Olivier Awards 2023: full list of nominations and how to watch on TV

The likes of Jodie Comer and Paul Mescal are up for awards in the best actress and best actor categories
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Jodie Comer (The End We Start From, Help) and Paul Mescal (Normal People, Aftersun) are among the nominees for the top gongs at the Olivier Awards 2023. Stars of the West End will celebrate the best of British theatre at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday hosted by Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham (Game of Thrones, Sex Education).

A new stage adaptation of Studio Ghibli’s 1988 animated film My Neighbour Totoro leads the pack with nine nominations, with star Mei Mac nominated for best actress. She faces competition from Killing Eve star Comer for her critically acclaimed one-woman play Prima Facie; Patsy Ferran for A Streetcar Named Desire; Janet McTeer for Phaedra; and Nicola Walker for The Corn Is Green.

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Meanwhile, Oscar-nominated Irish actor Mescal is up for best actor for his role in the new stage adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire. He will battle it out against David Tennant for Good; Tom Hollander for Patriots; Rafe Spall for To Kill A Mockingbird; and Giles Terera for Blues For An Alabama Sky in the male category.

The ceremony is set to see Waddingham perform an opening number, written by The Great British Bake Off Musical composer Pippa Cleary, featuring West End stars. Meanwhile the green carpet, which last year was made from real grass, is also making a return.

The Olivier Awards 2023 will broadcast on ITV1 and ITVX from 10.15pm to 12.20am.

The full list of nominations

This is the full list of nominations for the Olivier Awards 2023.

Best actress

  • Jodie Comer for Prima Facie at Harold Pinter theatre
  • Patsy Ferran for A Streetcar Named Desire at Almeida theatre
  • Mei Mac for My Neighbour Totoro at Barbican theatre
  • Janet McTeer for Phaedra at National Theatre
  • Nicola Walker for The Corn Is Green at National Theatre
Jodie Comer as Tessa in Prima Facie (Photo: Helen Murray/National Theatre Live)Jodie Comer as Tessa in Prima Facie (Photo: Helen Murray/National Theatre Live)
Jodie Comer as Tessa in Prima Facie (Photo: Helen Murray/National Theatre Live)

Best actor

  • Tom Hollander for Patriots at Almeida theatre
  • Paul Mescal for A Streetcar Named Desire at Almeida theatre
  • Rafe Spall for To Kill a Mockingbird at Gielgud theatre
  • David Tennant for Good at Harold Pinter theatre
  • Giles Terera for Blues for An Alabama Sky at National Theatre

Best actor in a supporting role

  • Mark Akintimehin, Emmanuel Akwafo, Nnabiko Ejimofor, Darragh Hand, Aruna Jalloh and Kaine Lawrence for For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy at the Royal Court theatre
  • Will Keen for Patriots at Almeida theatre
  • Elliot Levey for Good at Harold Pinter theatre
  • David Moorst for To Kill a Mockingbird at Gielgud theatre
  • Sule Rimi for Blues for An Alabama Sky at National Theatre

Best actress in a supporting role

  • Rose Ayling-Ellis for As You Like It at @sohoplace
  • Pamela Nomvete for To Kill a Mockingbird at Gielgud theatre
  • Caroline Quentin for Jack Absolute Flies Again at National Theatre
  • Sharon Small for Good at Harold Pinter theatre
  • Anjana Vasan for A Streetcar Named Desire at Almeida theatre

Best actor in a musical

  • Alon Moni Aboutboul for The Band’s Visit at Donmar Warehouse
  • Arthur Darvill for Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! at Young Vic
  • Julian Ovenden for South Pacific at Sadler’s Wells
  • Andrew Rannells for Tammy Faye at Almeida theatre

Best actress in a musical

  • Katie Brayben for Tammy Faye at Almeida theatre
  • Anoushka Lucas for Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! at Young Vic
  • Miri Mesika for The Band’s Visit at Donmar Warehouse
  • Faith Omole for Standing at the Sky’s Edge at National Theatre

Best actress in a supporting role in a musical

  • Beverley Knight for Sylvia at the Old Vic
  • Maimuna Memon for Standing at the Sky’s Edge at the National Theatre
  • Liza Sadovy for Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! at Young Vic
  • Marisha Wallace for Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! at Young Vic

Best actor in a supporting role in a musical

  • Sharif Afifi for The Band’s Visit at Donmar Warehouse
  • Peter Polycarpou for The Band’s Visit at Donmar Warehouse
  • Clive Rowe for Sister Act at Eventim Apollo
  • Zubin Varla for Tammy Faye at Almeida theatre

Sir Peter Hall award for best director

  • Rebecca Frecknall for A Streetcar Named Desire at Almeida theatre
  • Robert Hastie for Standing at the Sky’s Edge at National Theatre
  • Justin Martin for Prima Facie at Harold Pinter theatre
  • Phelim McDermott for My Neighbour Totoro at Barbican theatre
  • Bartlett Sher for To Kill a Mockingbird at Gielgud theatre

Best new play

  • For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy at Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court theatre
  • Patriots at Almeida theatre
  • Prima Facie at Harold Pinter theatre
  • To Kill a Mockingbird at Gielgud theatre
For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy has been nominated in two separate categories (Photo: FBB Production/Ali Wright)For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy has been nominated in two separate categories (Photo: FBB Production/Ali Wright)
For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy has been nominated in two separate categories (Photo: FBB Production/Ali Wright)

Best new musical

  • The Band’s Visit at Donmar Warehouse
  • Standing at the Sky’s Edge at National Theatre
  • Sylvia at the Old Vic
  • Tammy Faye at Almeida theatre

Noël Coward award for best entertainment or comedy play

  • Jack and the Beanstalk at the London Palladium
  • My Neighbour Totoro at Barbican theatre
  • My Son’s a Queer (But What Can You Do?) at Garrick theatre and Ambassadors theatre
  • One Woman Show at Ambassadors theatre

Best family show

  • Blippi the Musical at Apollo theatre
  • Hey Duggee: The Live Theatre Show at Royal Festival Hall
  • Midsummer Mechanicals at Sam Wanamaker Playhouse
  • The Smartest Giant in Town at St Martin’s theatre

Gillian Lynne award for best theatre choreographer

  • Matt Cole for Newsies at Troubadour Wembley Park theatre
  • Lynne Page for Standing at the Sky’s Edge at National Theatre
  • Kate Prince for Sylvia at the Old Vic
  • Basil Twist for puppetry direction for My Neighbour Totoro at Barbican theatre

Best costume design

  • Frankie Bradshaw for Blues for An Alabama Sky at National Theatre
  • Hugh Durrant for Jack and the Beanstalk at the London Palladium
  • Jean Paul Gaultier for Jean Paul Gaultier Fashion Freak Show at Roundhouse
  • Kimie Nakano for My Neighbour Totoro at Barbican theatre

Best revival

  • The Crucible at National Theatre
  • Good at Harold Pinter theatre
  • Jerusalem at Apollo theatre
  • A Streetcar Named Desire at Almeida theatre
Paul Mescal as Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire (Photo: Marc Brenner)Paul Mescal as Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire (Photo: Marc Brenner)
Paul Mescal as Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire (Photo: Marc Brenner)

Best musical revival

  • My Fair Lady at London Coliseum
  • Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! at Young Vic
  • Sister Act at Eventim Apollo
  • South Pacific at Sadler’s Wells

Best sound design

  • Bobby Aitken for Standing at the Sky’s Edge at National Theatre
  • Tony Gayle for My Neighbour Totoro at Barbican theatre
  • Drew Levy for Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! at Young Vic
  • Ben and Max Ringham for Prima Facie at Harold Pinter theatre

Best original score or new orchestrations

  • David Yazbek, Jamshied Sharifi and Andrea Grody for The Band’s Visit at Donmar Warehouse
  • Joe Hisaishi and Will Stuart for My Neighbour Totoro at Barbican theatre
  • Daniel Kluger and Nathan Koci for Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! at the Young Vic
  • Richard Hawley and Tom Deering for Standing at the Sky’s Edge at National Theatre

Best set design

  • Miriam Buether for To Kill a Mockingbird at Gielgud theatre
  • Tom Pye for My Neighbour Totoro at Barbican theatre
  • Ben Stones for Standing at the Sky’s Edge at National Theatre
  • Mark Walters for Jack and the Beanstalk at the London Palladium

Best lighting design

  • Natasha Chivers for Prima Facie at Harold Pinter theatre
  • Lee Curran for A Streetcar Named Desire at Almeida theatre
  • Jessica Hung Han Yun for My Neighbour Totoro at Barbican theatre
  • Tim Lutkin for The Crucible at National Theatre

Best new opera production

  • Alcina by Royal Opera at Royal Opera House
  • Least Like the Other by Irish National Opera and Royal Opera at the Royal Opera House
  • Peter Grimes by Royal Opera at Royal Opera House
  • Sibyl at Barbican theatre

Outstanding achievement in opera

  • Sinéad Campbell-Wallace for her performance in Tosca by English National Opera at London Coliseum
  • William Kentridge for his conception and direction of Sibyl at Barbican theatre
  • Antony McDonald for his design of Alcina at Royal Opera House
William Kentridge has been nominated for the ‘Outstanding achievement in opera’ award for his conception and direction of Sibyl (Photo: Stella Olivier)William Kentridge has been nominated for the ‘Outstanding achievement in opera’ award for his conception and direction of Sibyl (Photo: Stella Olivier)
William Kentridge has been nominated for the ‘Outstanding achievement in opera’ award for his conception and direction of Sibyl (Photo: Stella Olivier)

Best new dance production

  • Light of Passage by Crystal Pite at Royal Opera House
  • Pasionaria by La Veronal at Sadler’s Wells
  • Traplord by Ivan Michael Blackstock at 180 Studios (The Strand)
  • Triptych (The Missing Door, The Lost Room and The Hidden Floor) by Peeping Tom at Barbican theatre

Outstanding achievement in dance

  • Manuel Liñán for his choreography of ¡Viva! at Sadler’s Wells
  • Dickson Mbi for his choreography of Enowate at Sadler’s Wells
  • Raquel Meseguer Zafe for her dramaturgy of Ruination by Lost Dog at Royal Opera House – Linbury theatre
  • Catrina Nisbett for her performance in Family Honour by Spoken Movement at Sadler’s Wells

Outstanding achievement in affiliate theatre

  • Age Is a Feeling at Soho theatre
  • Blackout Songs at Hampstead theatre
  • The P Word at Bush theatre
  • Paradise Now! at Bush theatre
  • Two Palestinians Go Dogging at the Royal Court theatre
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