Cabaret, Life Of Pi, Constellations and Back To The Future The Musical all bagged Olivier Awards, as the award show returned at the Royal Albert Hall to celebrate theatre after its COVID shutdown.
Cabaret picked up the most awards, with a total of seven including Best Direction and Best Musical Revival, as well as all four acting categories for Jessie Buckley, Eddie Redmayne, Elliot Levey and Liza Sadovy – an Olivier first! It also broke records for the most wins for a musical revival and matches Matilda and Hamilton with a comparable number of wins.
Life of Pi picked up Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Set Design, Best Lighting Design and Best New Play awards. While Back to the Future The Musical picked up the coveted Best New Musical Award.
Sheila Atim won Best Actress, her second Olivier award having previously won the Best Supporting Actress in a Musical award, for her performance in a revival of Constellations.
“I’m so proud to be part of the theatre community, I’m so proud of all you guys for still being here,” she said. “This play is about facing adversity together, and we all did that.”
The winners of the Olivier awards, overseen by the Society of London Theatre, are chosen by a team of industry figures, stage luminaries and theatre-loving members of the public.
Best Actress
Lily Allen, for 2:22 A Ghost Story
Sheila Atim, for Constellations
Emma Corrin, for Anna X
Cush Jumbo, for Hamlet
Best Actor
Hiran Abeysekera, for Life of Pi
Ben Daniels, for The Normal Heart
Omari Douglas, for Constellations
Charles Edwards, for Best of Enemies
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
7 actors who play the Tiger, for Life of Pi
Dino Fetscher, for The Normal Heart
Nathaniel Parker, for The Mirror and the Light
Danny Lee Wynter, for The Normal Heart
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Tori Burgess, for Pride and Prejudice* (*Sort Of)
Liz Carr, for The Normal Heart
Christina Gordon, for Pride and Prejudice* (*Sort Of)
Akiya Henry, for The Tragedy of Macbeth
Best Actor in a Musical
Olly Dobson, for Back to the Future the Musical
Arinzé Kene, for Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical
Robert Lindsay, for Anything Goes
Eddie Redmayne, for Cabaret
Best Actress in a Musical
Jessie Buckley, for Cabaret
Sutton Foster, for Anything Goes
Beverley Knight, for The Drifters Girl
Stephanie McKeon, for Frozen
Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical
Gabrielle Brooks, for Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical
Victoria Hamilton-Barritt, for Cinderella
Carly Mercedes Dyer, for Anything Goes
Liza Sadovy, for Cabaret
Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical
Clive Carter, for Moulin Rouge! The Musical
Hugh Coles, for Back to the Future the Musical
Elliot Levey, for Cabaret
Gary Wilmot, for Anything Goes
Best Costume Design
Jon Morrell, for Anything Goes
Christopher Oram, for Frozen
Tom Scutt, for Cabaret
Catherine Zuber, for Moulin Rouge! The Musical
Best Sound Design
Ian Dickinson, for 2:22 A Ghost Story
Carolyn Downing, for Life of Pi
Nick Lidster, for Cabaret
Gareth Owen, for Back to the Future the Musical
Best Original Score or New Orchestrations
Bill Elliott, David Chase and Rob Fisher (Orchestrations), for Anything Goes
Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard (Score), and Ethan Popp and Bryan Crook (Orchestrations) for Back to the Future the Musical
Simon Hale (Orchestrations), for Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical
Andrew T Mackay (Score), for Life of Pi
Best Theatre Choreographer
Finn Caldwell, for Life of Pi
Julia Cheng, for Cabaret
Kathleen Marshall, for Anything Goes
Sonya Tayeh, for Moulin Rouge! The Musical
Best Set Design
Tim Hatley (Design) and Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell (Puppets), for Life of Pi
Tim Hatley (Design) and Finn Ross (Video Design), for Back to the Future the Musical
Derek McLane, for Moulin Rouge! The Musical
Tom Scutt, for Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
Best Lighting Design
Neil Austin, for Frozen
Isabella Byrd, for Cabaret
Tim Lutkin, for Back to the Future the Musical
Tim Lutkin and Andrzej Goulding, for Life of Pi
Best Director
Rebecca Frecknall, for Cabaret
Michael Longhurst, for Constellations
Kathleen Marshall, for Anything Goes
Max Webster, for Life of Pi
Best Entertainment or Comedy Play
The Choir of Man
Pantoland
Pride and Prejudice* (*Sort Of)
The Shark Is Broken
Best Revival
A Number
Constellations
The Normal Heart
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Best Musical Revival
Anything Goes
Cabaret
Spring Awakening
Best New Play
2:22 A Ghost Story
Best of Enemies
Cruise
Life of Pi
Best New Musical
Back to the Future the Musical
The Drifters Girl
Frozen
Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical
Moulin Rouge! The Musical
Outstanding Achievement in Opera
Christine Rice, for her performance in 4/4 at Royal Opera House
takis, for set and costume design of English National Opera’s HMS Pinafore
Peter Whelan and the Irish Baroque Orchestra, for Bajazet at Royal Opera House
Best New Opera Production
Bajazet at the Linbury Theatre, Royal Opera House
The Cunning Little Vixen, English National Opera
Jenůfa, Royal Opera House
Theodora, Royal Opera House
Outstanding Achievement in Dance
Acosta Danza, for De Punta a Cabo in 100% Cuban at Sadler’s Wells
Dancers, for NDT2 Tour at Sadler’s Wells
Arielle Smith, for her choreography of Jolly Folly in Reunion by English National Ballet
Edward Watson, for his performance in The Dante Project at Royal Opera House
Best New Dance Production
Draw From Within, Rambert Dance Company at Sadler’s Wells
Revisor, Crystal Pite and Jonathon Young / Kidd Pivot at Sadler’s Wells
Transverse Orientation, Dance Umbrella and Sadler’s Wells at Sadler’s Wells
Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre
10 Nights at Bush Theatre
Folk at Hampstead Theatre Downstairs
The Invisible Hand at Kiln Theatre
Old Bridge at Bush Theatre
A Place For We at Park Theatre
Best Family Show
Billionaire Boy
Dragons and Mythical Beasts
What the Ladybird Heard
Wolf Witch Giant Fairy