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Olivier Winners 1988

Designer of the Year

Winner: Richard Hudson for his season at the Old Vic: Andromaihe, Bassy D’Ambris, Candide, One Way Pendulum, The Tengat and Too Clever Buy Half

Nominees:

  • William Dudley for Bartholomew Fair, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, The Changeling, Waiting For Godot and The Shaughraun, all at the National Theatre
  • Richard Hudson for his season at The Old Vic: Andromaihe, Bassy D’Ambris, Candide, One Way Pendulum, The Tengat and Too Clever Buy Half
  • Nick Ormerod for A Family Affair, Philoctetes, The Tempest, all at the Donmar Warehouse
  • Mark Thompson for Measure For Measure and The Wizard Of Oz, RSC at the Barbican

Director of the Year

Winner: Deborah Warner for Titus Andronicus, RSC at the Barbican Pit

Nominees:

  • Howard Davies for Cat On A Hot Tin Roof at the National Theatre Lyttelton, The Secret Rapture at the National Theatre Lyttelton and The Shaughraun at the National Theatre Olivier
  • Max Stafford-Clark for The Recruiting Officer and Our Country’s Good at the Royal Court
  • David Thacker for A Touch Of The Poet at the Comedy and An Enemy Of The People at the Playhouse
  • Deborah Warner for Titus Andronicus, RSC at the Barbican Pit

Actor of the Year in a Revival

Winner: Brian Cox for Titus Andronicus, RSC at the Barbican Pit

Nominees:

  • Alun Armstrong for The Jew Of Malta, RSC at the Barbican and The Father at the National Theatre Cottesloe
  • Brian Cox for Titus Andronicus, RSC at the Barbican Pit
  • Antony Sher for The Merchant Of Venice, RSC at the Barbican and Hello And Goodbye at the Almeida
  • Tom Wilkinson for An Enemy Of The People at the Playhouse

Actress of the Year in a Revival

Winner: Harriet Walter for Twelfth Night and Three Sisters, RSC at the Barbican, and A Question Of Geography, RSC at the Barbican Pit

Nominees:

  • Estelle Kohler for Titus Andronicus, RSC at The Pit and Hello And Goodbye at the Almeida
  • Vanessa Redgrave for A Touch Of The Poet at the Comedy
  • Imelda Staunton for Uncle Vanya at the Vaudeville
  • Harriet Walter for Twelfth Night and Three Sisters, RSC at the Barbican, and A Question of Geography, RSC at the Barbican Pit

Actor of the Year in a New Play

Winner: David Haig for Our Country’s Good at the Royal Court

Nominees:

  • Brian Cox for Fashion, RSC at the Pit
  • Alec Guinness for A Walk In The Woods at the Comedy
  • David Haig for Our Country’s Good at the Royal Court
  • David Suchet for Separation at the Comedy

Actress of the Year in a New Play

Winner: Pauline Collins for Shirley Valentine at the Vaudeville

Nominees:

  • Gillian Barge for Mrs Klein, at the National Theatre Cottesloe and the Apollo
  • Pauline Collins for Shirley Valentine at the Vaudeville
  • Saskia Reeves for Separation at the Comedy
  • Penelope Wilton for The Secret Rapture at the National Theatre Lyttelton

Comedy Performance of the Year

Winner: Alex Jennings for Too Clever By Half at the Old Vic

Nominees:

  • Kenneth Branagh for As You Like It at the Phoenix
  • Alex Jennings for Too Clever By Half at the Old Vic
  • Lesley Sharp for A Family Affair at the Donmar Warehouse
  • Sian Thomas for Countrymania at the National Theatre Olivier

Outstanding Achievement in Opera

Winner: Leontina Vaduva for her performance in The Royal Opera’s Manon at the Royal Opera House

Nominees:

  • English National Opera’s production of The Magic Flute at the London Coliseum
  • English National Opera’s production of Billy Budd at the London Coliseum
  • English National Opera’s production of Hansel And Gretel at the London Coliseum (with special acknowledgement of the work of the producer, David Pountney, and the designer, Stefanos Lazaridis)
  • The Royal Opera’s production of Madama Butterfly at the Royal Opera House
  • Welsh National Opera’s production of Falstaff at the Royal Opera House
  • Leontina Vaduva for her performance in The Royal Opera’s Manon at the Royal Opera House

Outstanding Achievement in Dance

Winner: The dancers of the Kirov Ballet for their London season

Nominees:

  • London Festival Ballet’s productions of Swansong and Cruel Garden at Sadler’s Wells (with special mention to Christopher Bruce for his choreography and Koen Onzia for his performances)
  • Cumbre Flamenca for its season at Sadler’s Wells
  • The dancers of the Kirov Ballet for their London season
  • Hayden Griffin for his designs for Still Life At The Penguin CafĂ© at The Royal Opera House
  • London Contemporary Dance Theatre at Sadler’s Wells for its programming of master works such as Paul Taylor’s Arden Court alongside developing British choreography such as Jonathan Lunn’s Shift.
  • Second Stride for Weighing The Heart at Sadler’s Wells

Outstanding Performance of the Year in a Supporting Role

Winner: Eileen Atkins for Cymbeline at the National Theatre Cottesloe, The Winter’s Tale at the National Theatre Cottesloe and Mountain Language at the National Theatre Lyttelton

Nominees:

  • Eileen Atkins for Cymbeline at the National Theatre Cottesloe, The Winter’s Tale at the National Theatre Cottesloe and Mountain Language at the National Theatre Lyttelton
  • Rudi Davies for A Touch Of The Poet at the Comedy
  • Serena Evans for Henceforward at the Vaudeville
  • Tony Haygarth for The Tempest at the National Theatre Cottesloe

Outstanding Performance of the Year by an Actor in a Musical

Winner: Con O’Neill for Blood Brothers at the Albery

Nominees:

  • Bille Brown for The Wizard Of Oz, RSC at the Barbican
  • Nickolas Grace for Candide at the Old Vic
  • Con O’Neill for Blood Brothers at the Albery
  • Mickey Rooney for Sugar Babies at the Savoy

Outstanding Performance of the Year by an Actress in a Musical

Winner: Patricia Routledge for Candide at the Old Vic

Nominees:

  • Kiki Dee for Blood Brothers at the Albery
  • Ann Miller for Sugar Babies at the Savoy
  • Patricia Routledge for Candide at the Old Vic
  • Imelda Staunton for The Wizard Of Oz, RSC at the Barbican

Most Promising Newcomer of the Year in Theatre

Winner: Richard Jones for Too Clever By Half at the Old Vic

Nominees:

  • Andrew Castell for Journey’s End at the Whitehall
  • Alan Cumming for The Conquest Of The South Pole at the Royal Court
  • Richard Jones for Too Clever By Half at the Old Vic
  • Tim Luscombe for Easy Virtue at the Garrick, The Browning Version and Harlequinade both at the Royalty

Comedy of the Year

Winner: Shirley Valentine by Willy Russell at the Vaudeville

Nominees:

  • Henceforward by Alan Ayckbourn at the Vaudeville
  • Separation by Tom Kempinski at the Comedy
  • Shirley Valentine by Willy Russell at the Vaudeville
  • The Common Pursuit by Simon Gray at the Phoenix

Musical of the Year

Winner: Candide by Hugh Wheeler, book adapted from Voltaire, lyrics by Richard Wilbur, music by Leonard Bernstein, at the Old Vic

Nominees:

  • Babes In Arms, music by Richard Rogers, lyrics by Lorenz Hart, at the Regent’s Park Open Air
  • Blood Brothers, book, music and lyrics by Willy Russell, at the Albery
  • Candide by Hugh Wheeler, book adapted from Voltaire, lyrics by Richard Wilbur, music by Leonard Bernstein, at the Old Vic
  • The Wizard Of Oz by L Frank Baum, adapted by John Kane from the motion picture screenplay, music and lyrics of the MGM picture score by Harold Arlen and Ey Harburg, RSC at the Barbican

BBC Award for the Play of the Year

Winner: Our Country’s Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker at the Royal Court

Nominees:

  • A Walk In The Woods by Lee Blessing at the Comedy
  • Mrs Klein by Nicholas Wright at the National Theatre Cottesloe and the Apollo
  • Our Country’s Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker at the Royal Court
  • The Secret Rapture by David Hare at the National Theatre Lyttelton

The Observer Award for Outstanding Achievement

Winner: Maly Theatre of Leningrad for Stars In The Morning Sky by Alexander Galin at the Riverside Studios

Nominees:

  • Nick Dear for his adaptation of Ostrovsky’s A Family Affair by Jowl at the Donmar Warehouse
  • Maly Theatre of Leningrad for Stars In The Morning Sky by Alexander Galin at the Riverside Studios
  • David Thacker for directing An Enemy Of The People at the Young Vic and the Playhouse
  • Theatre de Complicite for its season at the Almeida

The Society’s Special Award

Sir Alec Guinness