Nominations announced for 2016 Olivier Awards

The nominees have been announced for the 40th annual Olivier Awards, with Farinelli and the King and Gypsy leading the shortlist.

The nominations were announced this morning by Imelda Staunton and Michael Ball at a ceremony held at the Rosewood Hotel in London.

Gypsy is the frontrunner in terms of nominations with a total of eight including Best Musical Revival and Staunton for Best Actress in a Musical.

Other shows with multiple nominations include Kinky Boots which received seven nominations and Farinelli and the King which received six.

This year the Olivier Awards, which celebrate their 40th anniversary, will take place at the Royal Opera House on Sunday 3 April, hosted by Michael Ball. Theatre fans will be able to watch highlights on ITV shortly following the event.

The public can also vote from twelve West End productions in this year's Audience Award here.

Full list of nominees

Best New Musical

Bend It Like Beckham at Phoenix Theatre
In The Heights at King's Cross Theatre
Kinky Boots at Adelphi Theatre
Mrs Henderson Presents at Noel Coward Theatre

Best Musical Revival

Bugsy Malone at Lyric Hammersmith
Guys and Dolls at Savoy Theatre
Gypsy at Savoy Theatre
Seven Brides For Seven Brothers at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre

Best Actor in a Musical

Ian Bartholomew for Mrs Henderson Presents at Noel Coward Theatre
Killian Donnelly for Kinky Boots at Adelphi Theatre
David Haig for Guys and Dolls at Savoy Theatre
Matt Henry for Kinky Boots at Adelphi Theatre
Jamie Parker for Guys and Dolls at Savoy Theatre

Best Actress in a Musical

Tracie Bennett for Mrs Henderson Presents at Noel Coward Theatre
Natalie Dew for Bend It Like Beckham at Phoenix Theatre
Laura Pitt-Pulford for Seven Brides For Seven Brothers at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
Imelda Staunton for Gypsy at Savoy Theatre
Sophie Thompson for Guys and Dolls at Savoy Theatre

Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical

David Bedella for In The Heights at King's Cross Theatre
Dan Burton for Gypsy at Savoy Theatre
Peter Davison for Gypsy at Savoy Theatre
Gavin Spokes for Guys and Dolls at Savoy Theatre

Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical

Preeya Kalidas for Bend It Like Beckham at Phoenix Theatre
Amy Lennox for Kinky Boots at Adelphi Theatre
Lara Pulver for Gypsy at Savoy Theatre
Emma Williams for Mrs Henderson Presents at Noël Coward Theatre

Best New Play

Farinelli And The King at Duke of York's Theatre
The Father at Wyndham's Theatre
Hangmen at Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court and Wyndham's Theatre
People, Places And Things at National Theatre, Dorfman

Best Actor

Kenneth Branagh for The Winter's Tale at Garrick Theatre
Kenneth Cranham for The Father at Wyndham's Theatre
Benedict Cumberbatch for Hamlet at Barbican Theatre
Adrian Lester for Red Velvet at Garrick Theatre
Mark Rylance for Farinelli and the King at Duke of York's Theatre

Best Actress

Gemma Arterton for Nell Gwynn at Apollo Theatre
Denise Gough for People, Places And Things at National Theatre, Dorfman
Nicole Kidman for Photograph 51 at Noël Coward Theatre
Janet McTeer for Les Liaisons Dangereuses at Donmar Warehouse
Lia Williams for Oresteia at Almeida Theatre

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Mark Gatiss for Three Days In The Country at National Theatre, Lyttelton
Michael Pennington for The Winter's Tale at Garrick Theatre
Tom Sturridge for American Buffalo at Wyndham's Theatre
David Suchet for The Importance Of Being Earnest at Vaudeville Theatre

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Judi Dench for The Winter's Tale at Garrick Theatre
Michele Dotrice for Nell Gwynn at Apollo Theatre
Melody Grove for Farinelli And The King at Duke of York's Theatre
Catherine Steadman for Oppenheimer at Vaudeville Theatre

Best Revival

Hamlet at Barbican Theatre
Les Liaisons Dangereuses at Donmar Warehouse
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom at National Theatre, Lyttelton
The Winter's Tale at Garrick Theatre

Best New Comedy

A Christmas Carol at Noël Coward Theatre
Hand To God at Vaudeville Theatre
Nell Gwynn at Apollo Theatre
Peter Pan Goes Wrong at Apollo Theatre

Best Director

Rob Ashford and Kenneth Branagh for The Winter's Tale at Garrick Theatre
Matthew Dunster for Hangmen at Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at Royal Court and Wyndham's Theatre
Robert Icke for Oresteia at Almeida Theatre
Jonathan Kent for Gypsy at Savoy Theatre

Best Entertainment and Family

Alice's Adventures Underground at The Vaults
Dr. Seuss's The Lorax at The Old Vic
I Want My Hat Back at National Theatre, Temporary Theatre
Peter Pan at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
Showstopper! The Improvised Musical at Apollo Theatre

Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre

Barbarians at The Clare, Young Vic
Phil Dunster for his role in Pink Mist at Bush Theatre
Pat Kinevane and Fishamble for Silent at Soho Theatre
Violence And Son at Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court

Best Theatre Choreographer

Carlos Acosta and Andrew Wright for Guys and Dolls at Savoy Theatre
Drew McOnie for In The Heights at King's Cross Theatre
Stephen Mear for Gypsy at Savoy Theatre
Jerry Mitchell for Kinky Boots at Adelphi Theatre

Outstanding Achievement in Music

Bend It Like Beckham – Music by Howard Goodall, Lyrics by Charles Hart and Orchestrations by Howard Goodall and Kuljit Bhamra at Phoenix Theatre
Farinelli And The King – Claire van Kampen for Musical Arrangements, the Musicians and Iestyn Davies and the Singers who alternated the singing role of Farinelli at Duke of York's Theatre
In The Heights – Music and Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda at King’s Cross Theatre
Kinky Boots – Music and Lyrics by Cyndi Lauper, Music Supervision, Arrangements and Orchestrations by Stephen Oremus at Adelphi Theatre

Best Lighting Design

Neil Austin for The Winter's Tale at Garrick Theatre
Natasha Chivers for Oresteia at Almeida Theatre
James Farncombe for People, Places And Things at National Theatre, Dorfman
Mark Henderson for Gypsy at Savoy Theatre

Best Sound Design

George Dennis for The Homecoming at Trafalgar Studios 1
Tom Gibbons for People, Places And Things at National Theatre, Dorfman
Christopher Shutt for The Father at Wyndham’s Theatre
Christopher Shutt for Hamlet at Barbican Theatre

Best Costume Design

Gregg Barnes for Kinky Boots at Adelphi Theatre
Hugh Durrant for Nell Gwynn at Apollo Theatre
Jonathan Fensom for Farinelli And The King at Duke of York’s Theatre
Katrina Lindsay for Bend It Like Beckham at Phoenix Theatre

Best Set Design

Hildegard Bechtler for Oresteia at Almeida Theatre
Es Devlin for Hamlet at Barbican Theatre
Jonathan Fensom for Farinelli And The King at Duke of York's Theatre
Anna Fleischle for Hangmen at Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court and Wyndham's Theatre

Best New Opera Production

Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci at Royal Opera House
The Force Of Destiny at London Coliseum
Morgen Und Abend at Royal Opera House

Outstanding Achievement in Opera

English National Opera Chorus and Orchestra for The Force Of Destiny, Lady Macbeth Of Mtsensk and The Queen Of Spades at London Coliseum
Felicity Palmer for The Queen Of Spades at London Coliseum
Sir Antonio Pappano for his conducting of Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci, Guillaume Tell and Król Roger at Royal Opera House
Tamara Wilson for The Force Of Destiny at London Coliseum

Best New Dance Production

He Who Falls (Celui Qui Tombe) by Compagnie Yoann Bourgeois at the Barbican
Romeo Et Juliette by Les Ballets de Monte Carlo at London Coliseum
Woolf Works by Wayne McGregor at Royal Opera House

Outstanding Achievement in Dance

Alessandra Ferri for her performances in Chéri and Woolf Works at Royal Opera House
Javier De Frutos for his choreography of Anatomy Of A Passing Cloud at the Linbury Studio Theatre, Royal Opera House
Sasha Waltz for her choreography of Sacre at Sadler’s Wells