2020 Olivier Award nominees announced!

Posted on 3 March 2020

& Juliet leads the way once again in theatre award season, bagging an impressive nine nominations at this years Olivier Awards, closely followed by Fiddler on the Roof with eight and Dear Evan Hansen with seven. The revival of Mary Poppins also did well with six nominations, two of which see the leads Zizi Strallen and Charlie Stemp nominated. The award ceremony will be held on 5 April 2020 at the Royal Albert Hall and will once again be hosted by Jason Manford. Read below for all the full list of nominees…

Full list of Olivier Award nominees 2020!

Best Actor in a Musical

Andy Nyman for Fiddler on the Roof (Playhouse Theatre)
Charlie Stemp for Mary Poppins (Prince Edward Theatre)
Sam Tutty for Dear Evan Hansen (Noel Coward Theatre)
Jac Yarrow for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (London Palladium)

Best Actress in a Musical

Audrey Brisson for Amelie The Musical (The Other Palace)
Judy Kuhn for Fiddler on the Roof (Playhouse Theatre)
Miriam-Teak Lee for & Juliet (Shaftesbury Theatre)
Zizi Strallen for Mary Poppins (Prince Edward Theatre)

Best Supporting Actor in a Musical

David Bedella for & Juliet (Shaftesbury Theatre)
Stewart Clarke for Fiddler on the Roof (Playhouse Theatre)
Jack Loxton for Dear Evan Hansen (Noel Coward Theatre)
Rupert Young for Dear Evan Hansen (Noel Coward Theatre)

Best Supporting Actress in a Musical

Lucy Anderson for Dear Evan Hansen (Noel Coward Theatre)
Petula Clark for Mary Poppins (Prince Edward Theatre)
Cassidy Janson for & Juliet (Shaftesbury Theatre)
Lauren Ward for Dear Evan Hansen (Noel Coward Theatre)

Best Musical Revival

Evita (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre)
Fiddler on the Roof (Playhouse Theatre)
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (London Palladium)
Mary Poppins (Prince Edward Theatre)

Best New Musical

& Juliet (Shaftesbury Theatre)
Amelie The Musical (The Other Palace)
Dear Evan Hansen (Noel Coward Theatre)
Waitress (Adelphi Theatre)

Best Actor in a Play

Toby Jones for Uncle Vanya (Harold Pinter Theatre)
James McAvoy for Cyrano De Bergerac (Playhouse Theatre)
Wendell Pierce for Death of a Salesman (Young Vic/Piccadilly Theatre)
Andrew Scott for Present Laughter (Old Vic)

Best Actress in a Play

Hayley Atwell for Rosmersholm (Duke of York’s Theatre)
Sharon D Clarke for Death of a Salesman (Young Vic/Piccadilly Theatre)
Juliet Stevenson for The Doctor (Almeida Theatre)
Phoebe Waller-Bridge for Fleabag (Wyndham’s Theatre)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play

Arinze Kene for Death of a Salesman (Young Vic)
Colin Morgan for All My Sons (Old Vic)
Adrian Scarborough for Leopoldstadt (Wyndham’s Theatre)
Reece Shearsmith for A Very Expensive Poison (Old Vic)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Play

Michele Austin for Cyrano De Bergerac (Playhouse Theatre)
Sophie Thompson for Present Laughter (Old Vic)
Indira Varma for Present Laughter (Old Vic)
Josie Walker for The Ocean at the End of the Lane (Dorfam, National Theatre)

Best Play Revival

Cyrano De Bergerac (Playhouse Theatre)
Death of a Salesman (Young Vic/Piccadilly Theatre)
Present Laughter (Old Vic)
Rosmersholm (Duke of York’s Theatre)

Best New Play

A Very Expensive Poison (Old Vic)
The Doctor (Almeida Theatre)
Leopoldstadt (Wyndham’s Theatre)
The Ocean at the End of the Lane (Dorfman, National Theatre)

Best Entertainment or Comedy Play

Emilia (Vaudeville Theatre)
Fleabag (Wyndham’s Theatre)
Magic Goes Wrong (Vaudeville Theatre)
The Upstart Crow (Gielgud Theatre)

Best Family Show

Mr Gum and the Dancing Bear – The Musical! (Dorfman, National Theatre)
Oi Frog & Friends! (Lyric Theatre)
To The Moon and Back (Barbican Theatre)
The Worst Witch (Vaudeville Theatre)

Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre

Baby Reindeer (Bush Theatre)
Blues in the Night (Kiln Theatre)
Our Lady of Kibeho (Theatre Royal Stratford East)
Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner (Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, Royal Court Theatre)
Warheads (Park Theatre)

Best New Dance Production

La Fiesta by Israel Galvan (Sadler’s Wells)
Ingoma by Mthuthuzeli Novelmber for Ballet Black (Linbury Theatre, Royal Opera House)
Mam by Michael Keegan-Dolan for Teac Damsa (Sadler’s Wells)
Vessel by Damian Jalet & Kohei Nawa (Sadler’s Wells)

Outstanding Achievement in Dance

Sara Baras, choreography and performance, for Ballet Flamenco – Sombras (Sadler’s Wells)
Anne Terese De Keersmaeker, performance, for Mitten Wir Im Leben Sind/Bach6Collosuiten (Sadler’s Wells)
Gisele Vienne, choreography, for Crowd, presented by Dance Umbrella (Sadler’s Wells)

Best New Opera Production

Berenice (Linbury Theatre, Royal Opera House)
Billy Budd (Royal Opera House)
Hansel and Gretel (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre)
Noye’s Fludde (Theatre Royal Stratford East)

Outstanding Achievement in Opera

Jette Parker Young Artists, performance, for Berenice, Death In Venice and Phaedra (Royal Opera House)
The Children’s Ensemble, performance, for Noye’s Fludde (Theatre Royal Stratford East)
Martyn Brabbins and James Henshaw, conducting, for The Mask of Orpheus for English National Opera (London Coliseum)

Best Director

Miranda Cromwell and Marianne Elliot for Death of a Salesman (Young Vic/Piccadilly Theatre)
Jamie Lloyd for Cyrano De Bergerac (Playhouse Theatre)
Trevor Nunn for Fiddler on the Roof (Playhouse Theatre)
Ian Rickson for Uncle Vanya (Harold Pinter Theatre)

Original Score or New Orchestration

Bill Sherman and Dominic Fallacaro for & Juliet (Shaftesbury Theatre)
Barnaby Race, Musical Supervisor and arrangements, for Amelie The Musical (The Other Palace)
Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, orchestration by Alex Lacamoire for Dear Evan Hansen (Noel Coward Theatre)
Jason Carr, new orchestrations, for Fiddler on the Roof (Playhouse Theatre)
Sara Bareilles, music and lyrics, for Waitress (Adelphi Theatre)

Best Theatre Choreographer

Fabian Aloise for Evita (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre)
Matthew Bourne and Stephen Mear for Mary Poppins (Prince Edward Theatre)
Jerome Robbins and Matt Cole for Fiddler on the Roof (Playhouse Theatre)
Jennifer Weber for & Juliet (Shaftesbury Theatre)

Best Lighting Design

Neil Austin for Rosmersholm (Duke of York’s Theatre)
Paule Constable for The Ocean at the End of the Lane (Dorfman, National Theatre)
Howard Hudson for & Juliet (Shaftesbury Theatre)
Bruno Poet for Uncle Vanya (Harold Pinter Theatre)

Best Sound Design

Gregory Clarke for Rosmersholm (Duke of York’s Theatre)
Emma Laxton for Emilia (Vaudeville Theatre)
Ben and Max Ringham for ANNA (Dorfman, National Theatre)
Ben and Max Ringham for Cyrano De Bergerac (Playhouse Theatre)

Best Costume Design

Hugh Durrant for Goldilocks and the Three Bears (London Palladium)
Jonathan Lipman for Fiddler on the Roof (Playhouse Theatre)
Joanna Scotcher for Emilia (Vaudeville Theatre)
Paloma Young for & Juliet (Shaftesbury Theatre)

Best Set Design

Bob Crowley for Mary Poppins (Prince Edward Theatre)
Soutra Gilmour for & Juliet (Shaftesbury Theatre)
Rae Smith for Rosmersholm (Duke of York’s Theatre)
Rae Smith for Uncle Vanya (Harold Pinter Theatre)


Read here for the full list of last years Olivier Award (2019) winners.

By Jade Ali

A love for theatre stemmed from my love of literature and music, but the West End on my doorstep opened up a whole new appreciation and passion for all things stage-y