OLIVIER AWARDS 2026: FROM ROYAL ALBERT HALL TO NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM
words by FELICITY CARTER
First presented in 1976 as the Society of West End Theatre Awards by the Society of London Theatre and renamed in honour of Laurence Olivier in 1984, the glittering ceremony celebrated its 50th anniversary on Sunday evening at a suitably magnificent venue, the Royal Albert Hall.
all images courtesy of CUNARD
Hosted by actor and comedian Nick Mohammed, the ceremony included anniversary performances marking 40 years of The Phantom of the Opera and 20 years of Wicked in the West End. A Special Award was presented to Elaine Paige, with additional honours recognising Wayne McGregor and Danielle de Niese for contributions to dance and opera respectively.
Big-hitting productions including Sunset Boulevard, Operation Mincemeat, The Years, Dear England and Hadestown appeared across multiple categories, alongside acting nominations for Cate Blanchett in The Seagull, Bryan Cranston in All My Sons, Tom Hiddleston in Much Ado About Nothing, and Rosamund Pike in Inter Alia, highlighting a season that that brought major screen performers back onto London stages across both the West End and Britain’s publicly funded theatre sector.
The evening’s major honours centred on Paddington: The Musical, which collected seven awards from 11 nominations, including Best New Musical. Rachel Zegler won Best Actress in a Musical for Evita at the London Palladium, while Rosamund Pike received Best Actress for Inter Alia at the National Theatre’s Lyttelton auditorium. Jack Holden was awarded Best Actor for Kenrex, with Paapa Essiedu recognised in a supporting role for All My Sons. Julie Hesmondhalgh received Best Supporting Actress for Punch, continuing the play’s strong presence across the ceremony.
Other production awards included Best New Play for James Graham’s Punch, Best Revival for All My Sons at Wyndham’s Theatre, and Best Musical Revival for Into the Woods at the Bridge Theatre. Best Director was awarded to Luke Sheppard for Paddington: The Musical. The award for Best New Opera Production went to Dead Man Walking by English National Opera at the London Coliseum -- look away, Timothée Chalamet.
This year’s ceremony took place with Cunard as headline partner, presenting the Best New Musical category as part of its collaboration with the Society of London Theatre during the anniversary edition of the awards, while Audi returned as official car partner, chauffeuring presenters, nominees and guests to the top of the green carpet throughout the evening. “Supporting the Olivier Awards in their 50th year is about celebrating five decades of remarkable talent while also championing the future of British theatre,” said Cunard President Katie McAlister.
Arrivals at Royal Albert Hall took place along the Olivier Awards’ traditional green carpet ahead of the ceremony, hosted by Anita Rani. Guests including Tom Hiddleston, Elaine Paige, Emilia Fox, Vanessa Williams and Elizabeth Hurley attended the anniversary ceremony. Among the evening’s standout looks, Hayley Squires wore Emilia Wickstead, Zawe Ashton appeared in Huishan Zhang, Paapa Essiedu wore Louis Vuitton, Amelia Dimoldenberg was dressed up in TOD’S from head to toe, and Dame Helen Mirren added some shimmer thanks to David Morris jewellery.
Following the ceremony, guests continued the merriment at the Natural History Museum for the official afterparty. Opened in 1881 and known for its Romanesque architecture and central Hintze Hall, the special reception took place beneath the hall’s suspended blue whale skeleton, with champagne galore and Edmunds Cocktails served as thespians and guests partied late into the evening.
