Wells
- Mark Morris for the Mark Morris Dance Group's season at Sadler's Wells

AUDIENCE AWARD FOR MOST POPULAR SHOW

To be determined.

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