The biggest night in the theatre calendar unfolded last night at the Royal Albert Hall (Sunday 6 April 2025). The Olivier Awards are an evening of celebration, reflection, and anticipation for what lies ahead in the year to come.
Darren Clark and Mark Aspinall, Lesley Manville, Layton Williams and John Lithgow. Photos by Joanne Davidson.
Hosted by Beverley Knight and Billy Porter (who currently stars in the West End production of Cabaret), the winners of the 2025 Olivier Awards were announced.
Ahead of the evening, Fiddler on the Roof led the way with 13 nominations, with plays Giant and The Years securing five nominations each. Attendees of the evening were treated to performances by nominees for Best New Musical and Best Musical Revival, such as The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Oliver!, MJ The Musical, Why Am I So Single?, and Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812. There was also a special performance from the Les Misérables alumni to celebrate its 40th anniversary this year.
The biggest winners of the evening were The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which received 3 Oliviers for Outstanding Musical Contribution for Darren Clark and Mark Aspinall, Best Actor in a Musical for John Dagleish, and the coveted Best New Musical. Sharing the title of most wins in the evening was Giant. John Lithgow won Best Actor, Elliot Levey secured Best Actor in a Supporting Role, and it was awarded Best New Play. Mark Rosenblatt's play transfers to the West End later this year following its acclaimed run at the Royal Court Theatre.
The Olivier Awards also paid tribute to those who we have sadly lost in the community during the past year.
The full list of winners of the 2025 Olivier Awards is as follows:
Mastercard Best New Musical
- The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, Ambassadors Theatre - WINNER
- MJ The Musical, Prince Edward Theatre
- Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet Of 1812, Donmar Warehouse
- Why Am I So Single?, Garrick Theatre
Blue-i Theatre Technology Award for Best Set Design
- Jon Bausor for Set Design, Toby Olié & Daisy Beattie for Puppetry Design and Satoshi Kuriyama for Projection Design for Spirited Away at London Coliseum
- Frankie Bradshaw for Set Design for Ballet Shoes at National Theatre (Olivier)
- Es Devlin for Set Design for Coriolanus at National Theatre (Oliver)
- Tom Scutt for Set Design for Fiddler On The Roof at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre - WINNER
White Light Award for Best Lighting Design
- Paule Constable & Ben Jacobs for Oliver! at Gielgud Theatre - WINNER
- Howard Hudson for Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet Of 1812 at Donmar Warehouse
- Howard Hudson for Starlight Express at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre
- Aideen Malone for Fiddler On The Roof at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
TAIT Award for Best New Opera Production
- Duke Bluebeard’s Castle by English National Opera at London Coliseum - WINNER
- Festen by The Royal Opera at Royal Opera House
- L’Olimpiade by Irish National Opera & The Royal Opera at Royal Opera House
- The Tales Of Hoffmann by The Royal Opera at Royal Opera House
Outstanding Achievement in Opera
- Aigul Akhmetshina for her performance in Carmen at Royal Opera House
- Allan Clayton for his performance in Festen at Royal Opera House - WINNER
- Jung Young-doo for his direction of Lear at Barbican Theatre
Best Family Show
- Brainiac Live at Marylebone Theatre - WINNER
- Maddie Moate’s Very Curious Christmas at Apollo Theatre
- The Nutcracker at Polka Theatre
- Rough Magic at Shakespeare’s Globe - Sam Wanamaker Playhouse
Best New Production in Affiliate Theatre
- Animal Farm at Theatre Royal Stratford East
- Boys On The Verge Of Tears at Soho Theatre - WINNER
- English at Kiln Theatre
- Now, I See at Theatre Royal Stratford East
- What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank at Marylebone Theatre
Best New Dance Production
- Assembly Hall by Kidd Pivot, Crystal Pite & Jonathon Young at Sadler’s Wells - WINNER
- Frontiers: Choreographers Of Canada – Pite/Kudelka/Portner by The National Ballet Of Canada at Sadler’s Wells
- Theatre Of Dreams by Hofesh Shechter Company at Sadler’s Wells
- An Untitled Love by A.I.M by Kyle Abraham at Sadler’s Wells
Outstanding Achievement in Dance
- Sarah Chun for her performance in Three Short Ballets at Royal Opera House
- Tom Visser for his lighting design of Angels’ Atlas as part of Frontiers: Choreographers Of Canada – Pite/Kudelka/Portner at Sadler’s Wells
- Eva Yerbabuena for her performance in Yerbagüena at Sadler’s Wells - WINNER
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
- Jorge Bosch for Kyoto at @sohoplace
- Tom Edden for Waiting For Godot at Theatre Royal Haymarket
- Elliot Levey for Giant at Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at Royal Court Theatre - WINNER
- Ben Whishaw for Bluets at Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at Royal Court Theatre
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
- Sharon D. Clarke for The Importance Of Being Earnest at National Theatre (Lyttelton)
- Romola Garai for Giant at Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at Royal Court Theatre
- Romola Garai for The Years at Almeida Theatre & Harold Pinter Theatre - WINNER
- Gina McKee for The Years at Almeida Theatre & Harold Pinter Theatre
Gillian Lynne Award for Best Theatre Choreographer
- Matthew Bourne for Oliver! at Gielgud Theatre
- Julia Cheng for Fiddler On The Roof at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
- Hofesh Shechter for Oedipus at The Old Vic
- Christopher Wheeldon for MJ The Musical at Prince Edward Theatre - WINNER
Best Costume Design
- Hugh Durrant for Robin Hood at The London Palladium
- Sachiko Nakahara for Spirited Away at London Coliseum
- Tom Scutt for Fiddler On The Roof at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
- Gabriella Slade for Starlight Express at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre - WINNER
d&b audiotechnik Award for Best Sound Design
- Nick Lidster for Fiddler On The Roof at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre - WINNER
- Christopher Shutt for Oedipus at The Old Vic
- Thijs van Vuure for The Years at Almeida Theatre & Harold Pinter Theatre
- Koichi Yamamoto for Spirited Away at London Coliseum
Outstanding Musical Contribution
- Mark Aspinall for Musical Supervision & Additional Orchestrations for Fiddler On The Roof at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
- Darren Clark for Music Supervision, Orchestrations & Arrangements and Mark Aspinall for Musical Direction, Music Supervision, Orchestrations & Arrangements for The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button at Ambassadors Theatre - WINNER
- Dave Malloy for Orchestrations and Nicholas Skilbeck for Musical Supervision for Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet Of 1812 at Donmar Warehouse
- Asaf Zohar for Compositions and Gavin Sutherland for Dance Arrangements & Orchestration for Ballet Shoes at National Theatre (Olivier)
Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical
- Liv Andrusier for Fiddler On The Roof at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
- Amy Di Bartolomeo for The Devil Wears Prada at Dominion Theatre
- Beverley Klein for Fiddler On The Roof at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
- Maimuna Memon for Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet Of 1812 at Donmar Warehouse - WINNER
Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical
- Andy Nyman for Hello, Dolly! at The London Palladium
- Raphael Papo for Fiddler On The Roof at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
- Layton Williams for Titanique at Criterion Theatre - WINNER
- Tom Xander for Mean Girls at Savoy Theatre
Noël Coward Award for Best New Entertainment or Comedy Play
- Ballet Shoes at National Theatre (Olivier)
- Inside No. 9 Stage/Fright at Wyndham's Theatre
- Spirited Away at London Coliseum
- Titanique at Criterion Theatre - WINNER
Sir Peter Hall Award for Best Director
- Eline Arbo for The Years at Almeida Theatre & Harold Pinter Theatre - WINNER
- Jordan Fein for Fiddler On The Roof at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
- Nicholas Hytner for Giant at Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at Royal Court Theatre
- Robert Icke for Oedipus at Wyndham's Theatre
Best Actress
- Heather Agyepong for Shifters at Duke of York's Theatre
- Lesley Manville for Oedipus at Wyndham's Theatre - WINNER
- Rosie Sheehy for Machinal at The Old Vic
- Meera Syal for A Tupperware Of Ashes at National Theatre (Dorfman)
- Indira Varma for Oedipus at The Old Vic
Best Actor
- Adrien Brody for The Fear Of 13 at Donmar Warehouse
- Billy Crudup for Harry Clarke at Ambassadors Theatre
- Paapa Essiedu for Death Of England: Delroy at @sohoplace
- John Lithgow for Giant at Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at Royal Court Theatre - WINNER
- Mark Strong for Oedipus at Wyndham's Theatre
Cunard Best Revival
- The Importance Of Being Earnest, National Theatre (Lyttelton)
- Machinal, The Old Vic
- Oedipus, Wyndham's Theatre - WINNER
- Waiting For Godot, Theatre Royal Haymarket
Piper-Heidsieck Award for Best Musical Revival
- Fiddler On The Roof at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre - WINNER
- Hello, Dolly! at The London Palladium
- Oliver! at Gielgud Theatre
- Starlight Express at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre
Best Actor in a Musical
- John Dagleish for The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button at Ambassadors Theatre - WINNER
- Adam Dannheisser for Fiddler On The Roof at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
- Myles Frost for MJ The Musical at Prince Edward Theatre
- Simon Lipkin for Oliver! at Gielgud Theatre
- Jamie Muscato for Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet Of 1812 at Donmar Warehouse
Best Actress in a Musical
- Chumisa Dornford-May for Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet Of 1812 at Donmar Warehouse
- Lauren Drew for Titanique at Criterion Theatre
- Clare Foster for The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button at Ambassadors Theatre
- Lara Pulver for Fiddler On The Roof at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
- Imelda Staunton for Hello, Dolly! at The London Palladium - WINNER
The Londoner Award for Best New Play
- The Fear Of 13 at Donmar Warehouse
- Giant at Royal Court Theatre - WINNER
- Kyoto at @sohoplace
- Shifters at Duke of York's Theatre
- The Years at Almeida Theatre & Harold Pinter Theatre
Feeling inspired? You can check out which Olivier Award-nominated shows you can catch in London right now on our website.
