Olivier Awards nominations 2023: My Neighbour Totoro, Paul Mescal and Jodie Comer shine - see full list

The Olivier Awards (officially known as The Laurence Olivier Awards) 2023 nominations were announced today (January 24) with My Neighbour Totoro scoring nine. Love Island’s Amber Davies and Get Up, Stand Up!’s Gabrielle Brooks revealed the star-studded shortlist.

Established in 1976, the Olivier Awards celebrates the very best in theatre over the calendar year. Once named the Society of West End Theatre Awards, the ceremony pays homage to  high quality performances in West End shows, operas, and dance productions.

The Olivier Awards have been held at the Royal Albert Hall since 2017 and according to the London Theatre website, previous ceremonies have been at the Royal Opera House and many West End theatres, including the Dominion Theatre, London Palladium, Lyceum Theatre, National Theatre, Piccadilly Theatre, Shaftesbury Theatre, Theatre Royal Drury Lane and Victoria Palace Theatre.

Last year’s ceremony - hosted by Jason Manford - saw front-runner Cabaret receive seven awards including Best Musical Revival and all four musical acting awards for Eddie Redmayne, Jessie Buckley, Elliot Levey and Liza Sadovy. Life of Pi took five wins including Best New Play.

The awards themselves will take place on 2 April 2023. Here are all the nominations for this year’s Olivier Awards.

Olivier Awards nominations 2023 entire list 

Noël Coward award for best entertainment or comedy play

• Jack and the Beanstalk at the London Palladium
• My Neighbour Totoro at Barbican theatre
• My Son’s a Queer (But What Can You Do?) at Garrick theatre and Ambassadors theatre
• One Woman Show at Ambassadors theatre

Best family show

• Blippi the Musical at Apollo theatre
• Hey Duggee: The Live Theatre Show at Royal Festival Hall
• Midsummer Mechanicals at Sam Wanamaker Playhouse
• The Smartest Giant In Town at St Martin’s theatre

Gillian Lynne award for best theatre choreographer

• Matt Cole for Newsies at Troubadour Wembley Park theatre
• Lynne Page for Standing at the Sky’s Edge at National Theatre
• Kate Prince for Sylvia at the Old Vic
• Basil Twist for puppetry direction for My Neighbour Totoro at Barbican theatre 

Best costume design

• Frankie Bradshaw for Blues for An Alabama Sky at National Theatre
• Hugh Durrant for Jack and the Beanstalk at the London Palladium
• Jean Paul Gaultier for Jean Paul Gaultier Fashion Freak Show at Roundhouse
• Kimie Nakano for My Neighbour Totoro at Barbican theatre

Best revival

• The Crucible at National Theatre
• Good at Harold Pinter theatre
• Jerusalem at Apollo theatre
• A Streetcar Named Desire at Almeida theatre

Best musical revival

• My Fair Lady at London Coliseum
• Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! at Young Vic
• Sister Act at Eventim Apollo
• South Pacific at Sadler’s Wells

Best sound design

• Bobby Aitken for Standing at the Sky’s Edge at National Theatre
• Tony Gayle for My Neighbour Totoro at Barbican theatre
• Drew Levy for Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! at Young Vic
• Ben and Max Ringham for Prima Facie at Harold Pinter theatre

Best original score or new orchestrations

• David Yazbek, Jamshied Sharifi and Andrea Grody for The Band’s Visit at Donmar Warehouse (Music and lyrics by Yazbek, orchestrations by Sharifi; additional arrangements by Grody)
• Joe Hisaishi and Will Stuart for My Neighbour Totoro at Barbican theatre (Music by Hisaishi; orchestrations and arrangements by Stuart)
• Daniel Kluger and Nathan Koci for Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! at the Young Vic (Orchestrations and arrangements by Kluger; additional vocal arrangements by Koci)
• Richard Hawley and Tom Deering for Standing at the Sky’s Edge at National Theatre (Music and lyrics by Hawley; orchestrations by Deering)

Best actor in a supporting role

• Mark Akintimehin, Emmanuel Akwafo, Nnabiko Ejimofor, Darragh Hand, Aruna Jalloh and Kaine Lawrence for For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy at the Royal Court theatre
• Will Keen for Patriots at Almeida theatre
• Elliot Levey for Good at Harold Pinter theatre
• David Moorst for To Kill a Mockingbird at Gielgud theatre
• Sule Rimi for Blues for An Alabama Sky at National Theatre

Best actress in a supporting role

• Rose Ayling-Ellis for As You Like It at @sohoplace
• Pamela Nomvete for To Kill a Mockingbird at Gielgud theatre
• Caroline Quentin for Jack Absolute Flies Again at National Theatre
• Sharon Small for Good at Harold Pinter theatre
• Anjana Vasan for A Streetcar Named Desire at Almeida theatre

Best set design

• Miriam Buether for To Kill a Mockingbird at Gielgud theatre
• Tom Pye for My Neighbour Totoro at Barbican theatre
• Ben Stones for Standing at the Sky’s Edge at National Theatre
• Mark Walters for Jack and the Beanstalk at the London Palladium

Best lighting design

• Natasha Chivers for Prima Facie at Harold Pinter Theatre
• Lee Curran for A Streetcar Named Desire at Almeida Theatre
• Jessica Hung Han Yun for My Neighbour Totoro at Barbican Theatre
• Tim Lutkin for The Crucible at National Theatre

Best actress in a supporting role in a musical

• Beverley Knight for Sylvia at the Old Vic
• Maimuna Memon for Standing at the Sky’s Edge at the National Theatre
• Liza Sadovy for Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! at Young Vic
• Marisha Wallace for Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! at Young Vic

Best actor in a supporting role in a musical

• Sharif Afifi for The B