Extraordinary Entry

I really should have done this for the ES awards too but here are the nominations for The Olivier Awards .

There is a great deal that pleases me here. I am amused to see That Face qualifies for awards again this year (though I'd like to have seen the room made for something else but see how quickly you redeemed yourself in my eyes, Mr Herrin?) and thrilled that La Cage does too. I am so pleased that No Man's Land and The Chalk Garden figure so well in performance but I have yet to quite understand the total adulation for Osage.
Delighted to see Kevin R in there....and Alexi Kaye Campbell is off and running which makes me feel very warm and happy. Flabbergasted that Female of the Species made it through........ annoyed that I never made the effort to see Fat Pig with it's original cast.........and similar emotions about not seeing Piaf while it was still at the Donmar. Bit surprised that 3 of the 4 Director noms are for musicals.....and for all the right reasons, Black Watch was staged like a musical. Is that category meant to read "Best Director of a wonderful ensemble" ?

I almost feel tempted to suggest who I feel should win but my inverted ego will not allow me......today.
Unashamed cut&paste from The Stage:-

The nominations in full are:

Best Actress
Deanna Dunagan for August: Osage County at the Lyttelton
Lindsay Duncan for That Face at the Duke of York’s
Margaret Tyzack for The Chalk Garden at the Donmar
Penelope Wilton for The Chalk Garden at the Donmar

Best Actor
David Bradley for No Man’s Land at the Duke of York’s
Michael Gambon for No Man’s Land at the Duke of York’s
Adam Godley for Rain Man at the Apollo
Derek Jacobi for Twelfth Night, Donmar at Wyndham’s

Best Performance In A Supporting Role
Oliver Ford Davies for Hamlet at the Novello
Kevin R McNally for Ivanov, Donmar at Wyndham’s
Paul Ritter for The Norman Conquests at The Old Vic
Patrick Stewart for Hamlet at the Novello

Best Company Performance
August: Osage County directed by Anna D Shapiro at the Lyttelton
Black Watch directed by John Tiffany at the Barbican
The Histories directed by Michael Boyd at the Roundhouse
The Norman Conquests directed by Matthew Warchus at The Old Vic
Sunset Boulevard directed by Craig Revel Horwood at the Comedy

Best New Play
August: Osage County by Tracy Letts at the Lyttelton
Black Watch by Gregory Burke at the Barbican
The Pitmen Painters by Lee Hall at the Cottesloe
That Face by Polly Stenham at the Duke Of York’s

Best New Comedy
Fat Pig by Neil La Bute at the Comedy
The Female Of The Species by Joanna Murray-Smith at the Vaudeville
God Of Carnage by Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton at the Gielgud

Best Revival
The Chalk Garden directed by Michael Grandage at the Donmar
The Histories directed by Michael Boyd at the Roundhouse
The Norman Conquests directed by Matthew Warchus at The Old Vic

Best Entertainment
Noel Coward’s Brief Encounter at the Cinema Haymarket
La Clique at the Hippodrome
Maria Friedman: Re-Arranged at Trafalgar Studios 1

Best New Musical
Jersey Boys The Story Of Frankie Valli And The Four Seasons book by Marshall Brickman & Rick Elice, music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe at the Prince Edward
Zorro book & lyrics by Stephen Clark, music by The Gipsy Kings, original story by Stephen Clark & Helen Edmundson, music co-composed and adapted by John Cameron at the Garrick

Best Musical Revival
La Cage Aux Folles, music and lyrics by Jerry Herman, book by Harvey Fierstein, based on the play “La Cage Aux Folles” by Jean Poiret, at the Playhouse Theatre.
Piaf by Pam Gems at the Donmar and Vaudeville
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton, based on the Billy Wilder film at the Comedy
West Side Story based on a conception by Jerome Robbins, book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, entire original production directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins at Sadler’s Wells

Best Actress In A Musical
Sofia Escobar for West Side Story at Sadler’s Wells
Kathryn Evans for Sunset Boulevard at the Comedy
Ruthie Henshall for Marguerite at the Haymarket
Elena Roger for Piaf at the Donmar and Vaudeville
Emma Williams for Zorro at the Garrick

Best Actor In A Musical
Douglas Hodge for La Cage Aux Folles at the Playhouse
Denis Lawson for La Cage Aux Folles at the Playhouse
Ryan Molloy for Jersey Boys The Story Of Frankie Valli And The Four Seasons at the Prince Edward
Matt Rawle for Zorro at the Garrick

Best Performance In A Supporting Role In A Musical
Alexander Hanson for Marguerite at the Haymarket
Katherine Kingsley for Piaf at the Donmar and Vaudeville
Lesli Margherita for Zorro at the Garrick
Jason Pennycooke for La Cage Aux Folles at the Playhouse
Dave Willetts for Sunset Boulevard at the Comedy

Best Director
Terry Johnson for La Cage Aux Folles at the Playhouse
Des McAnuff for Jersey Boys The Story Of Frankie Valli And The Four Seasons at the Prince Edward
Emma Rice for Brief Encounter at the Cinema Haymarket
John Tiffany for Black Watch at the Barbican

Best Theatre Choreographer
Rafael Amargo for Zorro at the Garrick
Steven Hoggett for Black Watch at the Barbican
Lynne Page for La Cage Aux Folles at the Playhouse
Kate Prince for Into The Hoods at the Novello
Sergio Trujillo for Jersey Boys The Story Of Frankie Valli And The Four Seasons at the Prince Edward

Best Lighting Design
The Chalk Garden designed by Paule Constable at the Donmar
Ivanov designed by Paule Constable, Donmar at Wyndham’s
No Man’s Land designed by Neil Austin at the Duke of York’s
Piaf designed by Neil Austin at the Donmar and Vaudeville

Best Set Design
August: Osage County designed by Todd Rosenthal at the Lyttelton
Brief Encounter designed by Neil Murray, projections by Gemma Carrington and Jon Driscoll at the Cinema Haymarket
The Histories designed by Tom Piper at the Roundhouse
The Lover And The Collection designed by Soutra Gilmour at the Comedy
Marguerite designed by Paul Brown at the Haymarket

Best Costume Design
The Histories designed by Tom Piper and Emma Williams at the Roundhouse
La Cage Aux Folles designed by Matthew Wright at the Playhouse
The Norman Conquests designed by Rob Howell at The Old Vic
Twelfth Night designed by Christopher Oram, Donmar at Wyndham’s

Best Sound Design
Black Watch designed by Gareth Fry at the Barbican
Brief Encounter designed by Simon Baker at the Cinema Haymarket
Jersey Boys The Story Of Frankie Valli And The Four Seasons designed by Steve Canyon Kennedy at the Prince Edward
Piaf designed by Christopher Shutt, Max & Ben Ringham at the Donmar and Vaudeville

Outstanding Achievement In An Affiliate Theatre
The ensemble cast of Oxford Street, Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court
The Royal Court Theatre’s production of The Pride, Jerwood Theatre Upstairs
Clive Rowe for his performance in Mother Goose at Hackney Empire
Jo Newbery for the design of Scarborough, Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court

Best New Opera Production
The Royal Opera’s Don Carlo at the Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera’s The Minotaur at the Royal Opera House
English National Opera’s I Pagliacci at the Coliseum
English National Opera’s Partenope at the Coliseum

Outstanding Achievement In Opera
Patricia Bardon for her performances in The Royal Opera’s The Rake’s Progress at the Royal Opera House and English National Opera’s Partenope and Riders To The Sea at the Coliseum
Feruccio Furlanetto for his performance in the Royal Opera’s Don Carlo at the Royal Opera House
Ed Gardner for conducting English National Opera’s Boris Godunov, Cavalliera Rusticana, Der Rosenkavalier, I Pagliacci, Riders To The Sea at the Coliseum and Punch And Judy at the Young Vic
Christine Rice for her performances in the Royal Opera’s The Minotaur at the Royal Opera House and English National Opera’s Partenope at the Coliseum

Best New Dance Production
Pina Bausch Tanztheater Wuppertal’s Café Muller/ The Rite Of Spring at Sadler’s Wells
The Royal Ballet of Flanders’ Impressing The Czar at Sadler’s Wells
The Royal Ballet’s Infra at the Royal Opera House
DV8’s To Be Straight With You at the Lyttelton

Outstanding Achievement In Dance
The company of the Royal Ballet of Flanders for their performances in Impressing The Czar at Sadler’s Wells
The company of the The Royal Ballet for their performances in Infra
Savion Glover, Marshall Davis Jr and Maurice Chestnut for their performances in Savion Glover’s Bare Soundz at Sadler’s Wells