OLIVIER AWARD NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED TODAY

For the first time, the Magic Breakfast presenter Neil Fox will be hosting the Olivier Awards Covent Garden Piazza stage alongside musical theatre star Louise Dearman.
 
Fans who come down to Covent Garden to celebrate the Olivier Awards with MasterCard can expect a fantastic evening of entertainment which will include live performances from some of London's best loved shows and a big screen relay of everything happening inside the Royal Opera House.
 
Fox said: "It’s going to be a spectacular night and we’re really looking forward to seeing the crowds in the Covent Garden Piazza watching some of the best West End shows live on stage, as well as all the  winners as they collect their accolades."

The nominations for main categories are:

MasterCard Best New Play:

Collaborators at The Cottesloe Theatre

Screenwriter John Hodge’s debut play tells of a writer who is commissioned to write a play about Stalin to celebrate the Russian leader’s 60th birthday, giving audiences an insight into the danger surrounding Moscow in 1938.
 
Jumpy at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court
 
A frank and funny picture of parental anxieties and life after 50, April De Angelis’s family drama starring Olivier Award-winning actress Tamsin Greig was directed by past Olivier nominee Nina Raine.
 
One Man, Two Guvnors at the Lyttelton theatre
 
First seen at the National Theatre before bringing its hilarity to the West End, Richard Bean’s Brighton-set comedy of gangsters and a very hungry minder wowed audiences and critics alike.
 
The Ladykillers at the Gielgud theatre
 
Directed by Sean Foley, Graham Linehan’s stage adaptation of the much-loved 1955 film tells the story of eccentric old lady Mrs Wilberforce, played by Olivier nominated Marcia Warren, whose life is turned upside down by an unlikely group of criminals.

Best Revival:

Anna Christie at the Donmar Warehouse
 
Rob Ashford’s production of Eugene O'Neill’s Pulitzer Award-winning tale of redemption starred Best Actress and Best Actor nominees Ruth Wilson and Jude Law and received critical acclaim for its emotionally powerful performances.

Flare Path at the Theatre Royal Haymarket
 
Trevor Nunn’s production of Terence Rattigan’s World War II drama celebrated the centenary of the birth of the acclaimed playwright. Sienna Miller led an acclaimed cast on the Haymarket stage to create a powerful and passionate drama.

Much Ado About Nothing at the Wyndham’s theatre
 
Doctor Who stars David Tennant and Catherine Tate reunited on stage for William Shakespeare’s mischievous comedy. Directed by Josie Rourke, the production was acclaimed for its 1980s setting and comical leading pair.

Noises Off at the Old Vic theatre
 
This revival of Michael Frayn’s classic comedy became the first Old Vic production to transfer into the West End. Following the backstage politics and onstage disasters of a touring farce, the comedy had audience members laughing in the aisles.

Best Entertainment and Family:

Derren Brown: Svengali at the Shaftesbury Theatre
 
The nation’s favourite magician and 2006 Olivier Award winner was back in the West End last year with a brand new mind-bending show full of psychological illusions, audience participation and unexplainable tricks.
 
Midnight Tango at the Aldwych theatre
 
Strictly Come Dancing stars Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace brought all the drama, sensuality and elegance of the Argentine tango to the West End in this dance extravaganza set in the intoxicating city of Buenos Aires.

Potted Potter at the Garrick theatre
 
Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner’s original condensed offering returned to the West End for a summer season of silly costume changes, ridiculous props and a generous helping of Hogwarts magic.

The Tiger Who Came To Tea at the Vaudeville theatre
 
David Wood’s adaptation of Judith Kerr’s classic picture book delighted family audiences with a mix of magic, mayhem and, of course, a giant tiger who unexpectedly arrives at the house of little Sophie.

Best Actress:

Celia Imrie for Noises Off at the Old Vic
 
After winning her first Olivier award in 2006, Imrie is nominated for her role as Dotty Otley, the loveable actress playing Mrs Clackett in the Old Vic’s version of the farcical play within a play.

Kristin Scott Thomas for Betrayal at the Harold Pinter theatre
 
Winner of the 2008 Olivier Best Actress Award, Scott Thomas is nominated once again for her role as the unfaithful Emma in Harold Pinter’s 1978 drama about marital infidelity in which she starred opposite Ben Miles.
 
Lesley Manville for Grief at the Cottesloe theatre
 
First time nominee Manville is nominated for her role as Dorothy, a woman tied to the memory of her late husband in the world premiere of Mike Leigh's new play about the long-enduring grief caused by war.
 
Marcia Warren for The Ladykillers at the Gielgud theatre
 
Twice Olivier Award winner for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Warren is now nominated for Best Actress for her role as Mrs Wilberforce in the stage adaptation of the classic Ealing comedy about a group of oddball criminals.

Ruth Wilson for Anna Christie at the Donmar Warehouse
 
After winning an Olivier Award in 2010, Wilson is nominated again for her title role in Eugene O’Neill’s award-winning play about one woman's longing to forget the dark secrets of her past in which she starred opposite fellow nominee Jude Law.

Best Actor:

Benedict Cumberbatch & Jonny Lee Miller for Frankenstein at the Olivier theatre
 
Lee Miller and past Olivier nominee Cumberbatch are nominated for their alternating roles as Dr Frankenstein and his terrifying creature in Danny Boyle’s National Theatre production of Mary Shelley’s thrilling 19th century gothic tale.
 
David Haig for The Madness Of George III at the Apollo theatre
 
Winner of the 1988 Olivier Award for Actor of the Year in a New Play, Haig is now nominated for Best Actor for his portrayal of Britain’s third Hanoverian king in Alan Bennett’s vivid theatrical portrait of the country’s history.

Douglas Hodge for Inadmissable Evidence at the Donmar Warehouse
 
Winner of the 2009 Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical, Hodge is now nominated for his portrayal of a lawyer on the verge of a breakdown in John Osborne's witty and compelling portrait of loss, betrayal and defeat.

James Corden for One Man, Two Guvnors at the Adelphi theatre
 
First time nominee Cordon is nominated for his endearing portrayal of the food-loving, multi-tasking Francis Henshall in the National Theatre’s hit comedy based on Carlo Goldoni’s The Servant Of Two Masters.
 
Jude Law for Anna Christie at the Donmar Warehouse
 
Nominated in 2010 for the Oliver Best Actor Award, Law is nominated again for his role in Eugene O’Neill’s award-winning play about love and forgiveness in which he starred opposite fellow nominee Ruth Wilson.

Best Performance In A Supporting Role:

Bryony Hannah for The Children’s Hour at the Harold Pinter theatre
 
First time nominee Hannah was the surprise critics’ favourite in Ian Rickson’s star-studded production of Lillian Hellman's 1934 play, playing a manipulative school girl opposite Keira Knightly and Elisabeth Moss.
 
Johnny Flynn for Jerusalem at the Apollo theatre
 
Flynn, a first time nominee, is recognised for his role as Lee, a man desperate to emigrate to Australia to escape small town life, appearing opposite Mark Rylance in Jez Butterworth’s hugely successful play.

Mark Addy for Collaborators at the Cottesloe theatre
 
Mark Addy is nominated for his role as a secret police officer in the National Theatre’s acclaimed production of John Hodge’s new play set in 1930s Russia under the fierce rule of Stalin.
 
Oliver Chris for One Man, Two Guvnors at the Lyttelton theatre
 
Olivier Chris had audiences at the National Theatre and in the West End in stitches as the gung-ho public school toff Stanley Stubbers in Nicholas Hytner’s hit show; a role he is soon to play on Broadway.

Sheridan Smith for Flare Path at the Theatre Royal Haymarket
 
The winner of last year’s Best Actress in a Musical Award, Smith is this year recognised for her heartbreaking performance as a newlywed in Trevor Nunn’s production of Terence Rattigan’s World War II drama.

Best Actress In A Musical:

Kate Fleetwood for London Road at the Cottesloe theatre
 
First time nominee Fleetwood won critical acclaim for her leading role in Alecky Blythe’s controversial new musical London Road which relied on the cast learning complicated verbatim text sung to a score by Adam Cork.

Sarah Lancashire for Betty Blue Eyes at the Novello theatre
 
Lancashire is nominated for her role in Best New Musical-nominated show Betty Blue Eyes which featured a host of eccentric characters. This marks the first Olivier Awards nomination for the actress who is well known for her television appearances.

Scarlett Strallen for Singin’ In The Rain at the Palace theatre
 
Strallen is nominated for her role as the feisty wannabe actress Kathy Selden who finds romance with silent movie star Don Lockwood. This marks the first Olivier Award nomination for the musical theatre regular.
 
The Matildas for Matilda The Musical at the Cambridge theatre
 
All four of the talented young girls who share the role of the magical Matilda in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s new musical are nominated jointed for their critically acclaimed performances

Best Actor in A Musical:

Bertie Carvel for Matilda The Musical at the Cambridge theatre
 
Carvel is nominated for his cross-dressing role as the fearsome Miss Trunchbull in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s hit show. The award-winning actor won critical acclaim with his hilarious and camp portrayal of the devilish headmistress.
 
Nigel Lindsay for Shrek The Musical at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
 
BAFTA-nominated actor Lindsay originated the role of Shrek at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane when it opened in June last year, painting himself green at the venue each night until he left the production earlier this year.
 
Paulo Szot for South Pacific at the Barbican theatre
 
Brazilian opera star Szot won a Tony Award for his role as Emile de Becque in the Lincoln Center Theater’s production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic, and is now nominated for the same role following the production’s London transfer.

Reece Shearsmith for Betty Blue Eyes at the Novello theatre
 
Actor, comedian and The League Of Gentlemen star Shearsmith returned to the West End last year to appear in Cameron Mackintosh’s eccentric British musical, playing the downtrodden Gilbert Chilvers.

Best Performance In A Supporting Role In A Musical:

Katherine Kingsley for Singin’ In The Rain at the Palace theatre
 
After receiving an Olivier nomination in 2009, Kingsley is now nominated for her role as the silent movie star Lina Lamont, who struggles to adapt when talking pictures are introduced and her less than dulcet tones aren’t up to scratch.
 
Nigel Harman for Shrek The Musical at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
 
Former Eastender, Harman is nominated for his knee-punishing performance as the diminutive, manipulative Lord Farquaad in the musical adaptation of the Dreamworks animated film about a swamp-dwelling ogre and a faraway kingdom.
 
Paul Kaye for Matilda The Musical at the Cambridge theatre
 
Kaye is nominated for his role as Matilda’s repulsive father Mr Wormwood in Dennis Kelly and Tim Minchin’s musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic story about a girl with special powers.
 
Sharon D Clarke for Ghost The Musical at the Piccadilly theatre
 
After receiving an Olivier nomination in 2003, Clarke is nominated once again, this for the role of the phoney psychic Oda Mae Brown - made famous on film by Whoopie Goldberg - in the new stage musical adaptation of the hit movie.
 
Sophie-Louise Dann for Lend Me A Tenor The Musical at the Gielgud theatre
 
An Olivier nominee for the first time, Dann is nominated for her role as the ambitious diva Diana DiVane in Peter Sham’s tale of operatic calamity set in 1934 Ohio, in which an underdog strives against all the odds.

Best New Musical:

Betty Blue Eyes at the Novello theatre
 
Based on Alan Bennett and Malcolm Mowbray’s comic film A Private Function, this brand new, very British, very eccentric musical featured songs by Stiles & Drewe and a host of wonderful and bizarre characters alongside a show-stealing electronic pig.

Ghost The Musical at the Piccadilly
 
Eurythmics star Dave Stewart teamed up with Bruce Joel Rubin, Glen Ballard and director Matthew Warchus to adapt the famous film into a heartbreaking stage production using magical tricks and dynamic video projections.

London Road at the Cottesloe theatre
 
The National Theatre’s controversial musical about the Ipswich murders was met with critical acclaim when it opened last April. Starring Best Actress in a Musical nominee Kate Fleetwood, the musical was based on verbatim interviews recorded by Alecky Blythe.
 
Matilda The Musical at the Cambridge
 
The Royal Shakespeare Company’s adaptation of Roald Dahl’s much-loved tale has already collected a crop of awards this season. With imaginative staging and a hilarious score by Tim Minchin, the production is nominated in nine other categories.

Shrek The Musical at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
 
Based on the hit DreamWorks film, the life of the swamp-dwelling ogre who becomes an unlikely hero was brought to the stage in a colourful, feisty and comic production for families.

Best Musical Revival:

Crazy For You at the Regent’s Park Open Air theatre
 
The 1993 Olivier Award-winning musical was revived at the Regent’s Park Open Air theatre this summer starring Sean Palmer and Clare Foster, before transferring into the West End following a critically acclaimed run at the alfresco venue.
 
Singin’ In The Rain at the Palace theatre
 
Chichester Festival Theatre’s hit show transferred into the West End with Adam Cooper and Scarlett Strallen winning hearts and soaking audience members, with 24,000 litres of water creating two show-stopping downpours at every performance.
 
South Pacific at the Barbican theatre
 
Bartlett Sher’s Tony Award-winning Lincoln Center production played a limited season at the Barbican theatre starring Samantha Womack. Featuring Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic songs, the romantic musical tells the story of two couples threatened by the realities of war.
 
The Wizard Of Oz at the London Palladium
 
London Palladium’s production of The Wizard Of Oz followed a televised search for a Dorothy, with Danielle Hope stepping into the famous ruby slippers. The show features songs from the film alongside new material by Olivier Award winner Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Best Director:

Matthew Warchus for Matilda The Musical
 
Warchus’s critically acclaimed 10-times nominated production with the Royal Shakespeare Company capitalised on Roald Dahl’s imaginative writing to create a hilarious, moving and joyful musical for adults and children alike.

Nicolas Hytner for One Man, Two Guvnors at the Lyttelton theatre
 
A rip roaring success, Hytner’s production transferred from the National Theatre into the West End and is soon to open on Broadway. Adapted from Goldoni’s classic by Richard Bean, the comedy tells a hilarious tale of sex, food and money.
 
Rufus Norris for London Road at the Cottesloe theatre
 
Norris’s complicated production took Alecky Blythe’s verbatim interviews about people’s reactions to the Ipswich murders in 2006 and worked with musician Adam Cork to create an experimental, controversial and acclaimed new musical.
 
Sean Foley for The Ladykillers at the Gielgud theatre
 
Foley’s staging of the madcap Ealing comedy saw a star-studded cast unite for an imaginative and eccentric production. Based on the much-loved 1955 film, Foley employed slap stick comedy and unique props to create a hilarious romp.

Best New Dance Production:

Desh by Akram Khan Company at Sadler’s Wells
 
Taking inspiration from his homeland, Akram Khan choreographed and performed this full-length solo show in which he used his body and voice to portray several characters familiar in daily Bangladeshi culture.
 
Gardenia by Ballets C de la B at Sadler’s Wells
 
A collaboration between transvestite actress Vanessa Van Durme, directors Alain Platel and Frank Van Laecke and composer Steven Prengels, Gardenia, based on the real experiences of the cast, indulged in the human instinct for voyeurism.
 
Some Like It Hip Hop by ZooNation
 
Some Like It Hip Hop combined elements of Billy Wilder’s much-loved film and Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night to create a comic tale of love, mistaken identity and gender stereotypes in ZooNation’s trademark style of hip hop, comedy and physical theatre.
 
The Metamorphosis at the Linbury Studio
 
Franz Kafka’s dark and disturbing novella is brought to life by Arthur Pita’s innovative choreography and Frank Moon’s music in this production telling the story of a travelling salesman who awakes one morning to find himself transformed into a giant insect.

BBC Radio 2 Olivier Audience Award:

Billy Elliot - The Musical
 
One of the most celebrated, award-winning musicals on stage today, Billy Elliot has been dazzling London’s West End since 2005, and has gone on to captivate audiences around the world. With unforgettable music by Elton John, this astonishing theatrical experience will stay with you forever.
 
Jersey Boys
 
Jersey Boys is the electrifying true life story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons; the mob, the heartaches, the triumphs and the music. Featuring the hits: Beggin', Can't Take My Eyes Off You, Oh What A Night, Bye Bye Baby (Baby Goodbye), Sherry and many more.
 
Les Misérables
 
The world's longest running musical, Cameron Mackintosh's legendary production of Boublil and Schonberg's Les Misérables is an epic tale of passion and destruction, set against the backdrop of a nation in the grip of revolution.
 
Wicked
 
Wicked tells the incredible untold story of an unlikely but profound friendship between two sorcery students whose extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfil their destinies as Glinda The Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.