On Sunday, the 40th Laurence Olivier Awards were presented in London — Britain’s highest theatrical honor.
Kinky Boots triumphed as Best Musical, just as it did at the 2013 Tonys, and picked up Best Actor in a Musical (Matt Henry) and Best Costume Design. Cyndi Lauper’s score, however, did not win an Olivier to match its historic Tony win (Lauper was the first solo woman to win Best Score). Instead, Best Score went to In the Heights, which also got Best Supporting Actor (David Badella) and Best Choreographer.
The biggest winner of the night was a revival of Gypsy, which walked away with four awards: Best Musical Revival, Best Actress in a Musical (Imelda Staunton), Best Supporting Actress (Lara Pulver), and Best Lighting Design. Imelda Staunton opened the ceremony with a performance from Gypsy; she is the first person to win Best Actress in a Musical three times.
Judi Dench broke her own record by winning an eighth Olivier Award — the most in history — for her supporting role in a revival of The Winter’s Tale. Phantom of the Opera won the Audience Award for Most Popular Show (the only award voted on by the general populace); this is its second win after it won the award in its inaugural year (2002).
Other winners are listed below:
– Best Play: Hangmen
– Best Revival: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
– Best Comedy: Nell Gwynn
– Best Entertainment & Family: Showstopper! The Improvised Musical
– Best Actor: Kenneth Cranham in The Father
– Best Actress: Denise Gough in People, Places, and Things
– Best Supporting Actor: Mark Gatiss
– Best Director: Robert Icke for Oresteia
– Best Set Design: Hangmen
– Best Sound Design: People, Places, and Things
– Achievement in Dance: Alessandra Ferri
– Best Dance Production: Woolf Works
– Achievement in Opera: English National Opera
– Best Opera: Cavalleria rusticana / Paliacci
– Achievement in Affiliate Theatre: Pat Kinevane for Fishamble for Silent
The ceremony concluded with a performance of many stars singing “What I Did For Love” from A Chorus Line, which won the first ever Olivier 40 years ago.
If you didn’t see the ceremony, here’s a video of the entire broadcast:
