- Written by Yasmin Rufo
- Olivier Award-winning cultural reporter
A musical starring Nicole Scherzinger about a movie star haunted by memories of her Hollywood glory swept the Olivier Awards.
Sunset Boulevard won seven awards, including Best Actress and Best Musical for former Pussycat Dolls.
Sarah Snook and Mark Gatiss also won acting awards.
“Stranger Things: The First Shadow'' and “Operation Mincemeat'' won Best New Play.
The BBC interviews the stars of the awards show and brings you their top 10 moments, including everything from acceptance speeches to jokes and behind-the-scenes quotes.
1. Sarah Snook goes home with chicken.
To start the night, we said “Good luck” to Succession star Sarah Snook, to which she responded, “Chokas.”
Confused as to what she meant, we met her in the winner's room to find out what she meant.
“Chukas is an Australian word for good luck or a broken leg, and apparently it's slang for chicken,” she explained.
“In the old days, if the show was full, the production team would give you a chicken to eat afterwards.”
Judging by the fact that her one-woman production, The Picture of Dorian Gray, is almost sold out and she won Best Actress, it looks like Snook will be bringing home plenty of chicken for dinner.
2. Andrew Scott wants to remove theaters from London
Scott told the BBC that he was really proud that his solo version of Vanya was released theatrically after a run in the West End.
“The geography is very broad and it's very important that we don't become too London-centric,” he said.
The show won Best Revival, but Scott lost out on Best Actor, which went to Mark Gatiss.
3. James Norton says his show was the worst thing he's ever done
On the green carpet, Happy Valley star James Norton spoke about how challenging his role in A Little Life was.
“It was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life, and it was terrifying at times,” he said.
The film is a stage adaptation of Hanya Yanagihara's blockbuster novel of the same name, and it was a difficult role for him to play, as he has endured unrelenting trauma such as self-harm and sexual abuse.
“Doing 180 shows on stage for four hours with diabetes was the most difficult thing to do, but I'm grateful I did it,” he added.
Norton was nominated for Best Actor.
4. Hannah Waddingham was “murdered”
In the words of Hannah Waddingham's nine-year-old daughter, tonight was all about “murder” and that's what she did.
Waddingham, who hosted the ceremony in 2023, was on a roll once again, entertaining the audience with a performance of “Anything Goes.”
She also admitted that she felt “giddy” after meeting Andrew Scott and became a Nicole Scherzinger fangirl (we were too).
The actress also made three impressive costume changes during the two-hour ceremony.
5. David Tennant offers an enviable jacket
Awards ceremonies are all about dressing up for the role, and while many men opted for a classic black suit, David Tennant wasn't one of them.
Wearing a dark green velvet suit with starry sequins, he had some serious envy on his jacket. He even asked the BBC team if we were jealous of his outfit (of course we were).
Joseph Fiennes, who was nominated for Best Actor alongside Tennant, told the BBC on the green carpet: “David Tennant looked amazing in all the glitter, but he didn't get the memo and I'm feeling really a bit bored now. “I'm doing it,” he said.
6. Nicole Scherzinger loves Sunday roast.
The American actress and singer, who won Best Actress in a Musical, told the BBC in the winners' room that she felt like an “honored Brit”.
“London always feels like a second home and I'm always surrounded by so much love,” she said.
One of the former Pussycat Dolls singer's favorite things to do in the UK is roast dinners.
Let's hope we don't miss too many roasts when she takes Sunset Boulevard to Broadway later this year.
7. Mark Gatiss called his victory “vulgar”
Mark Gatiss beat out competition from Andrew Scott and James Norton to win Best Actor for his role in Motives and Cues in one of the year's toughest categories.
Gatiss, who played John Gielgud, told the BBC that his favorite line in the movie was when his character talks about the Tony Awards and says, “The very act of judging something…is vulgar.” Told.
“I think it’s ironic that I won this award for that role,” he said.
8. “Stranger Things never wins anything, and now we can.”
The Stranger Things: The First Shadow production team told the BBC in the winner's room that they were thrilled to win because “we always get nominated and we've never won anything.” He said he was there.
The play served as a prequel to the Netflix series and won the award for Best New Entertainment or Comedy Play.
“It's just unbelievable. It's a real thrill,” said author Kate Trefry. When her award was announced, she even “dropped a whole glass of wine on herself.”
9. Arlene Phillips wins her first Olivier at age 80
Former Strictly Come Dancing judge Dame Arlene Phillips has won her first Olivier Award at the age of 80.
Phillips won an award for her choreography for the musical “Guys and Dolls,” and received a standing ovation.
Ms Phillips thanked fellow choreographer James Cousins, who helped her by “crawling” across the floor to demonstrate the moves when she was having knee problems.
She was presented with a lifetime achievement award in 2023, which she told the BBC “means more because it's actually about my work.”
10. Operation Mincemeat says sorry to Monday theatergoers
The team behind Best New Musical winner Operation Mincemeat issued a warning to those attending Monday's show. “Should we be sensible and just have a few drinks or have a full-on party?” the cast member asked the BBC. Before we could answer, everyone unanimously agreed that a few drinks was never an option. The cast of the show, which tells the true story of the secret mission that led Britain to victory in World War II, said: “We apologize to those who watched the show on Monday, but this may not be the best situation. No!” he added.