A stellar cast of Olivier Award-winning musical theatre icons including Michael Ball and Elaine Paige will perform at the much-anticipated The Oliviers In Concert at the Royal Festival Hall in January.
The once in a lifetime concert will bring together performers including Ball, Paige, Katie Brayben, John Dagleish and Clive Rowe, alongside previously announced stars Daniel Evans and Maria Friedman, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of one of the world’s most prestigious theatrical prizes, the Olivier Awards.
The gala concert will bring together this illustrious company of performers, all of who have won an Olivier Award for landmark performances in their musical theatre careers, to perform a line-up of legendary numbers from some of the world’s best-loved shows. They will be accompanied by the acclaimed 70-strong BBC Concert Orchestra and a 100-strong choir comprising the next generation of hopeful musical theatre stars from the esteemed Arts Educational Schools London.
Multi-Olivier Award winner Friedman, who will direct the concert alongside Tim Jackson, described the opportunity to work with the newly announced cast as “a real thrill”, commenting: “The Olivier Awards have always been a chance to honour the best talent working on the West End stage – so there’s no better way to celebrate the 40th birthday than by bringing together an all-star cast of former award winners.”
Reflecting the breadth of talent the London stage has seen over the past few decades, the line-up of performers features some of Britain’s longest serving theatre performers and the fastest rising stars of today.
Ball is one of the country’s most popular stage stars following his numerous leading roles in everything from Les Misérables to Hairspray, while Paige rivals his credits with her iconic starring roles including Evita, Cats, Anything Goes and Sunset Boulevard. Rowe joins the veteran duo having enjoyed more than two decades performing on stage, most famously winning an Olivier for his role in the National Theatre’s Guys And Dolls.
Representing the emerging talent are Brayben and Dagleish, both of whom won their first Olivier Awards at this year’s ceremony for Beautiful – The Carole King Musical and Sunny Afternoon respectively.
Tickets are still available to book for The Oliviers In Concert here, and the show will also be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 and will be available on BBC iPlayer Radio for a further 30 days.
The Southbank Centre will also be celebrating this one off celebration by inviting families to explore the last four decades of musical theatre with a special series of workshops to put together a Family Orchestra & Chorus. Full details can be found on the Southbank Centre’s website.
The Oliviers In Concert is the first of a series of unmissable events taking place in 2016 to mark the 40th anniversary of the prestigious awards. The celebrations will culminate on 3 April when the Olivier Awards 2016 with MasterCard take place at Covent Garden’s stunning Royal Opera House.
