A Doctor and a Queen, namely Waitress’ Gavin Creel and Six The Musical’s Alexia McIntosh, were on hand today to announce the 2020 Olivier Awards nominations, just a month before the ceremony takes place on 5 April at the Royal Albert Hall. So now the celebrations have begun, particularly in the & Juliet, Fiddler On The Roof, Dear Evan Hansen and Mary Poppins camps, all of which have received plenty of love from the nominating panel. So who are you hoping leaves with the big prizes on the day?

There’s something old and something new when it comes to the musicals lined up for Chichester Festival Theatre’s Festival 2019 and just look at the casting. There’s the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic Oklahoma! starring Josie Lawrence as Aunt Eller alongside Hyoie O’Grady and Amara Okereke (Les Misérables) as Curly and Laurey. Plus Tim Firth’s first original solo musical This Is My Family features the talents of James Nesbitt, Sheila Hancock and Clare Burt. Bring on the summer…

Bravo to the Playground Theatre for featuring two musicals in the venue’s first full autumn season, running from October 2018 to January 2019: the world premiere of Matt Board and Reina Hardy’s Fanatical the Musical and a jolly Christmas revival of Mary Rodgers and Marshall Barer’s musical comedy Once Upon a Mattress.