Judi Dench has capped the 40th anniversary Olivier Awards with MasterCard by winning her eighth Olivier Award. The theatrical Dame has more Olivier wins than any other performer, having won 2016’s Best Actress in a Supporting Role Award.
Dench’s win came in an evening that saw honours shared evenly among a number of London’s deserving and acclaimed productions.
Chichester Festival Theatre’s transfer of Gypsy led the way with four wins, triumphing in the Best Musical Revival category, while also receiving nods for its stars Imelda Staunton (Best Actress in a Musical) and Lara Pulvar (Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical), and its lighting designer Mark Henderson.
Both Henderson and Staunton are following hotly on Dench’s heels, with the winner of the White Light Award for Best Lighting Design now on six Oliviers, and former host Staunton on four.
New musical Kinky Boot also enjoyed a successful night, picking up the award for MasterCard Best New Musical, Best Actor in a Musical for Matt Henry – who triumphed over his co-star Killian Donnelly – and Best Costume Design for Greg Barnes.
Fellow US musical making it big in the West End In The Heights also collected three awards. David Bedella collected his second Olivier – having won Best Actor in a Musical for Jerry Springer The Opera in 2004 – for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical, composer/lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda and orchestrators Alex Lacamoire and Bill Sherman shared the Autograph Sound Award for Outstanding Achievement in Music, and rising star Drew McOnie won what must surely be the first of many Best Theatre Choreographer awards.
In the non-musical awards, Martin McDonaghs’ Hangmen was named Virgin Atlantic Best New Play, and also won Anna Fleischle her first Olivier for set design.
The acclaimed National Theatre and Headlong production People, Places And Things also collected two awards, Best Actress for Denise Gough and Best Sound Design for Tom Gibbons.
There was more success for the National Theatre in the Best Revival category, won by Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and Best Actor in a Supporting Role, won by Mark Gatiss for his performance in Three Days In The Country.
In a hotly contested Best Actor category, Kenneth Cranham’s performance in The Father saw him collect the first Olivier of his career, while the Best Director award went to one of theatre’s most exciting new talents, Robert Icke, for his work on Oresteia.
Best New Comedy went to Jessica Swale’s Nell Gwynn, Best Entertainment And Family was won by the different-every-night Showstoppers! The Improvised Musical, and the publicly voted Magic Radio Audience Award was won by The Phantom Of The Opera, a win that will surely have extra gloss as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s iconic show celebrates its 30th birthday later this year.
The opera awards were split between London’s two great opera institutions. The Royal Opera’s production of Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci won Best New Opera, with the ENO’s Chorus and Orchestra collecting the award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera.
By contrast, the dance awards were dominated by Woolf Works at the Royal Opera House. Wayne McGregor’s creation won Best New Dance Production, with its star Alessandra Ferri winning Outstanding Achievement in Dance for her performance in both Woolf Works and Chéri.
The Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre Award went to Pat Kinevane and Fishamble for Silent at Soho Theatre.
But there was more to the evening than prize-giving.
The incredible 40th anniversary show at the Royal Opera House featured incredible performances from nominated productions, guests including Cyndi Lauper, Jack Savoretti, Michael Feinstein and last year’s Best New Comedy winners Mischief Theatre, and culminated in a stunning finale featuring a host of former winners performing A Chorus Line’s What I Did For Love.
You can see highlights of the show on ITV on 3 April from 22:15, or watch the show in full on ITV3 on 4 April from 23:00. Both shows will be available on ITV Hub after they are broadcast.
Full list of winners:
Best Revival
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom at National Theatre, Lyttelton
Best Entertainment and Family
Showstopper! The Improvised Musical at Apollo Theatre
Best Costume Design
Gregg Barnes for Kinky Boots at Adelphi Theatre
Blue-i Theatre Technology Award for Best Set Design
Anna Fleischle for Hangmen at Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court Theatre and Wyndham’s Theatre
White Light Award For Best Lighting Design
Mark Henderson for Gypsy at Savoy Theatre
Best Sound Design
Tom Gibbons for People, Places And Things at National Theatre, Dorfman
Best New Opera Production
Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci 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
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Mark Gatiss for Three Days In The Country at National Theatre, Lyttelton
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Judi Dench for The Winter’s Tale at Garrick Theatre
Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre
Pat Kinevane and Fishamble for Silent at Soho Theatre
Virgin Atlantic Best New Play
Hangmen at Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court Theatre and Wyndham’s Theatre
Best Actor
Kenneth Cranham for The Father at Wyndham’s Theatre
Best Actress
Denise Gough for People, Places And Things at National Theatre, Dorfman
Magic Radio Audience Award
The Phantom Of The Opera
Best New Comedy
Nell Gwynn at Apollo Theatre
Best New Dance Production
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
Autograph Sound Award for Outstanding Achievement in Music
In The Heights – Music and Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Orchestrated and Arranged by Alex Lacamoire and Bill Sherman at King’s Cross Theatre
Best Theatre Choreographer
Drew McOnie for In The Heights at King’s Cross Theatre
Best Director
Robert Icke for Oresteia at Almeida Theatre
Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical
David Bedella for In The Heights at King’s Cross Theatre
Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical
Lara Pulver for Gypsy at Savoy Theatre
Best Musical Revival
Gypsy at Savoy Theatre
Best Actor in a Musical
Matt Henry for Kinky Boots at Adelphi Theatre
Best Actress in a Musical
Imelda Staunton for Gypsy at Savoy Theatre
MasterCard Best New Musical
Kinky Boots at Adelphi Theatre
