London's top theatrical honors, the Oliviers, were handed out April 2 at Royal Albert Hall, with My Neighbour Totoro reigning supreme. The evening was hosted by stage and screen star Hannah Waddingham.
My Neighbour Totoro, the play based on the beloved 1988 Studio Ghibli film, took home the most wins of the evening with six awards, including Best Entertainment or Comedy Play, and Best Director for Phelim McDermott.
Oklahoma! won Best Musical Revival, giving representation to American artists since it was the West End transfer of the 2019 Broadway revival, directed by Daniel Fish. Arthur Darvill won Best Actor in a Musical for his work in Oklahoma!
Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire was honored with Best Revival, and leads Paul Mescal and Anjana Vasan won for Best Actor and Best Actress in a Supporting Role, respectively.
Best New Play was awarded to Prima Facie, and Broadway-bound Killing Eve star Jodie Comer won Best Actress for her performance in the play, a role she will reprise in the Broadway transfer, set to begin April 11.
Standing at the Sky's Edge was crowned Best New Musical, with Richard Hawley and Tom Deering winning for Best Original Score or New Orchestrations. The new musical features music and lyrics by Hawley, former Pulp and Longpigs guitarist.
Take a look at the complete list of winners of the 2023 Laurence Olivier Awards (winners' names are in bold and preceded by an asterisk):
Best Entertainment or Comedy Play
Jack and the Beanstalk
*My Neighbour Totoro
My Son’s a Queer (But What Can You Do?)
One Woman Show
Best Family Show
Blippi the Musical
*Hey Duggee the Live Theatre Show
Midsummer Mechanicals
The Smartest Giant in Town
Best Theatre Choreographer
*Matt Cole, Newsies
Lynne Page, Standing at the Sky’s Edge
Kate Prince, Sylvia
Basil Twist for Puppetry Direction, My Neighbour Totoro
Best Costume Design
Frankie Bradshaw, Blues for an Alabama Sky
Hugh Durrant, Jack and the Beanstalk
Jean Paul Gaultier, Jean Paul Gaultier Fashion Freak Show
*Kimie Nakano, My Neighbour Totoro
Best Revival
Good
Jerusalem
*A Streetcar Named Desire
Best Musical Revival
My Fair Lady
*Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!
Sister Act
South Pacific
Best Sound Design
Bobby Aitken, Standing at the Sky’s Edge
*Tony Gayle, My Neighbour Totoro
Drew Levy, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!
Ben and Max Ringham, Prima Facie
Best Original Score or New Orchestrations
David Yazbek (music and lyrics), Jamshied Sharifi (orchestrations), and Andrea Grody (additional arrangements), The Band's Visit
Joe Hisaishi (music) and Will Stuart (orchestrations and arrangements), My Neighbour Totoro
Daniel Kluger (orchestrations) and Nathan Koci (additional vocal arrangements), Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!
*Richard Hawley (music and lyrics) and Tom Deering (orchestrations), Standing at the Sky’s Edge
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Mark Akintimehin, Emmanuel Akwafo, Nnabiko Ejimofor, Darragh Hand, Aruna Jalloh, and Kaine Lawrence; For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy
*Will Keen, Patriots
Elliot Levey, Good
David Moorst, To Kill a Mockingbird
Sule Rimi, Blues for an Alabama Sky
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Rose Ayling-Ellis, As You Like It
Pamela Nomvete, To Kill a Mockingbird
Caroline Quentin, Jack Absolute Flies Again
Sharon Small, Good
*Anjana Vasan, A Streetcar Named Desire
Best Set Design
Miriam Buether, To Kill a Mockingbird
*Tom Pye, My Neighbour Totoro
Ben Stones, Standing at the Sky’s Edge
Mark Walters, Jack and the Beanstalk
Best Lighting Design
Natasha Chivers, Prima Facie
Lee Curran, A Streetcar Named Desire
*Jessica Hung Han Yun, My Neighbour Totoro
Tim Lutkin, The Crucible
Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical
*Beverley Knight, Sylvia
Maimuna Memon, Standing at the Sky’s Edge
Liza Sadovy, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!
Marisha Wallace, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!
Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical
Sharif Afifi, The Band’s Visit
Peter Polycarpou, The Band’s Visit
Clive Rowe, Sister Act
*Zubin Varla, Tammy Faye
Best New Opera Production
*Alcina, Royal Opera
Least Like the Other, Irish National Opera and Royal Opera
Peter Grimes, Royal Opera
Sibyl, Barbican Theatre
Outstanding Achievement in Opera
Sinéad Campbell-Wallace, for her performance in Tosca
*William Kentridge, for his conception and direction of Sibyl
Antony McDonald, for his design of Alcina
Best Actor in a Musical
Alon Moni Aboutboul, The Band’s Visit
*Arthur Darvill, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!
Julian Ovenden, South Pacific
Andrew Rannells, Tammy Faye
Best Actress in a Musical
*Katie Brayben, Tammy Faye
Anoushka Lucas, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!
Miri Mesika, The Band’s Visit
Faith Omole, Standing at the Sky’s Edge
Best New Dance Production
Light of Passage, Crystal Pite
Pasionaria, La Veronal
*Traplord, Ivan Michael Blackstock
Triptych (The Missing Door, The Lost Room, and The Hidden Floor), Peeping Tom
Outstanding Achievement in Dance
Manuel Liñán, for his choreography of ¡VIVA!
*Dickson Mbi, for his choreography of Enowate
Raquel Meseguer Zafe, for her dramaturgy of Ruination by Lost Dog
Catrina Nisbett, for her performance in Family Honour by Spoken Movement
Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre
Age Is a Feeling
Blackout Songs
*The P Word
Paradise Now!
Two Palestinians Go Dogging
Best Director
Rebecca Frecknall, A Streetcar Named Desire
Robert Hastie, Standing at the Sky’s Edge
Justin Martin, Prima Facie
*Phelim McDermott, My Neighbour Totoro
Bartlett Sher, To Kill a Mockingbird
Best Actress
*Jodie Comer, Prima Facie
Patsy Ferran, A Streetcar Named Desire
Mei Mac, My Neighbour Totoro
Janet McTeer, Phaedra
Nicola Walker, The Corn Is Green
Best Actor
Tom Hollander, Patriots
*Paul Mescal, A Streetcar Named Desire
Rafe Spall, To Kill a Mockingbird
David Tennant, Good
Giles Terera, Blues for an Alabama Sky
Best New Play
For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy
Patriots
*Prima Facie
To Kill a Mockingbird
Best New Musical
The Band’s Visit
*Standing at the Sky’s Edge
Sylvia
Tammy Faye