West End favorite and Olivier nominee Hannah Waddingham, who hosted the 2023 Olivier Awards, returns as host for the 2024 ceremony April 14 at 5:45 PM BST at Royal Albert Hall. A highlights package of the ceremony will be broadcast on ITV later in the evening.
Perhaps best known for her Emmy-winning performance on Apple's Ted Lasso, Waddingham began her career on the stage. She was the Lady of the Lake during the original runs of Spamalot in the West End and Broadway, and has also starred in U.K. productions of A Little Night Music, Into the Woods, The Wizard of Oz, and Kiss Me, Kate. She received Olivier nominations for her work in Spamalot, Night Music, and Kiss Me, Kate. On the big screen, Waddingham appeared as a factory worker in Les Misérables and as Mother Witch in Hocus Pocus 2, and she's been seen in episodes of Game of Thrones, Sex Education, My Family, and Benidorm.
The Olivier Awards, the West End's top theatrical honors, were
established in 1976 as the Society of West End Theatre Awards. Renamed
for the British actor Laurence Olivier in 1984, they are considered the
equivalent of Broadway's Tony Awards. Past hosts of the Olivier ceremony have included Michael Ball, Imelda
Staunton, Clive Anderson, Gemma Arterton, Stephen Mangan, Hugh
Bonneville, Sheridan Smith, Lenny Henry, and Catherine Tate.
Nominees for the 2024 Olivier Awards were revealed March 12. Leading the list of this year's nominees are the Broadway-bound minimalist revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard and the National's Dear England.
Jamie Lloyd's revival of Sunset Boulevard picked up 11 nods, including one for Best Musical Revival. Also recognized: the production's direction (Lloyd), choreography (Fabian Aloise), sound design (Adam Fisher), music direction (Alan Williams), set design (Soutra Gilmour, Nathan Amzi, and Joe Ransom), and lighting design (Jack Knowles). In the cast, the show got nominations in all four musical acting categories, including supporting actress for Grace Hodgett Young, supporting actor for David Thaxton, leading actor for Tom Francis, and leading actress for Nicole Scherzinger.
The dramatically reimagined take on Andrew Lloyd Webber, Don Black, and Christopher Hampton's stage musical of the 1950 film already has announced its Broadway transfer. Scherzinger is slated to reprise her now Olivier-nominated performance as faded silent film star Norma Desmond.
As for plays, the National Theatre's Dear England leads the pack with nine nods, including Best Play. Production star Joseph Fiennes received a nomination in the leading actor category, as did co-stars Will Close and Gina McKee, both in the supporting categories. The James Graham play, telling the story of England's men's football team and team manager Gareth Southgate, was also nominated for its choreography (Ellen Kane and Hannes Langolf), sound design (Dan Balfour and Tom Gibbins), set design (Es Devlin and Ash J Woodward), lighting design (Jon Clark), and direction (Rupert Goold).
Dear England also has further plans ahead. The piece is in the process of becoming a limited series for the BBC, with international distribution in the works as well. Fiennes will reprise his performance as Southgate.
Several Broadway alums received nominations in the performance categories, including Charlie Stemp for leading actor in a musical for his performance in Crazy for You, Cedric Neal for supporting actor for Guys and Dolls, and both Caissie Levy and Marisha Wallace in leading actress in a musical, for their performances in Next to Normal and Guys and Dolls, respectively. Sarah Jessica Parker received a nomination in leading actress in a play for her work in Plaza Suite.
Also up for Best New Play are Jez Butterworth's The Hills of California, Jack Thorne's The Motive and the Cue, and Beth Steel's Till the Stars Come Down. Best New Musical nominations went to The Little Big Things, Next to Normal, Operation Mincemeat, and 2022 Tony winner A Strange Loop. The Oliviers also include a category for Best New Entertainment or Comedy Play, which went to Accidental Death of an Anarchist, Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends, Stranger Things: The First Shadow, and Cardy V Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial.
See the full list of nominees below:
Best New Play
Dear England, James Graham
The Hills of California, Jez Butterworth
The Motive and the Cue, Jack Thorne
Till the Stars Come Down, Beth Steel
Best New Musical
The Little Big Things
Next to Normal
Operation Mincemeat
A Strange Loop
Best Revival
The Effect
Macbeth
Shirley Valentine
Vanya
Best Musical Revival
Groundhog Day
Guys and Dolls
Hadestown
Sunset Boulevard
Best New Entertainment or Comedy Play
Accidental Death of an Anarchist, Dario Fo and Franca Rame, Tom Basden (adaptation)
Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends
Stranger Things: The First Shadow, Kate Trefry
Vardy V Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial, Liv Hennessy (adaptation)
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Lorraine Ashbourne, Till the Stars Come Down
Priyanga Burford, An Enemy of the People
Haydn Gwynne, When Winston Went to War With the Wireless
Gina McKee, Dear England
Tanya Reynolds, A Mirror
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Will Close, Dear England
Paul Hilton, An Enemy of the People
Giles Terera, Clyde’s
Luke Thompson, A Little Life
Zubin Varla, A Little Life
Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical
Grace Hodgett Young, Sunset Boulevard
Zoë Roberts, Operation Mincemeat
Amy Trigg, The Little Big Things
Eleanor Worthington-Cox, Next to Normal
Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical
Jak Malone, Operation Mincemeat
Cedric Neal, Guys and Dolls
David Thaxton, Sunset Boulevard
Jack Wolfe, Next to Normal
Best Actress
Laura Donnelly, The Hills of California
Sophie Okonedo, Medea
Sarah Jessica Parker, Plaza Suite
Sheridan Smith, Shirley Valentine
Sarah Snook, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Best Actor
Joseph Fiennes, Dear England
Mark Gatiss, The Motive and the Cue
James Norton, A Little Life
Andrew Scott, Vanya
David Tennant, Macbeth
Best Actress in a Musical
Natasha Hodgson, Operation Mincemeat
Caissie Levy, Next to Normal
Nicole Scherzinger, Sunset Boulevard
Marisha Wallace, Guys and Dolls
Best Actor in a Musical
David Cumming, Operation Mincemeat
Tom Francis, Sunset Boulevard
Daniel Mays, Guys and Dolls
Charlie Stemp, Crazy for You
Best Director
Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Rupert Goold, Dear England
Jamie Lloyd, Sunset Boulevard
Sam Mendes, The Motive and the Cue
Best Theatre Choreographer
Fabian Aloise, Sunset Boulevard
Ellen Kane and Hannes Langolf, Dear England
Arlene Phillips with James Cousins, Guys and Dolls
Mark Smith, The Little Big Things
Susan Stroman, Crazy for You
Best Costume Design
Bunny Christie and Deborah Andrews, Guys and Dolls
Ryan Dawson Laight, La Cage Aux Folles
Hugh Durrant, Peter Pan
Marg Horwell, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Best Sound Design
Paul Arditti. Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Dan Balfour and Tom Gibbins, Dear England
Adam Fisher, Sunset Boulevard
Gareth Fry, Macbeth
Outstanding Musical Contribution
Tom Brady (musical supervision and arrangements) and Charlie Rosen (orchestrations), Guys and Dolls
Matt Brind (musical supervision, arrangements, and orchestrations), Just for One Day
Steve Sidwell (orchestrations) and Joe Bunker (musical direction), Operation Mincemeat
Alan Williams (musical supervision and musical direction), Sunset Boulevard
Best Set Design
Miriam Buether (set) and 59 Productions (video), Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Bunny Christie, Guys and Dolls
Es Devlin (set) and Ash J Woodward (video), Dear England
Soutra Gilmour (set) and Nathan Amzi and Joe Ransom (video) Sunset Boulevard
Best Lighting Design
Jon Clark, Dear England
Jon Clark, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Paule Constable, Guys and Dolls
Jack Knowles, Sunset Boulevard
Best New Opera Production
Blue
Innocence
Picture a Day Like This
The Rhinegold
Outstanding Achievement in Opera
Antonio Pappano, for his role as musical director of the Royal Opera House
Belarus Free Theatre Company, for King Stakh’s Wild Hunt
Marina Abramović, for her concept and design of 7 Deaths of Maria Callas
Best New Dance Production
Broken Chord, Gregory Maqoma and Thuthuka Sibisi
The Rite of Spring, Seeta Patel
La Ruta, Gabriela Carrizo
Time Spell, Michelle Dorrance, Jillian Meyers and Tiler Peck
Outstanding Achievement in Dance
Isabela Coracy, for her performance in NINA: By Whatever Means
Jonzi D, for his artistic direction of Breakin’ Convention 2023 International Festival of Hip-hop Dance Theatre
Rhiannon Faith, for her community-focused conception of Lay Down Your Burdens at The Pit
Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre
Blue Mist, Mohamed-Zain Dada
A Playlist for The Revolution, AJ Yi
Sleepova, Matilda Feyişayo
The Swell, Isley Lynn
The Time Machine: A Comedy, Steven Canny and John Nicholson
Best Family Show
Bluey’s Big Play, Joe Brumm
Dinosaur World Live, Derek Bond
The House With Chicken Legs, Sophie Anderson, Oliver Lansley (adaptation)
The Smeds and the Smoos, Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, Tall Stories (adaptation)
