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Movie stars and new writers to battle it out for Olivier Awards
Louise Jury, Chief Arts Correspondent8 Feb 2010
London theatre hailed a new generation of young playwrights today in Olivier Award nominations which also recognise one of the starriest years in West End history.
Keira Knightley, Jude Law, Rachel Weisz, Gillian Anderson and voice of Darth Vader James Earl Jones are on the shortlists announced today.
Other big names bidding for honours include Rowan Atkinson, James McAvoy, Imelda Staunton and former Spice Girl Melanie C.
In a breakthrough for the West End, 2009 also proved the year of the new play — with the Royal Court securing 15 nominations for a string of original hits.
Playwright Jez Butterworth is nominated for both Jerusalem (best new play) and the Almeida's Parlour Song (best new comedy).
Lucy Prebble, 28, author of Enron, and Katori Hall, 28, who wrote The Mountaintop and whose work was championed by director James Dacre at a fringe venue before transferring, both make the best new play list.
Nica Burns, president of the Society of London Theatre, which runs the Oliviers, said 2009 offered a new generation of writers as successors to Harold Pinter, Tom Stoppard, Alan Bennett and Alan Ayckbourn.
“This is the year of the Royal Court after the year of the Donmar,” she said.
“But whereas the Donmar led the awards with a fabulous season of revivals, the Royal Court is leading with a fabulous season of brand new work.”
Ms Burns added that theatre was drawing film stars because it offered “complete artistic satisfaction”.
The most nominated production was the musical Spring Awakening with seven.
Law described his nomination for Hamlet as “the icing on the cake and I am absolutely thrilled”.
Winners will be announced at a ceremony in London on 21 March.
