The critically acclaimed revival of the musical ‘Cabaret’ and the stage adaptation of the successful novel ‘Life of Pi’ were the big winners of Sunday’s Olivier Awards, which won top prizes on Britain’s biggest theater night.
After a two-year hiatus over the COVID-19 pandemic, the London theater community met again for a pompous ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall.
‘Cabaret’ led the nominations with 11 nods. He has won seven awards, including Best Musical Revival and awards for actors Eddie Redmayn and Jessie Buckley.
“This is a dream … This was the role I played when I was a kid at school, it was something that really sparked my passion for theater,” Redmayne said.
“And doing it every night with that extraordinary group of people was amazing.”
‘Cabaret’ also won Best Supporting Actor for Elliot Levey and Lisa Sadova and Best Director for Rebecca Frecknall.
‘Cabaret’, originally produced on Broadway in 1966, with music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb, follows the lives of the characters associated with the run-down Berlin nightclub during the rise of the Nazis.
Oscar winner Redmayne played the Kit Kat Club’s ceremonial champion, and Buckley played Sally Bowles, an English singer with more ambition than talent.
Frecknall said the musical was moving “now with everything going on internationally.”
‘Life of Pi’, based on Yann Martel’s book about the boy who got stuck on a lifeboat with a tiger, won five awards, including Best New Game, Best Actor for Hiram Abeyseker and Best Supporting Actor for the seven performers who portrayed the show. puppet tiger.
“The fact that we were nominated for a puppet figure … is phenomenal and a milestone for puppetry,” actor Fred Davis. “I hope that in the future this will open the door for more puppets in the central roles of the theater.”
‘Back To The Future – The Musical’, based on the successful sci-fi film of 1985, won Best New Musical, while ‘Constellations’ about the relationship between a quantum physicist and a beekeeper won the best revival and best actress for Sheila Atim. .
Liz Carr won ‘Best Heart’, a new production of Larry Kramer’s play about the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, in New York.
Like other industries, London’s West End was hit hard by a pandemic when its theaters were forced to close their gates in March 2020.
Last spring, they began to greet the audience again, although not all and those who did returned with smaller productions and 50% capacity. Larger productions resumed the shows in the summer.
The awards were founded in 1976 and are named after actor Laurence Olivier and are the most prestigious British theatrical awards.
