Last Sunday was the year’s most prestigious London theatre awards – the Oliviers – held in the ornate surroundings of the Royal Opera House with a number of special outside performances to the general public in the Covent Garden Piazza – including a musical number from one of the night’s winner Billy Elliot which picked up an audience award voted for by BBC Radio 2 listeners.
As was last year, there weren’t a huge variety of shows which picked up different awards. In 2012 Matilda the Musical pretty much took home everything but the kitchen sink with 7 wins, this year it was the National theatre transferred production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time which is now at Apollo theatre. It well deserved all seven of its awards – Best Actor (Luke Treadaway – pictured left), Best Supporting Actress (Nicola Walker), Best Director (Marianne Elliott), Best New Play, Best Set Design, Best Lighting and Best Sound. It is indeed an amazing piece of theatre following 15 year old Christopher on his quest to find out who killed his neighbour’s dog and discover the fate of his dead mother. It is a humourous and at times hard hitting play that can be enjoyed by audiences from early teens upwards.
Dame Helen Mirren won Best Actress for her role as The Queen in Peter Morgan’s new play The Audience now at the Gielgud theatre and her co-star Richard McCabe who plays former PM Harold Wilson picked up Best Supporting Actor. It’s the second time Ms Mirren has won an award for a performance playing the head of the British Royals – she picked up a BAFTA for the 2006 film The Queen – also penned by Peter Morgan. The Audience runs until 15th June.
Other “big” winner was the musical Top Hat at the Aldwych theatre which won three awards including Best New Musical, Best Choreography and Best Costume – again all very well deserved for this tip top production which captivates the audience from beginning to end.
Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton won awards for their musical lead roles in the West End revival of Sweeney Todd which played to critical acclaim at the Adelphi theatre last summer. Also, Leigh Zimmerman (pictured right) picked up Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical for her role as “ageing” dancer in the London Palladium production of A Chorus Line.
I’m sure you’ll agree that London’s West End is again alive this Spring with so much fantastic theatre to see and experience!
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