The Stage

Billy Elliot and Hedda sweep Olivier Awards

Published Monday 27 February 2006 at 11:05 by Alistair Smith

Billy Elliot and Hedda Gabler have dominated this year’s Laurence Olivier Awards, picking up prizes in four categories apiece, while Ian McKellen was recognised with the Special Award for his contribution to theatre.

James Lomas, George Maguire and Liam Mower, who jointly performed as Billy Elliot, won the Best Actor in a Musical award, making them both the youngest ever recipients of an Olivier and the only actors to win the award in a shared capacity. The production also picked up Best New Musical for Lee Hall and Elton John, Best Theatre Choreographer for Peter Darling and Best Sound Design for Paul Arditti.

Meanwhile, Hedda Gabler, the surprise success of the evening, triumphed in the Best Actress, Best Director, Best Revival and Best Set Design categories, with Eve Best, Richard Eyre and set designer Rob Howell picking up the awards respectively. It beat off strong competition from the two much-lauded Friedrich Schiller revivals - Don Carlos and Mary Stuart - which between them only picked up one award, for Don Carlos’ lighting design by Paule Constable.

This year’s Special Award was given to Ian McKellen in celebration of his outstanding contribution to theatre and his continuing support of the industry, including his much talked about reprisal of Widow Twanky in Aladdin at the Old Vic and his forthcoming role in The Cut at the Donmar Warehouse.

Presenting McKellen with the award, director Michael Grandage said: “He is a man with a strong social conscience and a great spokesman for our profession… his passion for the theatre and our profession is intoxicating.”

The list of winners in full was:

Best Actress: Eve Best - Hedda Gabler.

Best Actor: Brian Dennehy - Death of a Salesman.

Best Performance in a Supporting Role: Noma Dumezweni - A Raisin in the Sun.

Best New Play: On the Shore of the Wide World by Simon Stephens.

Best New Comedy: Heroes by Gerald Sibley as translated by Tom Stoppard.

Best Entertainment: Something Wicked This Way Comes.

Best Revival: Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen in a new version by Richard Eyre.

Best New Musical: Billy Elliot the Musical.

Outstanding Musical Production: Guys and Dolls.

Best Actress in a Musical: Jane Krakowski - Guys and Dolls.

Best Actor in a Musical: James Lomas, George Maguire and Liam Mower - Billy Elliot the Musical.

Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical: Celia Imrie - Acorn Antiques the Musical!.

Best Director: Richard Eyre - Hedda Gabler.

Best Theatre Choreographer: Peter Darling - Billy Elliot the Musical.

Best Lighting Design: Paule Constable - Don Carlos.

Best Set Design: Rob Howell - Hedda Gabler.

Best Costume Design: Es Devlin - The Dog in the Manger.

Best Sound Design: Paul Arditti - Billy Elliot the Musical.

Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre: Bloody Sunday: Scenes from the Saville Enquiry - Tricycle Theatre.

Best New Dance Production: Sylvie Guillem and Russell Maliphant’s Push.

Outstanding Achievement in Dance: Pina Bausch for the creation of Nelken and Palermo Palermo.

Best New Opera Production: English National Opera’s Madam Butterfly.

Outstanding Achievement in Opera: Simon Keenlyside - Royal Opera’s 1984 and English National Opera’s Billy Budd.