Features

Did you know? Facts about the 2012 Olivier Award winners

| London | London's West End |

20 April 2012

This past Sunday, 15 April 2012, marked the 36th Annual Olivier Awards. Returning for their second year as hosts, West End stars Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton, welcomed guests to the Royal Opera House. As per usual, the ceremony was broadcast live for Brits to tune in on the BBC’s Red Button.

Newly implemented was the live stream on olivierawards.com and BBC Radio 2 websites. For the first time, the awards reached international audiences enabling millions to watch Matilda The Musical break Olivier records and Tim Rice receive special honor.

Whatsonstage.com has provided full coverage of theatreland’s most prestigious night, from live tweeting to blogger feedback.

In addition to releasing the full names of winners in each category, we have provided a list of fun facts for your reading pleasure.

Best New Play

Collaborators at the NT Cottesloe

This is the first Olivier Award for John Hodge

This was his first play

Screenplays include Trainspotting

Collaborators starred Simon Russell Beale and Alex Jennings. It returns to the National Theatre later this month

Best Revival

Anna Christie at the Donmar Warehouse

Starred Jude Law and Ruth Wilson, directed by Rob Ashford

Nominated in four categories tonight, including Best Actor and Best Actress

Best Entertainment and Family

Derren Brown – Svengali at the Shaftesbury

This is Derren Brown’s second Olivier Award win

He first won in 2006 for Something Wicked This Way Comes

Stage credits also include Mind Reader – An Evening Of Wonders and Derren Brown – Enigma

Svengali returns to the Novello theatre in July

Best Actress

Ruth Wilson for Anna Christie at the Donmar Warehouse

Second Olivier Award win (previously won for A Streetcar Named Desire at the Donmar Warehouse in 2010)

Soon to be seen in film adaptation of Anna Karenina

Previous stage roles include Philistines (National Theatre) and Through A Glass Darkly (Almeida).

Best Actor

Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller for Frankenstein at the Olivier

First time either has won an Olivier Award

The pair won the Best Actor Award earlier this year at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards

Cumberbatch will soon be seen in the upcoming film The Hobbit

Lee Miller’s previous on-screen roles include US TV series Eli Stone and Dexter

Best Performance in a Supporting Role

Sheridan Smith for Flare Path at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket

This is Sheridan Smith’s second Olivier Award win in two years

Her previous win was for her role as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, 2011

Smith was first nominated for an Olivier Award for Little Shop Of Horrors at the Menier Chocolate Factory

Best Actress in a Musical

The Matildas for Matilda The Musical at the Cambridge (Cleo Demetriou, Kerry Ingram, Sophia Kiely and Eleanor Worthington Cox)

Youngest ever winners (aged 10 to12 years old)

The Billy Elliots (aged 13 to 15 years old) shared the 2006 Best Actor in a Musical Award

Each actress performs two shows a week

Best Actor in a Musical

Bertie Carvel for Matilda The Musical at the Cambridge

This is Carvel’s first Olivier Award win

Won in the same category earlier this year at the Theatre Awards UK

Previous stage credits include Rope (Almeida), The Pride (Royal Court), Parade (Donmar)

This marks the third time the Best Actor in a Musical Award has been awarded to a cross-dressing role (previously: Douglas Hodge in 2009 for La Cage Aux Folles and Michael Ball in 2008 in Hairspray)

Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical

Nigel Harman for Shrek The Musical at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane

This is Nigel Harman’s first Olivier Award win and nomination

He won the Theatregoers’ Choice Award earlier this year for the role

Shrek The Musical saw him reunite on stage with his Guys And Dolls co-star Nigel Lindsay

His other credits include The Caretaker, The Common Pursuit, Public Property and Three Days Of Rain

Best New Musical

Matilda The Musical at the Cambridge

Adapted by Dennis Kelly, songs by Tim Minchin, directed by Matthew Warchus

Nominated in 10 categories

Opens next year on Broadway

Best Musical Revival

Crazy For You at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

This is the third Best Musical Revival Olivier Award for Regent’s Park Open Air in three years

Previous won in 2011’s for Into The Woods and in 2010 for Hello, Dolly!

Crazy For You starred Sean Palmer and Clare Foster

The show is nominated in three Olivier Awards 2012 categories

Best Director

Matthew Warchus for Matilda The Musical at the Cambridge

This is the first Olivier Award win for Matthew Warchus

Matilda The Musical has been nominated for 10 awards this year, the maximum number of nominations possible

Warchus also directed the five-time nominated Ghost The Musical

Warchus won a Tony Award in 2009 for God Of Carnage

His other work in the West End includes Boeing Boeing and The Norman Conquests.

Best Theatre Choreographer

Peter Darling for Matilda The Musical at the Cambridge

This is the second time Peter Darling has won the Best Theatre Choreographer Award

He won in 2006 for his work on Billy Elliot The Musical

This award was one of 10 nominations for Matilda The Musical

Matilda The Musical will open on Broadway next spring

Best Lighting Design

Frankenstein designed by Bruno Poet at the Olivier

This was one of three nominations tonight for Frankenstein

This is Bruno Poet’s first Olivier Award

Poet’s work will be seen in production South Downs and The Browning Version at the Harold Pinter theatre, which begins previews next week

XL Video Award for Best Set Design

Matilda The Musical designed by Rob Howell at the Cambridge

This is Rob Howell’s third Olivier Award win

The designer previously won in 2000 for the RSC’s Richard III, Troilus And Cressida and Vassa, and in 2006 for the Almeida theatre’s Hedda Gabler

This is one of 10 cateogories Matilda The Musicalis nominated for

Best Costume Design

Crazy For You designed by Peter McKintosh at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

This is Peter McKintosh’s first Olivier Award

He was previously nominated in 2010 for the Regent’s Park Open Air theatre’s Hello, Dolly!

His other work includes current productions Noises Off and The 39 Steps

Best Sound Design

Matilda The Musical designed by Simon Baker at the Cambridge

This is Simon Baker’s first Olivier Award

The Sound Designer has worked on over 70 productions

These include West End shows The Lord Of The Rings and Brief Encounter, both of which earned him Olivier Award nominations

Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre

Theatre Royal, Stratford East in association with the Barbican and Traverse Theatre for Roadkill

Conceived and directed by Cora Bissett

This is the second time the Theatre Royal Stratford East has won the Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre

The theatre won in 2007 for Pied Piper

Best New Opera Production

English National Opera’s Castor and Pollux at the London Coliseum

Castor and Pollux was the first Rameau opera to be staged by the ENO

The production marked the London operatic debut of director Barrie Kosky

Three out of the four nominees in this category were ENO productions

Outstanding Achievement in Opera

ENO for the breadth and diversity of its artistic programme

The ENO was nominated against its own colleagues, Amanda Holden for Castor and Pollux and Richard Jones’ for The Tales Of Hoffmann in this category.

Nominated for five awards in total

Outstanding Achievement in Dance

Edward Watson for his performance in The Metamorphosis at the Linbury Studio at the Royal Opera House

First win for Edward Watson

Principal dancer at the Royal Ballet

Currently appearing in Polyphonia / Sweet Violets / Carbon Life at the Royal Opera House

Best New Dance Production

DESH by Akram Khan Company at Sadler’s Wells, choreographed by Akram Khan

This is Akram Khan’s first Olivier Award

The show was inspired by Khan’s homeland Bangladesh

Khan was the only performer in the show

DESH featured music by Olivier Award-winning composer Jocelyn Pook