facebook play-alt chevron-thin-right chevron-thin-left cancel location info chevron-thin-down star-full help-with-circle calendar images whatsapp directions_car directions_bike train directions_walk directions_bus close home newspaper-o perm_device_information restaurant school stay_current_landscape ticket train

Olivier Winners 1997

Best Comedy

Winner: Art by Yasmina Reza at the Wyndham’s

Nominees:

  • Art by Yasmina Reza at the Wyndham’s
  • The Complete Works Of William Shakespeare (abridged) by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield at the Criterion
  • Laughter On The 23rd Floor by Neil Simon at the Queen’s

Best Actress

Winner: Janet McTeer for A Doll’s House at the Playhouse

Nominees:

  • Eileen Atkins for John Gabriel Borkman at the National Theatre Lyttelton
  • Janet McTeer for A Doll’s House at the Playhouse
  • Vanessa Redgrave for John Gabriel Borkman at the National Theatre Lyttelton
  • Diana Rigg for Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? at the Aldwych

Best Actor

Winner: Antony Sher for Stanley at the National Theatre Cottesloe

Nominees:

  • Paul Scofield for John Gabriel Borkman at the National Theatre Lyttelton
  • Antony Sher for Stanley at the National Theatre Cottesloe
  • Ken Stott for Art at the Wyndham’s
  • David Suchet for Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? at the Aldwych

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Winner: Deborah Findlay for Stanley at the National Theatre Cottesloe

Nominees:

  • Frances Barber for Uncle Vanya at the Albery
  • Claire Holman for Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? at the Aldwych
  • Anna Chancellor for Stanley at the National Theatre Cottesloe
  • Deborah Findlay for Stanley at the National Theatre Cottesloe

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Winner: Trevor Eve for Uncle Vanya at the Albery

Nominees:

  • Stephen Boxer for The Herbal Bed, RSC at the Barbican Pit
  • Trevor Eve for Uncle Vanya at the Albery
  • Tony Haygarth for Twelve Angry Men at the Comedy
  • Owen Teale for A Doll’s House at the Playhouse

Best Director

Winner: Des McAnuff for Tommy at the Shaftesbury

Nominees:

  • Richard Eyre for John Gabriel Borkman at the National Theatre Lyttelton
  • Des McAnuff for Tommy at the Shaftesbury
  • Anthony Page for A Doll’s House at the Playhouse
  • Matthew Warchus for Art at the Wyndham’s

Best Set Designer

Winner: Tim Hatley for Stanley at the National Theatre Cottesloe

Nominees:

  • John Arnone for Tommy at the Shaftesbury
  • Paul Farnsworth for Passion at the Queen’s
  • Tim Hatley for Stanley at the National Theatre Cottesloe
  • Mark Thompson for Art at the Wyndham’s

Best Lighting Designer

Winner: Chris Parry for Tommy at the Shaftesbury

Nominees:

  • Mark Henderson for John Gabriel Borkman at the National Theatre Lyttelton
  • David Hersey for Martin Guerre at the Prince Edward
  • Chris Parry for Tommy at the Shaftesbury
  • Hugh Vanstone for Art at the Wyndham’s

Best Costume Designer

Winner: Tim Goodchild for The Relapse, RSC at the Barbican Pit

Nominees:

  • Louise Belson for By Jeeves at the Duke of York’s and the Lyric
  • William Dudley for Mary Stuart at the National Theatre Lyttelton
  • Tim Goodchild for The Relapse, RSC at the Barbican Pit
  • David C Woolard for Tommy at the Shaftesbury

Best Theatre Choreographer

Winner: Bob Avian for Martin Guerre at the Prince Edward

Nominees:

  • Bob Avian for Martin Guerre at the Prince Edward
  • Wayne Cilento for Tommy at the Shaftesbury

Best New Opera Production

Winner: English National Opera’s Tristan And Isolde at the London Coliseum

Nominees:

  • Welsh National Opera’s Cavelleria Rusticana and I Pagliacci at the Royal Opera House
  • English National Opera’s Fidelio at the London Coliseum
  • English National Opera’s Tristan And Isolde at the London Coliseum

Outstanding Achievement in Opera

Winner: Elgar Howarth for conducting English National Opera’s Die Soldaten and The Prince Of Homburg at the London Coliseum

Nominees:

  • Wolfgang Gobbel for lighting design of The Royal Opera’s The Midsummer Marriage at the Royal Opera House and English National Opera’s Tristan And Isolde at the London Coliseum
  • Elgar Howarth for conducting English National Opera’s Die Soldaten and The Prince Of Homburg at the London Coliseum
  • Karita Mattila for her performance in The Royal Opera’s Don Carlos at the Royal Opera House

Best New Dance Production

Winner: English National Ballet’s Cinderella at the London Coliseum

Nominees:

  • English National Ballet’s Alice In Wonderland at the London Coliseum
  • Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Carmina Burana at the Royal Opera House
  • English National Ballet’s Cinderella at the London Coliseum

Outstanding Achievement in Dance

Winner: The dancers of Rambert Dance Company for their season at the London Coliseum

Nominees:

  • Sue Blane for her design of English National Ballet’s Alice In Wonderland at the London Coliseum
  • Viviana Durante for performances in The Royal Ballet’s Anastasia… Now Langourous, Now Wild… at the Royal Opera House
  • Thomas Edur for performances in English National Ballet’s Alice in Wonderland and Giselle at the London Coliseum
  • The dancers of Rambert Dance Company for their season at the London Coliseum

Best Actor in a Musical

Winner: Robert Lindsay for Oliver! at the London Palladium

Nominees:

  • Iain Glen for Martin Guerre at the Prince Edward
  • Robert Lindsay for Oliver! at the London Palladium
  • Paul Keating for Tommy at the Shaftesbury
  • Stephen Pacey for By Jeeves at the Duke of York’s and the Lyric

Best Actress in a Musical

Winner: Maria Friedman for Passion at the Queen’s

Nominees:

  • B J Crosby for Smokey Joe’s Café: The Songs Of Lieber And Stoller at the Prince of Wales
  • Maria Friedman for Passion at the Queen’s
  • Joanna Riding for Guys And Dolls at the National Theatre Olivier
  • Imelda Staunton for Guys And Dolls at the National Theatre Olivier

Best Supporting Performance in a Musical

Winner: Clive Rowe for Guys And Dolls at the National Theatre Olivier

Nominees:

  • James Gillan for Tommy at the Shaftesbury
  • Hugh Ross for Passion at the Queen’s
  • Clive Rowe for Guys And Dolls at the National Theatre Olivier
  • Tony Selby for Paint Your Wagon at the Open Air

The American Express Award for Best New Musical

Winner: Martin Guerre, book by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg, music by Claude-Michel Schonberg, lyrics by Edward Handy and Stephen Clark, original text by Alain Boublil, additional lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boubil, at the Prince Edward

Nominees:

  • Martin Guerre, book by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg, music by Claude
  • Michel Schonberg, lyrics by Edward Handy and Stephen Clark, original text by Alain Boublil, additional lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boubil, at the Prince Edward
  • Nine, book by Arthur Kopit, music and lyrics by Maury Yeston, adapted from the Italian by Mario Fratti, at the Donmar Warehouse
  • Passion, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by James Lapine, at the Queen’s

Outstanding Musical Production

Winner: Tommy, music and lyrics by Pete Townshend, book by Pete Townshend and Des McAnuff, at the Shaftesbury

Nominees:

  • By Jeeves, lyrics by Alan Ayckbourn and Andrew Lloyd Webber, musical stories, based on the Jeeves And Wooster stories by P G Wodehouse, at the Duke of York’s
  • Jesus Christ Superstar, lyrics by Tim Rice, music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, at the Lyceum
  • Smokey Joe’s Café: The Song Of Lieber and Stoller, words and music by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, at the Prince of Wales
  • Tommy, music and lyrics by Pete Townshend, book by Pete Townshend and Des McAnuff, at the Shaftesbury

BBC Award for the Play of the Year

Winner: Stanley by Pam Gems at the National Theatre Cottesloe

Nominees:

  • The Beauty Queen Of Leenane by Martin McDonagh at the Royal Court
  • Blinded By The Sun by Stephen Poliakoff at the National Theatre Cottesloe
  • The Herbal Bed by Peter Whelan, RSC at the Barbican Pit
  • Stanley by Pam Gems at the National Theatre Cottesloe

The Society’s Special Award
Margaret Harris