A Broadway-bound ‘Sunset Boulevard’ leads to Olivier Award nominations
A revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Sunset Boulevard,” starring Nicole Scherzinger as a former movie idol who descends into madness, received the most nominations on Tuesday for this year’s Olivier Awards, Britain’s equivalent of the Tonys.
The show ran and will continue to run at the Savoy Theater in London transfer to Broadway this yearis in the running for eleven awards – two more than any other play or musical – including best musical revival, best actress in a musical for Scherzinger and best director for Jamie Lloyd.
When the production premiered last fall, it impressed London’s often demanding theater critics. Matt Wolf, writing in The New York Times, said that the production, like its main character, was “a bit crazy: reckless and daring, stretching the source material to its limits and beyond.”
“I can’t imagine any other show in London generating similar buzz this season,” Wolf added.
Lloyd’s maverick production features handheld cameras used to spotlight characters’ emotions at crucial moments. Although critics appreciated the technique, Lloyd faces stiff competition in the best director category.
The other nominees include Sam Mendes for “The Motive and the Cue,” which debuted at the National Theater last spring. Jack Thorne’s play dramatizes a fraught backstage relationship between Richard Burton and John Gielgud as they rehearse a Broadway production.
Rupert Goold is also nominated for best director for ‘Dear England’, a play about the English national football team that also played at the National Theater and transferred to the West End. That show earned nine nominations.
Despite mixed reviews, “Stranger Things: The First Shadow,” a theatrical prequel to the Netflix show playing at the Phoenix Theater, received five nominations, including best new entertainment or comedy. Houman Barekat, reviewing the production in The New York Times, said it was “exactly what you’d expect from a show co-produced by Netflix: cheap thrills, expensively made.”
This year’s nominations have a touch of TV glamor in many categories. Among the nominees for best actress in a play are Sarah Jessica Parker for “Plaza Suite,” which runs through April 13 at the Savoy Theater, and Sarah Snook (of “Succession”) for a one-woman film “ The Picture Of Dorian Gray ” at the Theater Royal Haymarket, until May 11.
They will compete for that title against Laura Donnelly for “The Hills Of California” at the Harold Pinter Theater, Sheridan Smith for “Shirley Valentine” at the Duke Of York’s Theater, and Sophie Okonedo for “Medea” at @sohoplace.
Best Actor nominees include Andrew Scott for one-man film “Vanya” at the Duke of York’s Theater, and James Norton for his performance in “A Little Life” at the Harold Pinter Theater. The other nominees are Joseph Fiennes for ‘Dear England’, Mark Gatiss for ‘The Motive And The Cue’ and David Tennant for ‘Macbeth’ at the Donmar Warehouse.
The winners of this year’s awards are expected to be announced at a ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall in London on April 14.