The anticipation is properly building in the run up to the biggest night in the theatre calendar and now it has gone up a notch with news that all the nominated musicals will be performing at the Olivier Awards 2019 ceremony on Sunday 7 April at the Royal Albert Hall, plus The Lion King and Mamma Mia! will be celebrating 20 years in the West End. Oh, and did we mention that stars like Gloria Estefan and Katharine McPhee will be presenting awards?
This year’s Olivier Awards will feature performances from all the musicals nominated in the Mastercard Best New Musical and Magic Radio Best Musical Revival categories: Caroline, Or Change; Come From Away; Company; Fun Home; The King And I; Six; and Tina – The Tina Turner Musical. There will also be a special performance from Disney’s The Lion King, celebrating the iconic production’s 20th anniversary in the West End.
Beverley Knight will perform during the In Memoriam section of the show, paying tribute to those in the theatre industry who have passed away over the last year.
Presenters at the Olivier Awards will include Joanne Clifton, Kevin Clifton, Arthur Darvill, Danny Dyer, Gloria Estefan, Kelsey Grammer, Ruthie Henshall, Judy Kuhn, Jack McBrayer, Katharine McPhee, Danielle de Niese, Andy Nyman, Pasek and Paul, Shane Richie, Thea Sharrock, Ashley Shaw and Layton Williams. Plus, in a Royal first, The Duchess of Cornwall will be attending the ceremony and presenting choreographer and director Matthew Bourne with the Special Award in recognition of his achievements in dance.
We borrowed the Magic Carpet to fly in a host of big names who will be at the #OlivierAwards 2019 with @MastercardUK ð¤©
— Olivier Awards (@OlivierAwards) March 22, 2019
â¨@AladdinLondon ⨠pic.twitter.com/up5Ao8qflz
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of Mamma Mia! in the West End, the show’s ‘Donna and the Dynamos’ (Sara Poyzer, Ricky Butt and Kate Graham) will also be presenting an award.
The Olivier Awards continues its partnership with ITV, which will broadcast the show later the same evening. The full ceremony will be broadcast live on Magic Radio, the Official Radio Partner, hosted from the Royal Albert Hall by Ruthie Henshall and Alice Arnold.
The Awards will be broadcast worldwide via Facebook, and the Red Carpet Live show returns to the Olivier Awards Facebook page from 4 to 5:30pm. Hosts for the show will be announced soon. Content creator and Sunday Times number one best-selling author Louise Pentland will be getting live winners’ reactions backstage at the Royal Albert Hall for the Olivier Awards Twitter channel. The Olivier Awards 2019 are hosted by Jason Manford.
