The Olivier Awards 2018: who should win, and who will win

The shortlist this year is pretty shocking in the main (where is The Grinning Man in Best New Musical?!?) but from the nominees I’ve been given I have picked our deserving winners, and I’ve also taken a guess at who might actually win.

‘FYI’ Hamilton has become the most nominated production in Olivier Awards history with 13 nominations, which is not surprising. 

OLIVIER AWARDS 2018 WITH MASTERCARD

Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical

Shortlist: Michael Jibson for Hamilton, Ross Noble for Young Frankenstein, Jason Pennycooke for Hamilton & Cleve September for Hamilton. 

Who I want to win: Ross Noble – hero. 

Who I think will win: Michael Jibson

Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical

Shortlist: Sheila Atim for Girl From The North Country, Tracie Bennett for Follies, 

Rachel John for Hamilton, Lesley Joseph for Young Frankenstein

Who I want to win: Lesley Joseph can do one.Tracie Bennett’s effortless mastery of the whole ‘singing some good songs quite well’ ‘thing’ in a supporting role is unbeatable. 

Best New Musical

Shortlist: Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Follies, Girl From The North Country & Hamilton 

Who I want to win: Choosing between all these shows is like choosing your favourite child – if I had a gun to my head I would pick Follies.

Who I think will win: Hamilton, obvs.

Best Entertainment and Family

Shortlist: David Walliams’ Gangsta Granny, Derren Brown: Underground at Playhouse Theatre, Dick Whittington & Five Guys Named Moe. 

Who I want to win: As much as I admired Cameron Mackintosh’s pop-up Spiegeltent and I’d quite like to go to the pub with Derren Brown – I simply love Dick. So it’s the triumphant Dick Whittington at the London Palladium, for me. Who I think will win: Dick Whittington 

Best Theatre Choreographer 

Shortlist: Andy Blankenbuehler for Hamilton,  Bill Deamer for Follies, Kate Prince for Everybody’s Talking About Jamie & Randy Skinner for 42nd Street, Christopher Wheeldon for An American In Paris

Who I want to win: Well we’re spoiled for choice here. I’d say Bill Deamer for Follies: world class choreography. 

Who I think will win: Bill Deamer for Follies 

 Magic Radio Best Musical Revival

Shortlist: 42nd Street, Follies & On The Town at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

Who I want to win: Only three nominees here which seems a bit rude. Follies is the best of the lot, though, isn’t it? Who I think will win: I’m predicting a surprise win for On The Town and if something else happens on the night I’ll simply come back and edit this post.

 Best Actor in a Musical

Shortlist: Ciarán Hinds for Girl From The North Country, John McCrea for Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Giles Terera for Hamilton & Jamael Westman for Hamilton. Who I want to win: Tough one but going with my gut; Giles Terera Who I think will win: Giles Terera. 

Best Actress in a Musical

Shortlist: Janie Dee for Follies, Shirley Henderson for Girl From The North Country, Imelda Staunton for Follies & Josie Walker for Everybody’s Talking About Jamie. 

Who I want to win: Imelda! Come on you buggers, show some respect to Britain’s greatest musical theatre chanteuse. Who I think will win: Basically if Imelda wins for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf then Janie Dee will get it, and if she doesn’t then Imelda will win etc.

Follies

Best Revival

Shortlist: Angels In America at National Theatre, Hamlet at Almeida Theatre, Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? & Witness For The Prosecution at London County Hall

Who I want to win: Angels in America has made its mark on a global level with a Broadway run in full swing. It is also a masterpiece. Who I think will win: Follies. 

Best New Comedy

Shortlist: Dry Powder (Hampstead Theatre), Labour Of Love, Mischief Movie Night, &The Miser. 

Who I want to win: In a normal world James Graham’s buoyant Labour of Love will walk this, but we don’t really live in a normal world. Who I think will win: Mischief Movie Night 

Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre

Shortlist: The B*easts at Bush Theatre, Killology the Royal Court, The Red Lion at Trafalgar Studios 2 & The Revlon Girl at Park Theatre

Who I want to win: In terms of the show that I’d happily sit through again this’ll have to be The B*easts. Who I think will win: I predict a smash and grab win from The Revlon Girl. 

The Revlon Girl

White Light Award for Best Lighting Design

Shortlist: Howell Binkley for Hamilton, Paule Constable for Angels In America, Paule Constable for Follies & Jan Versweyveld for Network. 

Who I want to win:  Paule Constable. No contest. Who I think will win: Paule Constable for Follies. 

Best Sound Design

Shortlist: Tom Gibbons for Hamlet, Gareth Owen for Bat Out Of Hell The Musical, Eric Sleichim for Network & Nevin Steinberg for Hamilton. 

Who I want to win: I’ll be happy with anyone except Bat Out Of Hell. Anyone.  Who I think will win: Tom Gibbons for Hamlet. Revolutionary! 

Best Costume Design

Shortlist: Hugh Durrant for Dick Whittington at London Palladium, Roger Kirk for 42nd Street, Vicki Mortimer for Follies & Paul Tazewell for Hamilton. 

Who I want to win: Vicki Mortimer. Who I think will win: Vicky Mortimer (by a country mile)

 Blue-i Theatre Technology Award for Best Set Design

Shortlist: Bunny Christie for Ink, Bob Crowley and 59 Productions for An American In Paris, Rob Howell for The Ferryman & Vicki Mortimer for Follies. 

Who I want to win: Bob Crowley is a genius and 59 Productions have established themselves as a unique force of nature. Who I think will win: Vicky Mortimer for Follies.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Shortlist: Bertie Carvel for Ink, John Hodgkinson for The Ferryman, James McArdle for Angels In America & Peter Polycarpou for Oslo. 

Who I want to win: Bertie Carvel. Who I think will win: Bertie Carvel.  

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Shortlist: Bríd Brennan for The Ferryman, Denise Gough for Angels In America, Dearbhla Molloy for The Ferryman & Imogen Poots for Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? 

Denise Gough in Angels in America

Who I want to win: As much as I like Imogen Poots (and that ‘muchness’ is somewhere in the region of ‘not much at all really’), I’d have to go for Gough here. Denise Gough. Who I think will win: Denise Gough.

Best Actor

Shortlist: Paddy Considine for The Ferryman, Bryan Cranston for Network, Andrew Garfield for Angels In America & Andrew Scott for Hamlet. 

Who I want to win: Andrew Scott’s Hamlet was one for the ages. La Scott 100%. Who I think will win:  Andrew Garfield will win, presumably. 

 Best Actress

Shortlist: Laura Donnelly for The Ferryman, Lesley Manville for Long Day’s Journey Into Night, Audra McDonald for Lady Day At Emerson’s Bar & Grill & Imelda Staunton for Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?

Who I want to win: The best shortlist of the lot. Imelda Staunton to win. Who I think will win: Imelda Staunton. 

Best Director 

The Ferrymam

Shortlist: Who I think will win:  Dominic Cooke for Follies, Marianne Elliott for Angels In America, Rupert Goold for Ink & Thomas Kail for Hamilton & Sam Mendes for The Ferryman. 

Who I want to win: Marianne Elliott. Who I think will win: Sam Mendes. 

 Virgin Atlantic Best New Play

Shortlist: The Ferryman, Ink, Network & Oslo. 

Who I want to win: I’d say in any other year Ink would and would win this. Who I think will win: The Ferryman. 

Mastercard Best New Musical

Shortlist:  An American In Paris, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Girl From The North Country, Hamilton & Young Frankenstein. 

Who I want to win: Girl From The North Country. Who I think will win: Hamilton. 

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is that.

Bookmark this page and come back on the night of the Olivier’s to see how I did, but be quick because I’m definitely going to come back and change all my predictions so that it looks like I knew what I was talking about.

And if you’re an artist and you don’t win, don’t worry – the awards are overrated and will look ridiculous on your mantelpiece.