The lovely people at Colman Getty have just confirmed my seat in the press room at this year’s Olivier Awards. Darling! First thought: must scrub up. There’s going to be lots of the great and the good and the incredibly beautiful swanning about, so methinks it’s time to dust off a nice frock. Must play it cool though, as I imagine most people in the press room will be, well, press, and we are a fairly jaded bunch on the whole. I don’t want to be the one in a ballgown if everyone else is in jeans. Fortunately, I have a briefing document to keep me on the straight and narrow (and far from the red carpet) that suggests somewhere in between will be about right: sounds like time for a trusty LBD.
But enough on matters sartorial. I’m excited because of the awards themselves. The Oliviers are the theatrical Oscars. As a theatre enthusiast, it’ll be nice to hear who wins live, and to have the chance to talk to the winners afterwards. Nominees include: Mackenzie Crook (Jerusalem) Rowan Atkinson (Oliver!), James Earl Jones (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof), Keira Knightley (The Misanthrope), Jude Law (Hamlet), James McAvoy (Three Days of Rain), Mark Rylance (Jerusalem), Rachel Weisz (A Streetcar Named Desire) and Samuel West (Enron). Presenters for the night include: Kim Catrall, Rosamund Pike (who is currently touring Hedda Gabler in a production high-up my Want to See list); Tamsin Greig (who is awesome in every way, and is currently in The Little Dog Laughed’ at the Garrick); Rupert Friend, Elaine Paige and James Earl Jones. We also get “divas” from ‘Priscilla, Queen of the Desert’, singing nuns, and most of the cast of Les Mis.
If Mark Rylance doesn’t win Best Actor, I shall eat my ballgown, and the smart money is probably on Rachel Weisz for Best Actress. I can’t comment on the Best Supporting Actress award as I haven’t seen any of the productions, but for Best Supporting Actor my hope is Macenzie Crook and my expectation is Eddie Redmayne.
The award ceremony is on Sunday night, so we shall see…
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