Billy Elliot and Guys and Dolls to battle it out at Olivier Awards

Published Wednesday 18 January 2006 at 13:05 by Alistair Smith

Musicals Billy Elliot and Guys and Dolls will go head to head for this year’s Laurence Olivier Awards, picking up nine and eight nominations respectively.

As well as the eight it received for its co-production Guys and Dolls, the Donmar Warehouse picked up a further six for its revival of Mary Stuart by Friedrich Schiller, which has just closed at the Apollo.

The German playwright’s other outing on Shaftesbury Avenue this year - Sheffield Theatres’ production of Don Carlos - was recognised with six nominations.

Brian Dennehy, Richard Griffiths, Derek Jacobi, Con O’N eill and David Threlfall will go up against each other for the Best Actor prize and Best Actress will be decided between Eve Best, Clare Higgins, Helen McCrory, Janet McTeer and Harriet Walter.

Meanwhile the best director award will go to one of Stephen Daldry, Richard Eyre, Michael Grandage, Phyllida Lloyd and Melly Still.The winners will be announced at a ceremony at the Park Lane Hilton on February 26.

The nominations in full were:

Best Actress: Eve Best - Hedda Gabler, Clare Higgins - Death of a Salesman, Helen McCrory - As You Like It, Janet McTeer - Mary Stuart. Harriet Walter - Mary Stuart.

Best Actor: Brian Dennehy - Death of a Salesman, Richard Griffiths - Heroes, Derek Jacobi - Don Carlos, Con O’Neill - Telstar. David Threlfall - Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me.

Best Performance in a Supporting Role: David Bradley - Henry IV Parts I and II, Benedict Cumberbatch - Hedda Gabler, Noma Dumezweni - A Raisin in the Sun, Anne Reid - Epitaph for George Dillon, Paul Ritter - Coram Boy.

Best New Play: Coram Boy adapted by Helen Edmundson from a novel by Jamila Gavin, Harvest by Richard Bean, On the Shore of the Wide World by Simon Stephens, Paul by Howard Brenton.

Best New Comedy: Glorious! by Peter Quilter, Heroes by Gerald Sibleyras translated by Tom Stoppard, Shoot the Crow by Owen McCafferty.

Best Entertainment: Blue Man Group, Ducktastic, Something Wicked This Way Comes.

Best Revival: Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, Don Carlos by Friedrich Schiller in a new adaptation by Mike Poulton, Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen in a new version by Richard Eyre, Mary Stuart by Friedrich Schiller in a new version by Peter Oswald.

Best New Musical: Acorn Antiques the Musical!, The Big Life, Billy Elliot the Musical.

Outstanding Musical Production: Guys and Dolls, HMS Pinafore.

Best Actress in a Musical: Haydn Gwynne - Billy Elliot the Musical, Jane Krakowski - Guys and Dolls, Jenna Russell - Guys and Dolls, Julie Walters - Acorn Antiques the Musical!.

Best Actor in a Musical: Douglas Hodge - Guys and Dolls, Ewan McGregor - Guys and Dolls, James Lomas, George Maguire and Liam Mower - Billy Elliot the Musical.

Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical: Tameka Empson - The Big Life, Tim Healy - Billy Elliot the Musical, Celia Imrie - Acorn Antiques the Musical, Scarlett Strallen - HMS Pinafore.

Best Director: Stephen Daldry - Billy Elliot the Musical, Richard Eyre - Hedda Gabler, Michael Grandage - Don Carlos, Phyllida Lloyd - Mary Stuart, Melly Still - Coram Boy.

Best Theatre Choreographer: Rob Ashford - Guys and Dolls, Peter Darling - Billy Elliot the Musical.

Best Lighting Design: Billy Elliot the Musical - Rick Fisher, Don Carlos - Paule Constable, Mary Stuart - Hugh Vanstone, Guys and Dolls - Howard Harrison.

Best Set Design: Billy Elliot the Musical - Ian MacNeil, Don Carlos - Christopher Oram, Hedda Gabler - Rob Howell.

Best Costume Designer: The Dog in the Manger - Es Devlin, Don Carlos - Christopher Oram, Hedda Gabler - Rob Howell, Mary Stuart - Anthony Ward.

Best Sound Design: Billy Elliot the Musical - Paul Arditti, Coram Boy - Christopher Shutt, Guys and Dolls - Terry Jardine and Chris Full.

Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre: Bloody Sunday: Scenes from the Saville Enquiry at the Tricycle, Comfort Me with Apples at Hampstead, My Name is Rachel Corrie at the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court, Laura Wade for Breathing Corpses at the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court, Colder than Here at Soho.

Best New Dance Production: Constant Speed - Rambert Dance Company, Giselle - Fabulous Beast Dance Theatre, Push - Sylvie Guillem and Russell Maliphant, Zero Degrees - Akram Khan, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Antony Gormley, Nitin Sawhney.

Outstanding Achievement in Dance: Ballet Nacional de Cuba’s corps de ballet for their season at Sadler’s Wells, Pina Bausch for the creation of Nelken and Palermo Palermo at Sadler’s Wells, Johan Kobborg for his performance in the Royal Ballet’s The Lesson and his production of La Sylphide at the Royal Opera House, Russell Maliphant for his choreography and performance in Push at Sadler’s Wells.

Best New Opera Production: Billy Budd - English National Opera, La Clemenza di Tito - English National Opera, Madam Butterfly - English National Opera, On the Town - English National Opera.

Outstanding Achievement in Opera: Sarah Connolly for her performance in English National Opera’s La Clemenza di Tito, Simon Keenlyside for his performances in the Royal Opera’s 1984 at the Royal Opera House and English National Opera’s Billy Budd, David McVicar for his direction of English National Opera’s La Clemenza di Tito, Anthony Minghella and Carolyn Choa for the direction and choreography of English National Opera’s Madam Butterfly.