ross

London Calling Again: Olivier Awards Reveal a Season of Scale, Stars, and Standouts

Paddington the Musical. Photo courtesy of Sonia Friedman Productions.

Frontmezzjunkies reports: The Olivier Award Nominations are Announced

By Ross

The nominees for the 2026 Olivier Awards were announced this morning, offering another reminder that London theatre continues to operate on a scale and with a level of star power that can make even the most seasoned theatre lover feel a little transatlantic envy.

Leading the pack this year are 11-time nominees Paddington the Musical and Stephen Sondheim’s beloved fairy-tale collision Into the Woods. At the same time, the gripping drama Kenrex, Arthur Miller’s All My Sons, and the rock-infused Broadway transfer Stereophonic each earned six nominations. Jamie Lloyd’s bold revival of Evita followed close behind with five, while the darkly compelling Punch and Mel Brooks’ deliriously funny The Producers landed four nominations apiece.

Jack Holden in Kenrex. Photo by Manuel Harlan

Several of this season’s nominated productions are already familiar territory here at Frontmezzjunkies. I had the chance to experience the haunting theatrical soundscape of Stereophonic on Broadway, the chilling true-crime drama Kenrex at the Other Palace, the moral thunder of All My Sons in the West End, and the emotionally raw Punch, also on Broadway, while also catching The Producers during its triumphant run at the Menier Chocolate Factory before transferring to the West End. Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods, meanwhile, continues its long tradition of captivating audiences with a revival that has clearly struck a chord with Olivier voters.

The acting categories this year are particularly starry. Nominees include Cate Blanchett for The Seagull, Bryan Cranston, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, and Paapa Essiedu for All My Sons, Tom Hiddleston for the soon-to-transfer-to-Broadway Much Ado About Nothing, and Rosamund Pike for Inter Alia, a show that I already have tickets for in mid-May.

Bryan Cranston, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hayley Squires, and Paapa Essiedu in the West End production of All My Sons. Photo by Jan Versweyveld.

One of the most talked-about nominations belongs to Rachel Zegler, recognised for her performance as Eva Perón in Jamie Lloyd’s revival of Evita at the London Palladium. The production made headlines when Zegler stepped outside the theatre during each performance to sing ‘Don’t Cry for Me Argentina‘ from the Palladium’s balcony to the crowds gathered below. The staging drew huge audiences down below on the street and sparked debate among theatre fans about whether the moment was more thrilling for those outside the building than for those inside.

While I’ve never been the biggest admirer of Zegler’s stage work (Broadway’s Romeo and Juliet), the sheer audacity of Lloyd’s staging, and the buzz it created, makes me genuinely curious to see how the production lands when it transfers to Broadway next season.

With an eclectic slate that ranges from large-scale musical spectacle to morally probing drama, the Olivier nominations paint a vivid portrait of a London theatre season that feels ambitious, adventurous, and unapologetically theatrical.

The winners will be announced at the Olivier Awards ceremony on April 6 at the Royal Albert Hall.

Zegler in Evita. Courtesy of Getty.

The 2026 Olivier Award Nominees:

Best revival

  • All My Sons
  • Arcadia
  • Much Ado About Nothing
  • The Seagull

Best musical revival

Best new play

Best actress

  • Cate Blanchett, The Seagull
  • Marianne Jean-Baptiste, All My Sons
  • Julia McDermott, Weather Girl
  • Rosamund Pike, Inter Alia
  • Rosie Sheehy, Guess How Much I Love You?

Best actor

Best actress in a musical

  • Katie Brayben, Into the Woods
  • Danielle Fiamanya & Georgina Onuorah, Brigadoon
  • Jane Krakowski, Here We Are
  • Jenna Russell, The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry
  • Rachel Zegler, Evita
Andy Nyman and Marc Antolin in The Producers at Menier Chocolate Factory, London, England. Photo by Manuel Harlan.

Best actor in a musical

Best supporting actor

  • Hammed Animashaun, Dealer’s Choice
  • Paapa Essiedu, All My Sons
  • Zachary Hart, The Seagull
  • Zachary Hart, Stereophonic
  • Giles Terera, Oh, Mary!

Best supporting actress

  • Isis Hainsworth, Arcadia
  • Julie Hesmondhalgh, Punch
  • Lucy Karczewski, Stereophonic
  • Hayley Squires, All My Sons
  • Sophie Thompson, When We Are Married

Best supporting actor in a musical

Best supporting actress in a musical 

  • Tracie Bennett, Here We Are
  • Amy Booth-Steel, Paddington The Musical
  • Kate Fleetwood, Into the Woods
  • Victoria Hamilton-Barritt, Paddington The Musical
  • Georgina Onuorah, Shucked

Best director

Best new entertainment or comedy play

Best new dance production

  • Into The Hairy
  • Mimi’s Shebeen
  • Random Taranto
  • She’s Auspicious

Best new production in affiliate theatre

  • Ben And Imo
  • The Glass Menagerie
  • The Ministry Of Lesbian Affairs
  • Miss Myrtle’s Garden
  • The Shitheads

Best family show

  • The Boy At The Back Of The Class
  • The Boy With Wings
  • The Firework Maker’s Daughter
  • The Three Little Pigs

Best new opera production

  • Dead Man Walking
  • The Makropulos Case
  • Tosca
  • Die Walküre
Gracie McGonigal in the Bridge Theatre’s production of Into the Woods. Photo by Johan Persson.

Best sound design

Outstanding musical contribution

Best lighting design

Best set design

Best costume design

Best theatre choreographer

  • Fabian Aloise, Evita
  • Ellen Kane, Paddington The Musical
  • Drew McOnie, Brigadoon
  • Lynne Page, American Psycho

Leave a comment