LONDON, April 10 (Reuters) – A critically-acclaimed revival of musical “Cabaret” and a stage adaptation of hit novel “Lifetime of Pi” have been the massive winners on the Olivier Awards on Sunday, scooping the highest prizes in Britain’s largest evening for theatre.
After a two-year hiatus as a result of COVID-19 pandemic, the London theatre group reunited for a glitzy ceremony on the Royal Albert Corridor.
“Cabaret” had led nominations with 11 nods. It gained seven awards, together with greatest musical revival and prizes for actors Eddie Redmayne and Jessie Buckley.
“That is the dream… This was the half that I performed after I was a child in school, it was the factor that obtained my ardour for theatre actually fuelled,” Redmayne mentioned.
“And attending to do it each evening with that extraordinary group of individuals was dumbfounding.”
“Cabaret” additionally gained greatest supporting appearing awards for Elliot Levey and Liza Sadovy and greatest director for Rebecca Frecknall.
Initially produced on Broadway in 1966, with music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb, “Cabaret” follows the lives of characters linked to a seedy Berlin nightclub through the rise of the Nazis.
Oscar winner Redmayne performed the Equipment Kat Klub’s grasp of ceremonies and Buckley portrayed Sally Bowles, an English singer with extra ambition than expertise.
Frecknall mentioned the musical was poignant “now with all the pieces that’s taking place internationally”.
“Lifetime of Pi”, primarily based on Yann Martel’s e-book a few boy stranded on a life boat with a tiger, gained 5 awards, together with greatest new play, greatest actor for Hiran Abeysekera and greatest supporting actor for the seven performers portraying the present’s puppet tiger.
“The truth that we have been nominated for a puppet character…is phenomenal and a landmark second for puppetry,” actor Fred Davis. “Hopefully it opens the door for extra puppets in central roles in theatre sooner or later.”
“Again To The Future – The Musical”, primarily based on the hit 1985 sci-fi movie, gained greatest new musical whereas play “Constellations”, a few relationship between a quantum physicist and a beekeeper, took greatest revival and greatest actress for Sheila Atim.
Liz Carr gained greatest supporting actress for “The Regular Coronary heart”, a brand new manufacturing of Larry Kramer’s play in regards to the Eighties AIDS disaster in New York.
Like different industries, London’s West Finish was badly hit by the pandemic when its theatres have been pressured to shut their doorways in March 2020.
They started welcoming again audiences final spring, albeit not all and those who did, returned with smaller productions and at 50% capability. Larger productions resumed exhibits in the summertime.
Established in 1976 and named after actor Laurence Olivier, the awards are Britain’s most prestigious theatrical honours.
Click on right here for a factbox of key winners: learn extra
Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; enhancing by Diane Craft
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