The 2023 Laurence Olivier Awards were held at Royal Albert Hall in London on April 2. Past and upcoming Broadway offerings were among the evening’s winners.
The reenvisioned version of “Oklahoma!” from director Daniel Fish took home the award for Best Musical Revival (winning over, among other revivals, the West End transfer of Broadway’s “My Fair Lady” from director Bartlett Sher). The fresh take on Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma!” opened on Broadway in April of 2019 and won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical. Additionally, the 2023 Oliviers honored Arthur Darvill with an award as Best Actor in a Musical for his performance as Curly in the London transfer.
Also on the Broadway front, Suzie Miller’s new play “Prima Facie,” which debuted in London in June of 2022 and will arrive on the Rialto on April 11, won the Olivier for Best New Play. (Among the nominated plays beat out by “Prima Facie” was the West End transfer of Broadway hit “To Kill a Mockingbird.”) “Prima Facie” star Jodie Comer, who is set to reprise her turn on the Main Stem, won the Olivier for Best Actress.
Presented by the Society of London Theatre, the Oliviers celebrate the best of professional theater, dance and opera in London, including the West End. Emmy-winning actor Hannah Waddingham, a three-time Olivier nominee and Broadway alum, hosted the ceremony.
See below for a full list of winners, beginning with the categories mentioned above.
Best Musical Revival
Winner: “Oklahoma!”
“My Fair Lady”
“Sister Act”
“South Pacific”
Best New Play
Winner: “Prima Facie”
“For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy”
“Theatre Downstairs”
“Patriots”
“To Kill a Mockingbird”
Best Actress
Winner: Jodie Comer, “Prima Facie”
Patsy Ferran, “A Streetcar Named Desire”
Mei Mac, “My Neighbour Totoro”
Janet McTeer, “Phaedra”
Nicola Walker, “The Corn Is Green”
Gillian Lynne Award for Best Theatre Choreographer
Winner: Matt Cole, “Newsies”
Lynne Page, “Standing at the Sky’s Edge”
Kate Prince, “Sylvia”
Basil Twist for puppetry direction, “My Neighbour Totoro”
Best Costume Design
Winner: Kimie Nakano, “My Neighbour Totoro”
Frankie Bradshaw, “Blues for An Alabama Sky”
Hugh Durrant, “Jack and the Beanstalk”
Jean Paul Gaultier, “Jean Paul Gaultier Fashion Freak Show”
Best Revival
Winner: “A Streetcar Named Desire”
“The Crucible”
“Good”
“Jerusalem”
Best Sound Design
Winner: Tony Gayle, “My Neighbour Totoro”
Bobby Aitken, “Standing at the Sky’s Edge”
Drew Levy, “Oklahoma!”
Ben and Max Ringham, “Prima Facie”
Best Original Score or New Orchestrations
Winner: Richard Hawley and Tom Deering, “Standing at the Sky’s Edge”
David Yazbek, Jamshied Sharifi and Andrea Grody, “The Band’s Visit”
Joe Hisaishi and Will Stuart, “My Neighbour Totoro”
Daniel Kluger and Nathan Koci, “Oklahoma!”
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Winner: Will Keen for “Patriots”
Mark Akintimehin, Emmanuel Akwafo, Nnabiko Ejimofor, Darragh Hand, Aruna Jalloh and Kaine Lawrence, “For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy”
Elliot Levey, “Good”
David Moorst, “To Kill a Mockingbird”
Sule Rimi, “Blues for An Alabama Sky”
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Winner: Anjana Vasan, “A Streetcar Named Desire”
Rose Ayling-Ellis, “As You Like It”
Pamela Nomvete, “To Kill a Mockingbird”
Caroline Quentin, “Jack Absolute Flies Again”
Sharon Small, “Good”
Best Set Design
Winner: Tom Pye, “My Neighbour Totoro”
Miriam Buether, “To Kill a Mockingbird”
Ben Stones, “Standing at the Sky’s Edge”
Mark Walters, “Jack and the Beanstalk”
Best Lighting Design
Winner: Jessica Hung Han Yun, “My Neighbour Totoro”
Natasha Chivers, “Prima Facie”
Lee Curran, “A Streetcar Named Desire”
Tim Lutkin, “The Crucible”
Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical
Winner: Beverley Knight, “Sylvia”
Maimuna Memon, “Standing at the Sky’s Edge”
Liza Sadovy, “Oklahoma!”
Marisha Wallace, “Oklahoma!”
Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical
Winner: Zubin Varla, “Tammy Faye”
Sharif Afifi, “The Band’s Visit”
Peter Polycarpou, “The Band’s Visit”
Clive Rowe, “Sister Act”
Best Actor in a Musical
Winner: Arthur Darvill, “Oklahoma!”
Alon Moni Aboutboul, “The Band’s Visit”
Julian Ovenden, “South Pacific”
Andrew Rannells, “Tammy Faye”
Best Actress in a Musical
Winner: Katie Brayben, “Tammy Faye”
Anoushka Lucas, “Oklahoma!”
Miri Mesika, “The Band’s Visit”
Faith Omole, “Standing at the Sky’s Edge”
Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre
Winner: “The P Word” at Bush Theatre
“Age Is a Feeling” at Soho Theatre
“Blackout Songs” at Hampstead Theatre
“Paradise Now!” at Bush Theatre
“Two Palestinians Go Dogging” at the Royal Court Theatre
Sir Peter Hall Award for Best Director
Winner: Phelim McDermott, “My Neighbour Totoro”
Rebecca Frecknall, “A Streetcar Named Desire”
Robert Hastie, “Standing at the Sky’s Edge”
Justin Martin, “Prima Facie”
Bartlett Sher, “To Kill a Mockingbird”
Best Actor
Winner: Paul Mescal, “A Streetcar Named Desire”
Tom Hollander, “Patriots”
Rafe Spall, “To Kill a Mockingbird”
David Tennant, “Good”
Giles Terera, “Blues for An Alabama Sky”
Best New Musical
Winner: “Standing at the Sky’s Edge”
“The Band’s Visit”
“Sylvia”
“Tammy Faye”
Noël Coward Award for Best Entertainment or Comedy Play
Winner: “My Neighbour Totoro”
“Jack and the Beanstalk”
“My Son’s a Queer (But What Can You Do?)”
“One Woman Show”
Best Family Show
Winner: “Hey Duggee: The Live Theatre Show”
“Blippi the Musical”
“Midsummer Mechanicals”
“The Smartest Giant in Town”
Best New Opera Production
Winner: “Alcina” by Royal Opera
“Least Like the Other” by Irish National Opera and Royal Opera
“Peter Grimes” by Royal Opera
“Sibyl”
Outstanding Achievement in Opera
Winner: William Kentridge for his conception and direction of “Sibyl”
Sinéad Campbell-Wallace for her performance in “Tosca” by English National Opera
Antony McDonald for his design of “Alcina”
Best New Dance Production
Winner: “Traplord” by Ivan Michael Blackstock
“Light of Passage” by Crystal Pite
“Pasionaria” by La Veronal
“Triptych (The Missing Door, The Lost Room and The Hidden Floor)” by Peeping Tom
Outstanding Achievement in Dance
Winner: Dickson Mbi for his choreography of “Enowate”
Manuel Liñán for his choreography of “¡Viva!”
Raquel Meseguer Zafe for her dramaturgy of “Ruination” by Lost Dog
Catrina Nisbett for her performance in “Family Honour” by Spoken Movement
Special Award
Dame Arlene Phillips
Lifetime Achievement Award
Sir Derek Jacobi
