Three of the most acclaimed productions in U.K. theatre in the past year are set to go head-to-head at the 2024 Olivier Awards. Nominations for this year’s accolades were announced earlier today by the official Olivier Awards social media accounts, and have paved the way for a fierce battle to claim the most awards.
Leading the charge this year, as expected, is Sunset Boulevard, which recently swept the WhatsOnStage Awards last month, and their winning streak may be about to be extended even further. This production has been officially the most nominated, being shortlisted for no less than 11 categories, including Best Director, Best Actress in a Musical for Nicole Scherzinger as Norma Desmond, Best Actor in a Musical for Tom Francis, Best Actor and Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical, as well as Best Lighting Design, to name a few. Given the huge success of this production last month, its viral clips circulating on social media and the much anticipated Broadway transfer, this production was bound to be a strong contender, even at nominations.
However, what was not expected was how much competition it is set to face. Two additional productions, Guys & Dolls and Dear England are hot on the heels of Sunset Boulevard, with 9 award nominations each, with many in the same categories. Guys & Dolls has also been nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress in a Musical, Best Lighting Design and Outstanding Musical Contribution, each of which was also featured in Sunset Boulevard’s listing.
Dear England, the National Theatre play about the England men’s football team, secured nominations across the board, including Best Sound Design, Best Theatre Choreographer, Best Director and Best Actor for Joseph Fiennes as Gareth Southgate. Whilst many expected Dear England to be a contender, 9 nominations was beyond what many had anticipated, leaving the door open for a three-horse race in many categories between Dear England, Sunset Boulevard and Guys and Dolls, with 3 categories in which all three are directly competing for an award (Best Theatre Choreographer, Best Set Design and Best Lighting Design).
Although these shows took the bulk of the nominations, many others have also been recognised widely. Operation Mincemeat, the comedy about the real-life World War II operation to fool the Germans was nominated 6 times, Stranger Things: The First Shadow 5 times, and Next to Normal receiving 4 nominations. There were also four shows receiving 3 nominations (Macbeth, A Little Life, The Motive and the Cue, and The Little Big Things), and a further seven shows taking two nominations apiece.
With the extensive list of nominations revealed, many productions are set to be celebrating their work and everything their communities have worked tirelessly for in the past 12 months. But for the three productions at the top of the nominations list, the battle for the most awards at the 2024 Olivier Awards is set to be fierce ahead of the awards next month!
The full list of 2024 Olivier Award nominations can be found here. The 2024 Olivier Awards will be held at The Royal Albert Hall in London on April 14th 2024
