The biggest night in London’s theatre calendar is done for 2018.
As awards season rumbles on from The Oscars, eyes turned to the West End for The Oliviers, which celebrate the best of Britain’s theatreland.
This year there was one name on everyone’s lips: Hamilton. Indeed host Catherine Tate, in one of the few high spots of her evening, was fairly accurate when she jokingly applauded other nominees for turning out despite being up for awards against Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical sensation.
Obviously the dissenting voices of those who don’t get, or don’t like, Hamilton are beginning to make themselves heard. But art is not supposed to be for everyone and Hamilton is accessible to a generation and cross-section of people who have previously been starved of something tangible on stage.
But I digress.
Considering Hamilton‘s stunning success and popularity, a special mention should be made to those who were nominated against it and won. Sheila Atim took home Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical and also turned in a beautiful live performance of her solo from Girl from the North Country. Her co-star Shirley Henderson took home the Best Actress prize too and in a moment of wonderful excitement forgot to thank Bob Dylan, whose music features in the piece.
Vicki Mortimer won Best Costume Design for Follies and Sam Mendes took Best Director for The Ferryman. On another year The Ferryman and Girl from the North Country would probably have split the spoils and headlines between them. But Hamilton did the business in spectacular fashion, with seven prizes. It is impressive to note that a superstar like Bryan Cranston, who won the Best Actor award for The Network, is not all over the papers because Hamilton is commanding so much attention.
I briefly considered doing my own Not The Oliviers, like I did with The Oscars. But going by the same criteria, of shows I have seen this year, Hamilton would have carried far too many prizes home.
But here are the full list of winners and the opening performance of the night from – inevitably – the West End cast of Hamilton.
BEST NEW PLAY
The Ferryman
Ink
Network
Oslo
BEST NEW MUSICAL
Hamilton
An American in Paris
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Girl from the North Country
Young Frankenstein
BEST DIRECTOR
Sam Mendes, The Ferryman
Dominic Cooke, Follies
Marianne Elliott, Angels in America
Rupert Goold, Ink
Thomas Kail, Hamilton
BEST ACTOR
Bryan Cranston, Network
Paddy Considine, The Ferryman
Andrew Garfield, Angels in America
Andrew Scott, Hamlet
BEST ACTRESS
Laura Donnelly, The Ferryman
Lesley Manville, Long Day’s Journey into Night
Audra McDonald, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill
Imelda Staunton, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Giles Terera, Hamilton
Ciaran Hinds, Girl from the North Country
John McCrea, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Jamael Westman, Hamilton
BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Shirley Henderson, Girl from the North Country
Janie Dee, Follies
Imelda Staunton, Follies
Josie Walker, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Bertie Carvel, Ink
John Hodgkinson, The Ferryman
James McArdle, Angels in America
Peter Polycarpou, Oslo
BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Denise Gough, Angels in America
Brid Brennan,The Ferryman
Dearbhla Molloy, The Ferryman
Imogen Poots, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Michael Jibson, Hamilton
Ross Noble, Young Frankenstein
Jason Pennycooke, Hamilton
Cleve September, Hamilton
BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Sheila Atim, Girl from the North Country
Tracie Bennett, Follies
Rachel John, Hamilton
Lesley Joseph, Young Frankenstein
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC
Hamilton
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Follies
Girl from the North Country
BEST NEW DANCE PRODUCTION
Flight Pattern
Goat
Grand Finale
Tree of Codes
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DANCE
Francesca Velicu, Le Sacre du Printemps
Rocio Molina, Fallen From Heaven
Zenaida Yanowsky, Symphonic Dances
BEST ENTERTAINMENT AND FAMILY
Dick Whittington
David Walliams’ Gangsta Granny
Derren Brown: Underground
Five Guys Named Moe
BEST THEATRE CHOREOGRAPHER
Andy Blankenbuehler, Hamilton
Bill Deamer, Follies
Kate Prince, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Randy Skinner, 42nd Street
Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris
BEST MUSICAL REVIVAL
Follies
42nd Street
On the Town
BEST REVIVAL
Angels in America
Hamlet
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Witness for the Prosecution
BEST NEW COMEDY
Labour of Love
Dry Powder
Mischief Movie Night
The Miser
BEST NEW OPERA PRODUCTION
Semiramide
La Boheme
The Exterminating Angel
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN OPERA
Joyce DiDonato and Daniela Barcellona, Semiramide
Paul Brown, Iolanthe
Roderick Williams, The Return Of Ulysses
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN AFFILIATE THEATRE
Killology
The B*easts
The Red Lion
The Revlon Girl
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN
Howell Binkley, Hamilton
Paule Constable, Angels in America
Paule Constable, Follies
Jan Versweyveld, Network
BEST SOUND DESIGN
Nevin Steinberg, Hamilton
Tom Gibbons, Hamlet
Gareth Owen, Bat Out of Hell
Eric Sleichim, Network
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Vicki Mortimer, Follies
Hugh Durrant, Dick Whittington
Roger Kirk, 42nd Street
Paul Tazewell, Hamilton
BEST SET DESIGN
Bob Crowley, An American in Paris
Bunny Christie, Ink
Rob Howell, The Ferryman
Vicki Mortimer, Follies
Millennial get 
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