2023 Olivier Award winners: ‘My Neighbour Totoro,’ ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ …
The top honorees at the 2023 Laurence Olivier Awards were plays that focused on cultures outside of London. “My Neighbour Totoro,” which is based on the beloved Japanese film of the same name from Studio Ghibli, won six trophies, the most of the night, including Best New Comedy, Director, and four craft categories. A revival of the American classic “A Streetcar Named Desire” by Tennessee Williams claimed three: Best Play Revival and for lead Paul Mescal and featured player Anjana Vasan. Meanwhile, the British-based “Prima Facie,” which is set to bow on Broadway this month and will thus compete at the Tony Awards, took home two prizes for Best Play and for star Jodie Comer.
The only other productions to win more than one trophy were all musicals. “Standing at the Sky’s Edge” won two of the top prizes: Best Musical and Best Original Score or New Orchestrations. “Tammy Faye,” featuring a new score by Sir Elton John and Jake Shears took home two acting trophies for Katie Brayben and Zubin Varla as real-life figures Tammy Faye Bakker and Jerry Falwell. Daniel Fish‘s restaging of “Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!” bagged Best Musical Revival and a trophy for lead Arthur Darvill. Those two wins matched the number of Tonys it took home back in 2019.
More from GoldDerby
WATCH 2023 Tony Awards slugfest: 15 productions vie for places in Musical races
Other American imports went home empty-handed. Musical “The Band’s Visit” had a strong showing in nominations with six, but did not win a single trophy. The Oliviers reception to the piece certainly differed from the Tonys, which showered David Yazbek‘s musical with 10 trophies back in 2018. “To Kill a Mockingbird” also landed six nominations but was also blanked, which was more in line with the Tony reception: the Aaron Sorkin-penned adaptation of Harper Lee‘s famed novel netted nine noms, but only won one trophy back in 2019.
Below, see the complete list of winner and nominees in every category.
MUSICALS
BEST MUSICAL
The Band’s Visit
X — Standing at the Sky’s Edge
Sylvia
Tammy Faye
BEST MUSICAL REVIVAL
My Fair Lady
X — Rodger’s & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!
Sister Act
South Pacific
BEST ACTOR (MUSICAL)
Alon Moni Aboutboul (“The Band’s Visit”)
X — Arthur Darvill (“Rodger’s & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!”)
Julien Overden (“South Pacific”)
Andrew Rannells (“Tammy Faye”)
BEST ACTRESS (MUSICAL)
X — Katie Brayben (“Tammy Faye”)
Anoushka Lucas (“Rodger’s & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!”)
Miri Mesika (“The Band’s Visit”)
Faith Omole (“Standing at the Sky’s Edge”)
BEST FEATURED ACTOR (MUSICAL)
Sharif Afifi (“The Band’s Visit”)
Peter Polycarpou (“The Band’s Visit”)
Clive Rowe (“Sister Act”)
X — Zubin Varla (“Tammy Faye”)
BEST FEATURED ACTRESS (MUSICAL)
X — Beverley Knight (“Sylvia”)
Maimuna Memon (“Standing at the Sky’s Edge”)
Liza Sadovy (“Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!”)
Marisha Wallace (“Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!”)
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE OR NEW ORCHESTRATIONS
David Yazbek, Jamshied Sharifi, and Andrea Grody (“The Band’s Visit”)
Joe Hisaishi and Will Stuart (“My Neighbour Totoro”)
Daniel Kluger and Nathan Koci (“Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!”)
X — Richard Hawley and Tom Deering (“Standing at the Sky’s Edge”)
PLAYS
BEST PLAY
For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy
Patriots
X — Prima Facie
To Kill a Mockingbird
BEST NEW COMEDY
Jack and the Beanstalk
X — My Neighbour Totoro
My Son’s a Queer (But What Can You Do?)
One Woman Show
BEST PLAY REVIVAL
The Crucible
Good
Jerusalem
X — A Streetcar Named Desire
BEST ACTOR (PLAY)
Tom Hollander (“Patriots”)
X — Paul Mescal (“A Streetcar Named Desire”)
Rafe Spall (“To Kill a Mockingbird”)
David Tennant (“Good”)
Giles Terera (“Blues for An Alabama Sky”)
BEST ACTRESS (PLAY)
X — 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 FEATURED ACTOR (PLAY)
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”)
X — Will Keen (“Patriots”)
Elliot Levey (“Good”)
David Moorst (“To Kill a Mockingbird”)
Sule Rimi (“Blues for An Alabama Sky”)
BEST FEATURED ACTRESS (PLAY)
Rose Ayling-Ellis (“As You Like It”)
Pamela Nomvete (“To Kill a Mockingbird”)
Caroline Quentin (“Jack Absolutely Flies Again”)
Sharon Small (“Good”)
X — Anjana Vasan (“A Streetcar Named Desire”)
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN AFFILIATE THEATRE
Age Is a Feeling
Blackout Songs
X — The P Word
Paradise Now!
Two Palestinians Go Dogging
DANCE/OPERA/FAMILY
BEST NEW DANCE PRODUCTION
Light of Passage
Pasionaria
X — Traplord
Triptych (The Missing Door, The Lost Room, and The Hidden Floor)
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN DANCE
Manuel Li?án (“?Viva!” choreography)
X — Dickson Mbi (“Enowate” choreography)
Raquel Meseguer Zafe (“Ruination” dramaturgy)
Catrina Nisbett (“Family Honour” performance)
BEST NEW OPERA PRODUCTION
X — Alcina
Least Like the Other
Peter Grimes
Sibyl
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN OPERA
Sinéad Campbell-Wallace (“Tosca” performance)
X — William Kentridge (“Sibyl” direction)
Antony McDonald (“Alcina” design)
BEST ENTERTAINMENT AND FAMILY
Blippi the Musical
X — Hey Duggee: The Live Theatre Show
Midsummer Mechanicals
The Smartest Giant in Town
CRAFTS
BEST DIRECTOR
Rebecca Frecknall (“A Streetcar Named Desire”)
Robert Hastie (“Standing at the Sky’s Edge”)
Justin Martin (“Prima Facie”)
X — Phelim McDermott (“My Neighbour Totoro”)
Bartlett Sher (“To Kill a Mockingbird”)
BEST CHOREOGRAPHER
X — Matt Cole (“Newsies”)
Lynne Page (“Standing at the Sky’s Edge”)
Kate Prince (“Sylvia”)
Basil Twist (“My Neighbour Totoro” puppetry direction)
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Frankie Bradshaw (“Blues for an Alabama Sky”)
Hugh Durrant (“Jack and the Beanstalk”)
Jean Paul Gaultier (“The Jean Paul Gaultier Fashion Freak Show”)
X — Kimie Nakano (“My Neighbour Totoro”)
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN
Natasha Chivers (“Prima Facie”)
Lee Curran (“A Streetcar Named Desire”)
X — Jessica Hung Han Yun (“My Neighbour Totoro”)
Tim Lutkin (“The Crucible”)
BEST SET DESIGN
Miriam Buether (“To Kill a Mockingbird”)
X — Tom Pye (“My Neighbour Totoro”)
Ben Stones (“Standing at the Sky’s Edge”)
Mark Walters (“Jack and the Beanstalk”)
BEST SOUND DESIGN
Bobby Aitken (“Standing at the Sky’s Edge”)
X — Tony Gayle (“My Neighbour Totoro”)
Drew Levy (“Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!”)
Ben and Max Ringham (“Prima Facie”)
Best of GoldDerby
Sign up for Gold Derby's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Solve the daily Crossword
