Olivier Awards 2023: My Neighbour Totoro and Jodie Comer among winners

‘My Neighbour Totoro’ leads the Olivier Awards with six wins, whilst ‘Standing at the Sky’s Edge’ wins Best New Musical

by Charlie Gardiner

Since 1976, the Olivier Awards have been celebrating the best in British theatre. This year, at the glamorous Royal Albert Hall, star of stage and screen Hannah Waddingham hosted the prestigious ceremony. Steeped with show-stopping performances from Disney’s Newsies, new musical Sylvia, and many others, this year's Olivier Awards was one to remember. 

Leading the winners was the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of My Neighbour Totoro. Based on the beloved Studio Ghibli animated film, My Neighbour Totoro walked away with six awards, including Phelim McDermott for Best Director and Tony Gayle for Best Sound Design. Originally staged at London’s Barbican Theatre, My Neighbour Totoro is scheduled to be returning to the capital later this year. 

Also winning multiple awards was the Almeida Theatre’s revival of the ever-popular A Streetcar Named Desire. Leading actor Paul Mescal and supporting actress Anjana Vasan both won for their performances in the esteemed play. Multiple other productions from North London’s Almeida Theatre also picked up accolades at this year’s Oliviers: Elton John’s new musical Tammy Faye, and Patriots, written by Peter Morgan, both won multiple awards. 

See below for the full list of winners: 

Best Revival: 

• A Streetcar Named Desire (Almeida Theatre) – Winner
• The Crucible (National Theatre - Olivier)
• Good (Harold Pinter Theatre) 
• Jerusalem (Apollo Theatre)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role: 

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

Best Actress in a Supporting Role:

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

Best Set Design:

• Tom Pye – RSC’s My Neighbour Totoro (Barbican Theatre) - Winner
• Miriam Buether – To Kill a Mockingbird (Gielgud Theatre)
• Ban Stones – Standing at the Sky’s Edge (National Theatre - Olivier) 
• Mark Walters – Jack and the Beanstalk (The London Palladium)

Best Costume Design:

• Kimie Nakano – RSC’s My Neighbour Totoro (Barbican Theatre) – Winner
• Frankie Bradshaw – Blues for an Alabama Sky (National Theatre - Lyttelton) 
• Hugh Durrant – Jack and the Beanstalk (The London Palladium)
• Jean Paul Gaultier – Jean Paul Gaultier Fashion Freak Show (Roundhouse)

Best Actress: 

• Jodie Comer – Prima Facie (Harold Pinter Theatre) – Winner
• Patsy Ferran – A Streetcar Named Desire (Almeida Theatre) 
• Mei Mac – RSC’s My Neighbour Totoro (Barbican Theatre)
• Janet McTeer – Phaedra (National Theatre - Lyttelton)
• Nicola Walker – The Corn is Green (National Theatre - Lyttelton) 

Best Actor:

• Paul Mescal – A Streetcar Named Desire (Almeida Theatre) – Winner
• Tom Hollander – Patriots (Almeida Theatre)
• Rafe Spall – To Kill a Mockingbird (Gielgud Theatre)
• David Tennant – Good (Harold Pinter Theatre)
• Giles Terera – Blues for an Alabama Sky (National Theatre - Lyttelton)

Outstanding Achievement in Opera: 

• William Kentridge – Sibyl (Barbican Theatre) – Winner
• Sinéad Campbell-Wallace – Tosca (London Coliseum) 
• Antony McDonald – Alcina (Royal Opera House) 

Best New Opera: 

• Alcina (Royal Opera House) – Winner
• Least Like the Other (Royal Opera House - Linbury Theatre) 
• Peter Grimes (Royal Opera House) 
• Sibyl (Barbican Theatre)

Best New Play: 

• Prima Facie (Harold Pinter Theatre) – Winner
• For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy (Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at Royal Court Theatre) 
• Patriots (Almeida Theatre) 
• To Kill a Mockingbird (Gielgud Theatre) 

Best Director: 

• Phelim McDermott – RSC’s My Neighbour Totoro (Barbican Theatre) – Winner
• Rebecca Frecknall – A Streetcar Named Desire (Almeida Theatre) 
• Robert Hastie – Standing at the Sky’s Edge (National Theatre - Olivier) 
• Justin Martin – Prima Facie (Harold Pinter Theatre)
• Bartlett Sher – To Kill a Mockingbird (Gielgud Theatre) 

Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre: 

• The P Word (Bush Theatre) – Winner
• Age is a Feeling (Soho Theatre) 
• Blackout Songs (Hampstead Theatre Downstairs) 
• Paradise Now! (Bush Theatre) 
• Two Palestines Go Dogging (Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at Royal Court Theatre) 

Best Entertainment or Comedy Play: 

• RSC’s My Neighbour Totoro (Barbican Theatre) – Winner
• Jack and the Beanstalk (The London Palladium)
• My Son’s a Queer, (But What Can You Do?) (Garrick Theatre and Ambassadors Theatre)
• One Woman Show (Ambassadors Theatre)

Best Family Show: 

• Hey Duggee: The Live Theatre Show (Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall) – Winner
• Blippi the Musical (Apollo Theatre) 
• Midsummer Mechanicals (Shakespeare’s Globe - Sam Wanamaker Playhouse)
• The Smartest Giant in Town (St Martin’s Theatre) 

Outstanding Achievements in Dance: 

• Dickson Mbi – Enowate (Sadler’s Wells) - Winner
• Manuel Liñán – ¡VIVA! (Sadler’s Wells) 
• Raquel Meseguer Zafe – Ruination by Lost Dog (Royal Opera House - Linbury Theatre)
• Catrina Nisbett – Family Honour by Spoken Movement (Sadler’s Wells) 

Best New Dance Production:

• Traplord – Ivan Michael Blackstock (180 Studios) - Winner
• Light of Passage – The Royal Ballet (Royal Opera House) 
• Pasionaria – La Veronal (Sadler’s Wells)
• Triptych (The Missing Door, The Lost Room, and The Hidden Floor) – Peeping Tom (Barbican Theatre) 

Best Musical Revival: 

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

Best Original Score or New Orchestrations: 

• Richard Hawley for Music and Lyrics, and Tom Deering – Standing at the Sky’s Edge (National Theatre - Olivier) - Winner
• David Yazbek for Music and Lyrics, Jamshied Sharifi for Orchestrations, and Andrea Grody – The Band’s Visit (Donmar Warehouse)
• Joe Hisaishi for Music, and Will Stuart – RSC's My Neighbour Totoro (Barbican Theatre)
• Daniel Kluger for Orchestrations and Arrangements, and Nathan Koci – Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! (Young Vic)

Best Theatre Choreography: 

• Matt Cole - Disney’s Newsies (Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre) – Winner
• Lynne Page - Standing at the Sky’s Edge (National Theatre - Olivier) 
• Kate Prince - Sylvia (The Old Vic) 
• Basil Twist - RSC’s My Neighbour Totoro (Barbican Theatre) 

Best Lighting Design: 

• Jessica Hung Han Yun – RSC’s My Neighbour Totoro (Barbican Theatre) – Winner
• Natasha Chivers – Prima Facie (Harold Pinter Theatre) 
• Lee Curran – A Streetcar Named Desire (Almeida Theatre) 
• Tim Lutkin – The Crucible (National Theatre - Olivier) 

Best Sound Design: 

• Tony Gayle – RSC’s My Neighbour Totoro (Barbican Theatre) – Winner
• Bobby Aitken – Standing at the Sky’s Edge (National Theatre - Olivier) 
• Drew Levy – Rogers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! (Young Vic) 
• Ben Ringham and Max Ringham – Prima Facie (Harold Pinter Theatre) 

Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical: 

• Beverley Knight – Sylvia (The Old Vic) – Winner
• Maimuna Memon – Standing at the Sky’s Edge (National Theatre - Olivier) 
• Liza Sadovy – Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! (Young Vic) 
• Marisha Wallace – Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! (Young Vic) 

Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical: 

• Zubin Varla – Tammy Faye (Almeida Theatre) – Winner
• Sharif Afifi – The Band’s Visit (Donmar Warehouse) 
• Peter Polycarpou – The Band’s Visit (Donmar Warehouse) 
• Clive Rowe – Sister Act (Eventim Apollo) 

Best Actor in a Musical: 

• Arthur Darvill – Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! (Young Vic) – Winner
• Alon Moni Aboutboul – The Band’s Visit (Donmar Warehouse) 
• Julian Ovenden – Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific (Sadler’s Wells) 
• Andrew Rannells – Tammy Faye (Almeida Theatre) 

Best Actress in a Musical: 

• Katie Brayben – Tammy Faye (Almeida Theatre) – Winner
• Anoushka Lucas – Rogers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! (Young Vic) 
• Miri Mesika – The Band’s Visit (Donmar Warehouse) 
• Faith Omole – Standing at the Sky’s Edge (National Theatre - Olivier) 

Best New Musical: 

• Standing at the Sky’s Edge (National Theatre - Olivier) – Winner
• The Band’s Visit (Donmar Warehouse) 
• Sylvia (The Old Vic) 
• Tammy Faye (Almeida Theatre) 

Huge congratulations to all the winners! 

Read all the latest award news.

Photo credit: My Neighbour Totoro Production Image. Manuel Harlan (c) RSC, with Nippon TV