The Olivier Awards 2016 with MasterCard – the most prestigious event in the UK’s theatrical calendar – has revealed further details of the star-studded ceremony, hosted by two-time Olivier Award winner Michael Ball on Sunday 3 April at the Royal Opera House.
The stars will arrive on the Royal Opera House’s red carpet from 16:45 onwards, as the excitement builds towards the 18:30 ceremony. This year’s list of Olivier Award nominees includes Gemma Arterton, Kenneth Branagh, Kenneth Cranham, Benedict Cumberbatch, Judi Dench, Mark Gatiss, Denise Gough, Preeya Kalidas, Nicole Kidman, Adrian Lester, Lara Pulver, Mark Rylance, Imelda Staunton, Tom Sturridge and David Suchet.
The guests presenting this year’s awards include Uzo Aduba, Zawe Ashton, Shirley Bassey, Matthew Bourne, Rob Brydon, Stephen Campbell Moore, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Adam Cooper, Paul Copley, Noma Dumezweni, Alfred Enoch, Luke Evans, David Gandy, Kit Harington, Emma Hatton, Lenny Henry, Eddie Izzard, Rory Kinnear, Beverley Knight, Lesley Manville, Julia McKenzie, James Norton, Vanessa Redgrave, Amber Riley, Juliet Stevenson, Savannah Stevenson, Kiri Te Kanawa, Luke Treadaway, Zoë Wanamaker and Barbara Windsor.
In a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Olivier Awards:
- Joe Stilgoe and Michael Feinstein will be joined by Michael Ball, Sharon D Clarke, Daniel Evans and Leigh Zimmerman to also perform an exclusive 40th anniversary tribute to the Olivier Awards.
- Grammy Award and Tony Award winner Cyndi Lauper will perform both on her own and in a unique collaboration. Kinky Boots, with music and lyrics by Lauper, is nominated for seven Olivier Awards.
- Jack Savoretti will perform Sonnet 18 at the ceremony to mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. His performance will be introduced by Rory Kinnear, the last person to win an Olivier Award for a Shakespeare role.
- The evening will feature exclusive performances from all four nominated productions in the Best Musical Revival category. Best Actress in a Musical nominee Imelda Staunton will open the show performing a number from the multi-Olivier Award-nominated show Gypsy. Casts from Bugsy Malone, Guys And Dolls and Seven Brides For Seven Brothers will also perform.
- Additionally, all four nominees for MasterCard Best New Musical will be performing. Theatre fans can expect dazzling performances from Bend It Like Beckham, In The Heights, Kinky Boots and Mrs Henderson Presents.
- The BBC Concert Orchestra will be playing at the ceremony, with orchestrations and original music by Music Director Larry Blank, and further orchestrations by Mark Cumberland.
- Red carpet styling will be provided by Amanda Wakeley, Asprey and Chester Barrie.
In the UK, shortly after the ceremony, extended highlights will be broadcast on ITV at 22:15. The full ceremony will be shown on ITV3 on Monday 4 April at 23:00. Both broadcasts will be available on the ITV Hub for the following 30 days. The ceremony will also be broadcast live on Mellow Magic, Magic Radio’s new digital station.
International audiences will be able to watch the full broadcast of the star-studded ceremony on the Olivier Awards new YouTube channel from 22:00 (BST) on Sunday 3 April. (www.youtube.com/olivierawards)
In a free public event, musical theatre stars Carrie Hope Fletcher and Michael Xavier will host the ITV Stage in Covent Garden Piazza. This will also be available to UK and international audiences to watch live on the Olivier Awards’ YouTube channel from 17:00-18:30 BST. There will be performances from the shortlisted shows for the Magic Radio Audience Award – Jersey Boys, Les Misérables, Matilda The Musical and The Phantom Of The Opera – as well as star turns from Murder Ballad’s Kerry Ellis, American Idiot, Breakin’ Convention Hip Hop Dance Festival: Myself UK, and Pro-Motion and West End Blend Choir.
