Winners announced for the Olivier Awards 2022

The winners have been unveiled for this year’s Olivier Awards with Mastercard, British theatre’s biggest night, which took place on Sunday 10 April at the Royal Albert Hall in London, hosted by Jason Manford.

The biggest winner of the night was Cabaret, a revival of the 1966 Kander and Ebb musical which has transformed the West End’s Playhouse Theatre into the ‘Kit Kat Club’ to critical acclaim. The show won seven of the eleven categories it was nominated in, including the Magic Radio Best Musical Revival. Eddie Redmayne won Best Actor in a Musical for his performance as the Emcee and Best Actress in a Musical went to Jessie Buckley as Sally Bowles, with Liza Sadovy and Elliot Levey awarded in the supporting categories for their roles as Fraulein Schneider and Herr Schultz. Rebecca Frecknall was crowned Best Director, and Nick Lidster won the d&b audiotechnik Award for Best Sound Design.

With five wins (including Best New Play) is Life Of Pi, Lolita Chakrabarti’s stage adaptation of the bestselling novel which began life in Sheffield in 2019 and is currently playing at the Wyndham’s Theatre. Hiran Abeysekera won Best Actor for his central performance as Pi, and – in a historic first for the Olivier Awards – the seven performers who play ‘Richard Parker’, the puppet tiger – Fred Davis, Daisy Franks, Romina Hytten, Tom Larkin, Habib Nasib Nader, Tom Stacy and Scarlet Wilderink – were collectively awarded Best Actor in a Supporting Role. The production also picked up awards for set and lighting design.

Sheila Atim was named Best Actress for her role in Constellations, a Donmar Warehouse production of Nick Payne’s play which ran at the Vaudeville Theatre starring four rotating casts. Constellations also won in the Cunard Best Revival category.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role was won by Liz Carr, who played Dr Emma Brookner (based on a real-life US physician who was among the first to recognise the 1980s AIDs epidemic) in a revival of Larry Kramer’s play The Normal Heart at the National Theatre.

The coveted Mastercard Best New Musical award was given to Back To The Future – The Musical, a new stage adaptation of the hit 1985 sci-fi film currently playing at the Adelphi Theatre.

The Noël Coward/Geoffrey Johnson Award for Best Entertainment or Comedy Play went to Pride And Prejudice* (*sort of), a comedic, all-female retelling of the Jane Austen classic first seen in Glasgow.

Elsewhere, renowned Broadway costume designer Catherine Zuber was awarded Best Costume Design for her work on Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Kathleen Marshall won Best Theatre Choreography for Anything Goes (which she also directed) and Simon Hale received the award for Best Original Score or New Orchestrations for Get Up Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical.

Full list of winners for the Olivier Awards 2022 with Mastercard

Cunard Best Revival
Constellations – Donmar Warehouse at Vaudeville Theatre

Noël Coward/Geoffrey Johnson Award for Best Entertainment or Comedy Play
Pride And Prejudice* (*sort of) at Criterion Theatre

Magic Radio Best Musical Revival
Cabaret at The Kit Kat Club at the Playhouse Theatre

Best Costume Design
Catherine Zuber for Moulin Rouge! The Musical at Piccadilly Theatre

d&b audiotechnik Award for Best Sound Design
Nick Lidster for Cabaret at The Kit Kat Club at the Playhouse Theatre

Best Original Score or New Orchestrations
Get Up Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical – Orchestrator: Simon Hale at Lyric Theatre

Best Theatre Choreographer
Kathleen Marshall for Anything Goes at Barbican Theatre

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Fred Davis, Daisy Franks, Romina Hytten, Tom Larkin, Habib Nasib Nader, Tom Stacy and Scarlet Wilderink – the 7 actors who play the Tiger for Life Of Pi at Wyndham’s Theatre

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Liz Carr for The Normal Heart at National Theatre – Olivier

Blue-I Theatre Technology Award for Best Set Design
Tim Hatley for Design and Nick Barnes & Finn Caldwell for Puppets for Life Of Pi at Wyndham’s Theatre

White Light Award for Best Lighting Design
Tim Lutkin and Andrzej Goulding for Life Of Pi at Wyndham’s Theatre

Best Actress In A Supporting Role In A Musical
Liza Sadovy for Cabaret at The Kit Kat Club at the Playhouse Theatre

Best Actor In A Supporting Role In A Musical
Elliot Levey for Cabaret at The Kit Kat Club at the Playhouse Theatre

Outstanding Achievement In Opera
Peter Whelan and the Irish Baroque Orchestra for Bajazet at Royal Opera House – Linbury Theatre

Best New Opera Production
Jenůfa by Royal Opera at Royal Opera House

Best Actor In A Musical
Eddie Redmayne for Cabaret at The Kit Kat Club at the Playhouse Theatre

Best Actress In A Musical
Jessie Buckley for Cabaret at The Kit Kat Club at the Playhouse Theatre

Outstanding Achievement In Dance
Arielle Smith for her choreography of Jolly Folly in Reunion by English National Ballet at Sadler’s Wells

Best New Dance Production
Revisor by Crystal Pite and Jonathon Young / Kidd Pivot at Sadler’s Wells

Best Actress
Sheila Atim for Constellations – Donmar Warehouse at Vaudeville Theatre

Best Actor
Hiran Abeysekera for Life Of Pi at Wyndham’s Theatre

Sir Peter Hall Award for Best Director
Rebecca Frecknall for Cabaret at The Kit Kat Club at the Playhouse Theatre

Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre
Old Bridge at Bush Theatre

Best Family Show
Wolf Witch Giant Fairy at Royal Opera House – Linbury Theatre

Best New Play
Life Of Pi at Wyndham’s Theatre

Mastercard Best New Musical
Back To The Future – The Musical at Adelphi Theatre