The 2024 Olivier Awards provided the shock of old and put a smile on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s face. A whopping seven awards for Sunset Boulevard confirmed that – at the age of 76 and more than 50 years after Jesus Christ Superstar stormed the palace – the world’s most successful musical composer still has what it takes to rule the West End and the to show children how it’s done, even with a musical from 1993.
Of course, the credit for Sunset Boulevard flooding the boards – the take that equals the record for a musical set from Matilda, and matched by Hamilton and Cabaret – must go to Jamie Lloyd. His visionary direction dared to reverse Lloyd Webber’s adaptation (with Don Black and Christopher Hampton) of Billy Wilder’s classic 1950 film noir. Particular reliance on busy choreography and video wizardry – as opposed to palatial Hollywood opulence – was the perfect revitalizing touch, fusing theatrical imagination with an austere sense of cinematic surprise.
Lloyd also got it right by casting Nicole Scherzinger as the reclusive silent film star Norma Desmond. The singer initially seemed too flawless for the femme fatale, but as with Lloyd’s noseless Cyrano, he had had a revealing idea: Norma’s capriciousness was in the eyes of others, her aging a product of the industry.
The primary justification, however, lies with Lloyd Webber himself – who suffered brickbats and setbacks when Sunset was in the West End for the first time, requiring early rewrites and no Olivier Awards. When you compare this year’s returns to Lloyd Webber’s previous wins (even Phantom only picked up a few) you realize that not only does this production now have the wind in its sails as it heads to Broadway, but the show stands have been confirmed as one of ALW’s best.
A bonanza is good for headlines, and there’s certainly a sense that the industry is giving their man a pat on the back for all his past good works. But people don’t pay lip service to his status; As we’ve seen over the past decade with Lloyd’s Evita and Timothy Sheader’s Jesus Christ Superstar, both radical takes on Regent’s Park, the next generation wants to reimagine that gilded catalog and embrace its legacy.
Yet there is no shortage of British talent lining up behind him. The award for Best New Musical deservedly went to runaway sensation Operation Mincemeat, a resilient account of wartime subterfuge by SpitLip, with Jak Malone given a well-deserved supporting role for delivering the show’s most poignant notes as an MI5 secretary Hester Leggatt (who now has a plaque in the Fortune Theater).
Elsewhere, there were strong contenders for Best New Play. Jack Thorne’s The Motive and the Cue was an obvious contender, but with Mark Gatiss taking home the Best Actor award for his perfect evocation of John Gielgud, that left the target open for James Graham’s Dear England, which was the friendly restart of Gareth Southgate’s tenure turned around. as England manager in a smooth, fun, state-of-the-nation epic. Nice for Harry Kane – in the guise of Will Close (Best Actor in a Supporting Role) – to finally win something.
If Close’s teasing impersonation raises a smile, it’s hard not to look misty-eyed at the award for the actress’s counterpart, which went to the late Haydn Gwynne: Stanley Baldwin in Jack Thorne’s play about Churchill, Reith and the general strike. Nominated four times before, what a shame she didn’t see her late win. That puts into perspective the fact that Sheridan Smith – battered after those early closing announcements for Opening Night – didn’t walk away with the best actress award for Shirley Valentine. Shezza will live to see another day and will surely amaze fans again in her own inimitable way.
The winners of the Olivier Award 2024 in full
Best director
WINNER: Jamie Lloyd for Sunset Boulevard
Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin for Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Rupert Goold for Dear England
Sam Mendes for The Motive and The Cue
Best actress
WINNER: Sarah Snook for The Picture of Dorian Gray
Laura Donnelly for The Hills of California
Sophie Okonedo for Medea
Sarah Jessica Parker for Plaza Suite
Sheridan Smith for Shirley Valentine
Best Actor
WINNER: Mark Gatiss for The Motive and the Cue
Joseph Fiennes for Dear England
James Norton for A Little Life
Andrew Scott for Vanya
David Tennant for Macbeth
Best New Play
WINNER: Dear England by James Graham
The Hills of California by Jez Butterworth
The Motif and Cue by Jack Thorne
Until the Stars Come Down by Beth Steel
Best New Musical
WINNER: Operation Mincemeat, music, lyrics and book by David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha
Hodgson and Zoe Roberts
The Little Big Things, music by Nick Butcher, lyrics by Nick Butcher & Tom Ling, book by Joe
White
Next To Normal, music by Tom Kitt, book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey
A Strange Loop, music, lyrics and book by Michael R. Jackson
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
WINNER: Closes for Dear England
Paul Hilton for An Enemy of the People
Giles Terera for Clyde’s
Luke Thompson for A Little Life
Zubin Varla for A Small Life
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
WINNER: Haydn Gwynne for When Winston Went to War With the Wireless
Lorraine Ashbourne for Till The Stars Come Down
Priyanga Burford for an enemy of the people
Gina McKee for Dear England
Tanya Reynolds for A Mirror
Best Actor in a Musical
WINNER: Tom Francis for Sunset Boulevard
David Cumming for Operation Mincemeat
Daniel Mays for boys and dolls
Charlie Stemp for Crazy For You
Best Actress in a Musical
WINNER: Nicole Scherzinger for Sunset Boulevard
Natasha Hodgson for Operation Mincemeat
Caissie Levy for Next To Normal
Marisha Wallace for boys and dolls
Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical
WINNER: Amy Trigg for The Little Big Things
Grace Hodgett Young for Sunset Boulevard
Zoë Roberts for Operation Mincemeat
Eleanor Worthington-Cox for Next To Normal
Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical
WINNER: Jak Malone for Operation Mincemeat
Cedric Neal for boys and dolls
David Thaxton for Sunset Boulevard
Jack Wolfe for Next To Normal
Best New Entertainment or Comedy
WINNER: Stranger Things: The First Shadow by Kate Trefry
Accidental Death Of An Anarchist by Dario Fo & Franca Rame, edited by Tom Basden
Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Vardy V Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial, edited by Liv Hennessy
Best revival
WINNER: Vanya by Anton Chekhov, adapted by Simon Stephens
The Lucy Prebble Effect
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Shirley Valentine by Willy Russell
Best Musical Revival
WINNER: Sunset Boulevard, music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics and book by Don Black &
Christopher Hampton
Groundhog Day, music and lyrics by Tim Minchin, book by Danny Rubin
Guys & Dolls, music and lyrics by Frank Loesser, book by Jo Swerling & Abe Burrows
Hadestown, music, lyrics and book by Anaïs Mitchell
Best family show
WINNER: Dinosaur World Live by Derek Bond
Bluey’s Big Play by Joe Brumm
The House with Chicken Legs, book by Sophie Anderson, edited by Oliver Lansley
The Smeds And The Smoos, book by Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler, edited by Tall
Stories
Best theater choreographer
WINNER: Arlene Phillips with James Cousins for Guys & Dolls
Fabian Aloise for Sunset Boulevard
Ellen Kane & Hannes Langolf for Dear England
Mark Smith for The Little Big Things
Susan Stroman for Crazy For You
Best Costume Design
WINNER: Marg Horwell for Dorian Grayy’s photo
Bunny Christie & Deborah Andrews for Guys & Dolls
Ryan Dawson Laight for La Cage Aux Folles
Hugh Durrant for Peter Pan
Best sound design
WINNER: Adam Fisher for Sunset Boulevard
Paul Arditti for Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Dan Balfour & Tom Gibbons for Dear England
Gareth Fry for Macbeth
Excellent musical contribution
WINNER: Alan Williams for musical supervision and musical direction for Sunset Boulevard
Tom Brady for musical supervision and arrangements and Charlie Rosen for orchestrations
Boys & dolls
Matt Brind for musical supervision, arrangements and orchestrations for Just For One Day
Steve Sidwell for orchestrations and Joe Bunker for musical direction for Operation Mincemeat
Best set design
WINNER: Miriam Buether for set design and 59 productions for video design for Stranger
Things: The first shadow
Bunny Christie for set design for boys and dolls
Es Devlin for set design and Ash J Woodward for video design for Dear England
Soutra Gilmour for set design and Nathan Amzi & Joe Ransom for video design for Sunset
Boulevard
Best lighting design
WINNER: Jack Knowles for Sunset Boulevard
Jon Clark for Dear England
Jon Clark for Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Paule Constable for boys and dolls
Best new opera production
WINNER: Innocence from the Royal Opera
Blue by the English National Opera
Imagine a day like this at the Royal Opera
The Rhine Gold of the English National Opera
Outstanding Achievement in Opera
WINNER: Antonio Pappano for his role as Music Director of the Royal Opera House
Belarus Free Theater Company for King Stakh’s Wild Hunt at the Barbican Theatre
Marina Abramović for her concept and design of 7 Deaths Of Maria Callas in London
Coliseum
Best New Dance Production
WINNER: La Ruta by Gabriela Carrizo, part of Nederlands Dans Theater
Broken Chord by Gregory Maqoma & Thuthuka Sibisi
The Rite Of Spring by Seeta Patel
Time Spell by Michelle Dorrance, Jillian Meyers & Tiler Peck, part of Turn It Out With Tiler Peck
& Friends
Outstanding Achievement in Dance
WINNER: Isabela Coracy for her performance in NINA: By What Means, part of Ballet
Black: Pioneers at the Barbican Theatre
Jonzi D for his artistic direction of Breakin’ Convention 2023 International Festival Of Hip Hop
Dance Theater in Sadler’s Wells
Rhiannon Faith for her community-focused concept of Lay Down Your Burdens at The Pit at
Barbican
Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theater
WINNER: Sleepova by Matilda Feyişayo at the Bush Theatre
Blue Mist by Mohamed-Zain Dada at the Jerwood Theater Upstairs at the Royal Court Theatre
A playlist for AJ Yi’s The Revolution at the Bush Theatre
The Swell by Isley Lynn at the Orange Tree Theatre
The Time Machine: a comedy by Steven Canny and John Nicholson at the Park Theatre