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Olivier Winners 1991

Best Comedy

Winner: Out Of Order by Ray Cooney at the Shaftesbury

Nominees:

  • Gasping by Ben Elton at the Theatre Royal Haymarket
  • Out Of Order by Ray Cooney at the Shaftesbury

Best Entertainment

Winner: Five Guys Named Moe by Clarke Peters at the Lyric

Nominees:

  • An Evening With Peter Ustinov at the Theatre Royal Haymarket
  • Five Guys Named Moe by Clarke Peters at the Lyric
  • Victoria Wood Up West at the Strand

Best Director of a Play

Winner: David Thacker for Pericles, RSC at the Barbican Pit

Nominees:

  • Richard Eyre for Richard III at the National Theatre Lyttelton and White Chameleon at the National Theatre Cottesloe
  • Nicholas Hytner for The Wind In The Willows at the National Theatre Olivier
  • Patrick Mason for Dancing At Lughnasa at the National Theatre Lyttelton
  • David Thacker for Pericles, RSC at the Barbican Pit

Best Director of a Musical

Winner: Richard Jones for Into The Woods at the Phoenix

Nominees:

  • Charles Augins for Five Guys Named Moe at the Lyric
  • Richard Jones for Into The Woods at the Phoenix
  • Ian Judge for Show Boat at the London Palladium
  • Steven Pimlott for Sunday In The Park With George at the National Theatre Lyttelton

Best Set Designer

Winner: Mark Thompson for The Wind In The Willows at the National Theatre Olivier

Nominees:

  • Tom Cairns for Sunday In The Park With George at the National Theatre Lyttelton
  • William Dudley for Marya at the Old Vic
  • Nigel Lowery for The Illusion at the Old Vic
  • Mark Thompson for The Wind In The Willows at the National Theatre Olivier

Best Lighting Designer

Winner: Jean Kalman for Richard III at the National Theatre Lyttelton and White Chameleon at the National Theatre Cottesloe

Nominees:

  • Alan Burrett for Three Sisters at the Royal Court
  • Pat Collins for The Illusion at the Old Vic
  • Jean Kalman for Richard III at the National Theatre Lyttelton and White Chameleon at the National Theatre Cottesloe
  • Paul Pyant for The Wind In The Willows at the National Theatre Olivier

Best Costume Designer

Winner: Jasper Conran for The Rehearsal at the Garrick

Nominees:

  • Sue Blane for Into The Woods at the Phoenix
  • Tom Cairns for Sunday In The Park With George at the National Theatre Lyttelton
  • Jasper Conran for The Rehearsal at the Garrick
  • Mark Thompson for The Wind In The Willows at the National Theatre Olivier

Actor of the Year

Winner: Ian McKellen for Richard III at the National Theatre Lyttelton

Nominees:

  • Richard Harris for Henry IV at the Wyndham’s
  • John Malkovich for Burn This at the Lyric
  • Ian McKellen for Richard III at the National Theatre Lyttelton
  • Warren Mitchell for The Homecoming at the Comedy

Best Theatre Choreographer

Winner: Charles Augins for Five Guys Named Moe at the Lyric

Nominees:

  • Charles Augins for Five Guys Named Moe at the Lyric
  • Terry John Bates for Dancing At Lughnasa at the National Theatre Lyttelton
  • Lawrence Evans for The Trackers Of Oxyrhynchus at the National Theatre Olivier

Actress of the Year

Winner: Kathryn Hunter for The Visit at the National Theatre Lyttelton

Nominees:

  • Penny Downie for Scenes From A Marriage at the Wyndham’s
  • Kathryn Hunter for The Visit at the National Theatre Lyttelton
  • Barbara Jefford for Coriolanus, RSC at the Barbican
  • Josette Simon for After The Fall at the National Theatre Lyttelton

Comedy Performance of the Year

Winner: Alan Cumming for Accidental Death Of An Anarchist at the National Theatre Cottesloe

Nominees:

  • Richard Briers for The Wind In The Willows at the National Theatre Olivier
  • Alan Cumming for Accidental Death Of An Anarchist at the National Theatre Cottesloe
  • Griff Rhys Jones for The Wind In The Willows at the National Theatre Olivier
  • Joseph Maher for What The Butler Saw at the Wyndham’s

Outstanding Achievement in Opera

Winner: Mark Elder for conducting English National Opera’s productions of Duke Bluebeard’s Castle, Macbeth, Pelleas And Melisande and Wozzeck at the London Coliseum

Nominees:

  • English National Opera’s Greek at the London Coliseum
  • Tim Albery for directing the Scottish Opera’s The Trojans at the Royal Opera House
  • English National Opera’s Duke Bluebeard’s Castle at the London Coliseum
  • Mark Elder for conducting English National Opera’s productions of Duke Bluebeard’s Castle, Macbeth, Pelleas And Melisande and Wozzeck at the London Coliseum
  • The Royal Opera’s The Cunning Little Vixen at the Royal Opera House
  • Eva Marton for her performance in The Royal Opera’s Elektra at the Royal Opera House

Outstanding Achievement in Dance

Winner: Twyla Tharp and Jennifer Tipton for choreography and lighting of The American Ballet Theatre’s In The Upper Room at the London Coliseum

Nominees:

  • The Phoenix Dance Company for its season at Sadler’s Wells
  • Darcey Bussell for her performances in The Royal Ballet’s Winter Dreams and Stravinsky Violin Concerto at the Royal Opera House
  • Kenneth MacMillan for The Royal Ballet’s Winter Dreams at the Royal Opera House
  • Mark Morris for The American Ballet’s Drink To Me Only With Thine Eyes at the London Coliseum
  • Siobhan Davies and dancers for their season at Sadler’s Wells
  • Twyla Tharp and Jennifer Tipton for choreography and lighting of The American Ballet Theatre’s In The Upper Room at the London Coliseum

Performance of the Year by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Winner: David Bradley for King Lear at the National Theatre Lyttelton

Nominees:

  • David Bradley for King Lear at the National Theatre Lyttelton
  • Ben Daniels for Never The Sinner at the Playhouse
  • Mick Ford for Singer, RSC at the Barbican
  • Jonathan Kent for The Rehearsal at the Garrick

Performance of the Year by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Winner: Sara Crowe for Private Lives at the National Theatre Lyttelton

Nominees:

  • Sara Crowe for Private Lives at the National Theatre Lyttelton
  • Maria Miles for The Wild Duck at the Phoenix
  • Anita Reeves for Dancing At Lughnasa at the National Theatre Lyttelton
  • Zoe Wanamaker for The Crucible at the National Theatre Olivier

Outstanding Performance of the Year by an Actor in a Musical

Winner: Philip Quast for Sunday In The Park With George at the National Theatre Lyttelton

Nominees:

  • Ian Bartholomew for Into The Woods at the Phoenix
  • Bruce Hubbard for Show Boat at the London Palladium
  • Paul J Medford for Five Guys Named Moe at the Lyric
  • Philip Quast for Sunday In The Park With George at the National Theatre Lyttelton

Outstanding Performance of the Year by an Actress in a Musical

Winner: Imelda Staunton for Into The Woods at the Phoenix

Nominees:

  • Sally Burgess for Show Boat at the London Palladium
  • Maria Friedman for Sunday In The Park With George at the National Theatre Lyttelton
  • Julia McKenzie for Into The Woods at the Phoenix
  • Imelda Staunton for Into The Woods at the Phoenix

Best Supporting Performance in a Musical

Winner: Karla Burns for Show Boat at the London Palladium

Nominees:

  • Sandra Browne for The King And I at Sadler’s Wells
  • Karla Burns for Show Boat at the London Palladium
  • Clive Carter for Into The Woods at the Phoenix

Best Revival of a Play or Comedy

Winner: Pericles by William Shakespeare, RSC at the Barbican Pit

Nominees:

  • Accidental Death Of An Anarchist by Dario Fo at the National Theatre Cottesloe
  • Kean by Jean Paul Sartre from a play by Alexandre Dumas Pere, translated by Frank Hauser, at the Old Vic
  • Pericles by William Shakespeare, RSC at the Barbican Pit
  • The Wild Duck by Henrik Ibsen at the Phoenix

The American Express Award for Best New Musical

Winner: Sunday In The Park With George, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by James Lapine, at the National Theatre Lyttelton

Nominees:

  • Into The Woods, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by James Lapine, at the Phoenix
  • Sunday In The Park With George, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by James Lapine, at the National Theatre Lyttelton

Best Musical Revival

Winner: Show Boat, music by Jerome Kern, book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, at the London Palladium

Nominees:

  • Show Boat, music by Jerome Kern, book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, at the London Palladium
  • The Fantasticks, music by Harvey Schmidt, book and lyrics by Tom Jones at the Regent’s Park Open Air
  • The Rocky Horror Show by Richard O’Brien at the Piccadilly

BBC Award for the Play of the Year

Winner: Dancing At Lughnasa by Brian Friel at the National Theatre Lyttelton

Nominees:

  • Dancing At Lughnasa by Brian Friel at the National Theatre Lyttelton
  • Singer by Peter Flannery, RSC at the Barbican Pit
  • The Trackers Of Oxyrhynchus by Tony Harrison at the National Theatre Olivier
  • White Chameleon by Christopher Hampton at the National Theatre Cottesloe

The Observer Award for Outstanding Achievement

Winner: Cameron Mackintosh for his creative contribution to West End theatre and his generous donations to Oxford University (for a visiting drama professorship), The Royal National Theatre (for the presentation of Great Musicals) and the Tricycle, Kilburn

Nominees:

  • The Almeida theatre under the artistic direction of Ian McDiarmid and Jonathon Kent for Volpone, The Rehearsal and Betrayal
  • Field Day Theatre Company for 10 years’ achievement in presenting Irish drama across all borders, under the leadership of Stephen Rea and Brian Friel
  • Cameron Mackintosh for his creative contribution to West End theatre and his generous donations to Oxford University (for a visiting drama professorship), The Royal National Theatre (for the presentation of Great Musicals) and the Tricycle, Kilburn
  • Robert Lepage for Theatre Repere’s production of Tectonic Plates, at the National Theatre Cottesloe

The Society’s Special Award
Dame Peggy Ashcroft