Winners of the 2025 Olivier Awards were announced on April 6. The annual celebration of London theater was held at the Royal Albert Hall, in a ceremony hosted by three-time Olivier nominee Beverley Knight and Tony winner Billy Porter.
Leading the winners list with three triumphs apiece were “Giant,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” and “Fiddler on the Roof.” Other productions with multiple wins included “Oedipus,” “The Years,” “Festen” and the London debut of the Off-Broadway musical “Titanique.”
“Giant,” a new drama by Mark Rosenblatt at the Royal Court Theatre, took home the Londoner Award for Best New Play, with two-time Tony winner John Lithgow winning his first Olivier as Best Actor for his central performance as the real-life novelist Roald Dahl; the play explores the author’s anti-Semitism. Elliot Levey won his second Olivier, completing the play’s trio of wins with the award as Best Actor in a Supporting Role for portraying Dahl’s real-life publisher Tom Maschler. The play is scheduled to transfer to the Harold Pinter Theatre later this month.
The top prize of Mastercard Best New Musical went to “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” a folk musical adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story (which was later made into a film), currently running at the Ambassadors Theatre. John Dagleish won the Best Actor in a Musical prize (his second Olivier win) for his turn as the musical’s title character, while songwriters Darren Clark and Mark Aspinall took home the award for Outstanding Musical Contribution.
Regents Park Open Air Theatre’s new revival of Jerry Bock, Joseph Stein and Sheldon Harnick’s musical “Fiddler on the Roof” won the Piper-Heidsieck Award for Best Musical Revival, in addition to the Blue-i Theatre Technology Award for Best Set Design for Tom Scutt and the d&b audiotechnik Award for Best Sound Design for Nick Lidster. The revival will transfer in May to the Barbican Theatre.
Among other top awards, Lesley Manville won her second Olivier, for “Oedipus” at Wyndham’s Theatre, which also took home the Olivier in the category of Cunard Best Revival. Romola Garai won the Best Actress in a Supporting Role award for “The Years” at the Harold Pinter Theatre; Garai was nominated in the same category for her turn in “Giant.” A second win for “The Years” went to Eline Arbo, who was named the Sir Peter Hall Award winner for Best Director, becoming the sixth woman ever to do so, alongside the likes of double winners Marianne Elliott and Rebecca Frecknall.
Imelda Staunton won her fifth Olivier Award, and her fourth in the same category, as Best Actress in a Musical, for her performance as Dolly Levi in “Hello, Dolly!” at the London Palladium. The prize for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical went to Maimuna Memon for her turn in “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812.”
The Olivier for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical was awarded to first-time nominee Layton Williams for playing the Iceberg and other roles in Criterion Theatre’s “Titanique,” which also secured the Noël Coward Award for Best New Entertainment or Comedy Play. Christopher Wheeldon won the Gillian Lynne Award as Best Theatre Choreographer for repeating his Tony-winning work on “MJ The Musical” at London’s Prince Edward Theatre.
Established in 1976 and managed by the Society of London Theatre, this year marked the 40th since actor Sir Laurence Olivier gave his name to the London awards ceremony in 1984.
A full list of 2025 Olivier Award winners, indicated in bold, can be found below.
Mastercard Best New Musical
• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” music and lyrics by Darren Clark, book and lyrics by Jethro Compton, at Ambassadors Theatre
• “MJ The Musical,” book by Lynn Nottage, at Prince Edward Theatre
• “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812,” music, lyrics and book by Dave Malloy, at Donmar Warehouse
• “Why Am I So Single?,” music, lyrics and book by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, at Garrick Theatre
The Londoner Award for Best New Play
• “The Fear of 13” by Lindsey Ferrentino, at Donmar Warehouse
• “Giant” by Mark Rosenblatt, at Royal Court Theatre
• “Kyoto” by Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson, at @sohoplace
• “Shifters” by Benedict Lombe, at Duke of York’s Theatre
• “The Years” adapted by Eline Arbo, in an English version by Stephanie Bain, at Almeida Theatre and Harold Pinter Theatre
Best New Production in Affiliate Theatre
• “Animal Farm” by George Orwell, adapted by Tatty Hennessy, at Theatre Royal Stratford East
• “Boys on the Verge of Tears” by Sam Grabiner, at Soho Theatre
• “English” by Sanaz Toossi, at Kiln Theatre
• “Now, I See” by Lanre Malaolu, at Theatre Royal Stratford East
• “What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank” by Nathan Englander, at Marylebone Theatre
Noël Coward Award for Best New Entertainment or Comedy Play
• “Ballet Shoes” adapted by Kendall Feaver, at National Theatre
• “Inside No. 9 Stage/Fright” by Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, at Wyndham’s Theatre
• “Spirited Away” adapted by John Caird and co-adapted by Maoko Imai, at London Coliseum
• “Titanique” by Tye Blue, Marla Mindelle and Constantine Rousouli, at Criterion Theatre
Piper-Heidsieck Award for Best Musical Revival
• “Fiddler on the Roof,” music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, book by Joseph Stein, at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
• “Hello, Dolly!,” music and lyrics by Jerry Herman, book by Michael Stewart, at the London Palladium
• “Oliver!,” book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart, new material and revisions by Cameron Mackintosh, at Gielgud Theatre
• “Starlight Express,” music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Richard Stilgoe, at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre
Cunard Best Revival
• “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde, at National Theatre
• “Machinal” by Sophie Treadwell, at the Old Vic
• “Oedipus” by Robert Icke, at Wyndham’s Theatre
• “Waiting for Godot” by Samuel Beckett, at Theatre Royal Haymarket
Best Actor in a Musical
• John Dagleish for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” at Ambassadors Theatre
• Adam Dannheisser for “Fiddler on the Roof,” at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
• Myles Frost for “MJ The Musical,” at Prince Edward Theatre
• Simon Lipkin for “Oliver!,” at Gielgud Theatre
• Jamie Muscato for “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812,” at Donmar Warehouse
Best Actress in a Musical
• Chumisa Dornford-May for “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812,” at Donmar Warehouse
• Lauren Drew for “Titanique,” at Criterion Theatre
• Clare Foster for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” at Ambassadors Theatre
• Lara Pulver for “Fiddler on the Roof,” at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
• Imelda Staunton for “Hello, Dolly!,” at the London Palladium
Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical
• Andy Nyman for “Hello, Dolly!,” at the London Palladium
• Raphael Papo for “Fiddler on the Roof,” at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
• Layton Williams for “Titanique,” at Criterion Theatre
• Tom Xander for “Mean Girls,” at Savoy Theatre
Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical
• Liv Andrusier for “Fiddler on the Roof,” at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
• Amy Di Bartolomeo for “The Devil Wears Prada,” at Dominion Theatre
• Beverley Klein for “Fiddler on the Roof,” at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
• Maimuna Memon for “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812,” at Donmar Warehouse
Best Actor
• Adrien Brody for “The Fear of 13,” at Donmar Warehouse
• Billy Crudup for “Harry Clarke,” at Ambassadors Theatre
• Paapa Essiedu for “Death of England: Delroy,” at @sohoplace
• John Lithgow for “Giant,” at Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at Royal Court Theatre
• Mark Strong for “Oedipus,” at Wyndham’s Theatre
Best Actress
• Heather Agyepong for “Shifters,” at Duke of York’s Theatre
• Lesley Manville for “Oedipus,” at Wyndham’s Theatre
• Rosie Sheehy for “Machinal,” at the Old Vic
• Meera Syal for “A Tupperware of Ashes,” at National Theatre
• Indira Varma for “Oedipus,” at the Old Vic
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
• Jorge Bosch for “Kyoto,” at @sohoplace
• Tom Edden for “Waiting for Godot,” at Theatre Royal Haymarket
• Elliot Levey for “Giant,” at Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at Royal Court Theatre
• Ben Whishaw for “Bluets,” at Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at Royal Court Theatre
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
• Sharon D. Clarke for “The Importance of Being Earnest,” at National Theatre
• Romola Garai for “Giant,” at Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at Royal Court Theatre
• Romola Garai for “The Years,” at Almeida Theatre and Harold Pinter Theatre
• Gina McKee for “The Years,” at Almeida Theatre and Harold Pinter Theatre
Sir Peter Hall Award for Best Director
• Eline Arbo for “The Years,” at Almeida Theatre and Harold Pinter Theatre
• Jordan Fein for “Fiddler on the Roof,” at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
• Nicholas Hytner for “Giant,” at Royal Court Theatre
• Robert Icke for “Oedipus,” at Wyndham’s Theatre
Gillian Lynne Award for Best Theatre Choreographer
• Matthew Bourne for “Oliver!,” at Gielgud Theatre
• Julia Cheng for “Fiddler on the Roof,” at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
• Hofesh Shechter for “Oedipus,” at the Old Vic
• Christopher Wheeldon for “MJ The Musical,” at Prince Edward Theatre
Blue-i Theatre Technology Award for Best Set Design
• Jon Bausor for Set Design, Toby Olié and Daisy Beattie for Puppetry Design and Satoshi Kuriyama for Projection Design for “Spirited Away,” at London Coliseum
• Frankie Bradshaw for Set Design for “Ballet Shoes,” at National Theatre
• Es Devlin for Set Design for “Coriolanus,” at National Theatre
• Tom Scutt for Set Design for “Fiddler on the Roof,” at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
White Light Award for Best Lighting Design
• Paule Constable and Ben Jacobs for “Oliver!,” at Gielgud Theatre
• Howard Hudson for “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812,” at Donmar Warehouse
• Howard Hudson for “Starlight Express,” at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre
• Aideen Malone for “Fiddler on the Roof,” at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
TAIT Award for Best New Opera Production
• “Duke Bluebeard’s Castle” by English National Opera, at London Coliseum
• “Festen” by the Royal Opera, at Royal Opera House
• “L’Olimpiade” by Irish National Opera and the Royal Opera, at Royal Opera House
• “The Tales of Hoffmann” by the Royal Opera, at Royal Opera House
Outstanding Achievement in Opera
• Aigul Akhmetshina for her performance in “Carmen,” at Royal Opera House
• Allan Clayton for his performance in “Festen,” at Royal Opera House
• Jung Young-doo for his direction of “Lear,” at Barbican Theatre
Best Family Show
• “Brainiac Live,” at Marylebone Theatre
• “Maddie Moate’s Very Curious Christmas,” at Apollo Theatre
• “The Nutcracker,” at Polka Theatre
• “Rough Magic,” at Shakespeare’s Globe — Sam Wanamaker Playhouse
Best New Dance Production
• “Assembly Hall” by Kidd Pivot, Crystal Pite and Jonathon Young, at Sadler’s Wells
• “Frontiers: Choreographers of Canada — Pite/Kudelka/Portner” by the National Ballet of Canada, at Sadler’s Wells
• “Theatre of Dreams” by Hofesh Shechter Company, at Sadler’s Wells
• “An Untitled Love” by A.I.M by Kyle Abraham, at Sadler’s Wells
Outstanding Achievement in Dance
• Sarah Chun for her performance in “Three Short Ballets,” at Royal Opera House
• Tom Visser for his lighting design of “Angels’ Atlas” as part of Frontiers: Choreographers of Canada — Pite/Kudelka/Portner, at Sadler’s Wells
• Eva Yerbabuena for her performance in “Yerbagüena,” at Sadler’s Wells
Best Costume Design
• Hugh Durrant for “Robin Hood,” at the London Palladium
• Sachiko Nakahara for “Spirited Away,” at London Coliseum
• Tom Scutt for “Fiddler on the Roof,” at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
• Gabriella Slade for “Starlight Express,” at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre
d&b audiotechnik Award for Best Sound Design
• Nick Lidster for “Fiddler on the Roof,” at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
• Christopher Shutt for “Oedipus,” at the Old Vic
• Thijs van Vuure for “The Years,” at Almeida Theatre and Harold Pinter Theatre
• Koichi Yamamoto for “Spirited Away,” at London Coliseum
Outstanding Musical Contribution
• Mark Aspinall for musical supervision and additional orchestrations of “Fiddler on the Roof,” at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
• Darren Clark for music supervision, orchestrations and arrangements and Mark Aspinall for musical direction, music supervision, orchestrations and arrangements of “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” at Ambassadors Theatre
• Dave Malloy for orchestrations and Nicholas Skilbeck for musical supervision of “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812,” at Donmar Warehouse
• Asaf Zohar for compositions and Gavin Sutherland for dance arrangements and orchestration for “Ballet Shoes,” at National Theatre
