Ahead of the Olivier Awards on Sunday, we're sending big congrats to Charlie Stemp, Jon Robyns, Simon Lipkin, Giles Terera and #StageFaves musicals HALF A SIXPENCE, GROUNDHOG DAY and DREAMGIRLS, who've been #AlsoRecognised in the online awards run by our sister site My Theatre Mates. We can't stop watching the hilarious video acceptance from former Avenue Q co-stars Jon, Simon and Giles. View it here...
Half a Sixpence, Groundhog Day and Dreamgirls - all of which are nominated in the 2017 Olivier Awards, announced on Sunday (9 April) - can already celebrating coming out tops in this year's third-annual Also Recognised Awards, run by theatre bloggers portal My Theatre Mates – albeit in some notably different categories.
Half a Sixpence is a two-time Also Recognised winner, taking the prizes for London Newcomer of the Year for Charlie Stemp, who is Olivier nominated for Best Actor in a Musical, and in one of the awards' marketing categories, Best Show Trailer, with footage that heavily features Stemp in all-singing, all-dancing action.
Groundhog Day, trying to convert eight Olivier Award nominations, bags an Also Recognised award for composer Tim Minchin for Best Original Music.
And five-time Olivier nominee Dreamgirls wins the Also Recognised award for Best Musical Direction for Nick Finlow for his work on the show. At their inauguration in 2015, the Also Recognised became the first UK awards to include Best Musical Direction, launched with the backing of industry lobbyists, director Andrew Keates and musical director Mike Dixon.
Elsewhere in the 2017 Also Recognised Awards, there are London musical wins for: the cast of Thom Southerland’s revival of Titanic at Charing Cross Theatre, named Best Ensemble Performance; and one-time Avenue Q co-stars Jon Robyns, Simon Lipkin and Giles Terera, who win Best Musical Cabaret for their charity fundraiser reunion at the Orange Tree Theatre. Be sure to watch their acceptance video all the way through!
