Oliviers 2018: 'Hamilton' Dominates With Record-Breaking Nominations

Another amazing feat for Lin-Manuel Miranda.

In news that will come as a surprise to precisely zero theatre fans, ‘Hamilton’ has set a new record for the Olivier Awards, becoming the most nominated show in its 43 years.

The rap musical, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, centres around a reimagined version of the life of US Founding Father Alexander Hamilton.

Following its monster success on Broadway, a West End production opened to rave reviews at the tail end of last year, and it’s now received an impressive 13 nominations at the Oliviers.

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The 'Hamilton' West End cast
Dan Wooller/REX/Shutterstock

This breaks a record previously held by ‘Hairspray’ and ‘Harry Potter And The Cursed Child’, which both received 11 Olivier nominations when they first opened in London.

Among the 13 ‘Hamilton’ nominations are nods for Best Actor In A Musical for leading men Jamael Westman and Giles Terera, Best Director for Thomas Kail and, of course, Best New Musical, alongside ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’, ‘An American In Paris’ and ‘Girl From The North Country’.

Of the four nominees for Best Supporting Actor In A Musical, three of them are from the ‘Hamilton’ cast, with Cleve September, Jason Pennycooke and Michael Jibson going up against Ross Noble from ‘Young Frankenstein’.

The Olivier nominations were revealed in a Facebook livestream by Alexandra Burke and Elaine Paige on Tuesday (6 March). Check them out in full below…

Best New Play

‘Network’

‘The Ferryman’

‘Ink’

‘Oslo’

 

Best Actor

Andrew Garfield (‘Angels In America’)

Bryan Cranston (‘Network’)

Andrew Scott (‘Hamlet’)

Paddy Considine (‘The Ferryman, The Ferryman’)

 

Best Actress

Lesley Manville (‘Long Day’s Journey Into Night’)

Imelda Staunton (‘Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?’)

Audra McDonald (‘Lady Day At Emerson’s Bar & Grill’)

Laura Donnelly (‘The Ferryman, The Ferryman’)

 

Best Supporting Actress

Imogen Poots (‘Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?’)

Bríd Brennan (‘The Ferryman’)

Denise Gough (‘Angels In America’)

Dearbhla Molloy (‘The Ferryman’) 

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'Angels In America' has also had its share of nominations
David M. Benett via Getty Images

Best Supporting Actor

Peter Polycarpou (‘Oslo’)

John Hodgkinson (‘The Ferryman’)

James McArdle (‘Angels In America’)

Bertie Carvel (‘Ink, Ink’)

 

Best New Comedy

‘The Miser’

‘Labour Of Love’

‘Dry Powder’

‘Mischief Movie Night’

 

Best New Musical

‘Hamilton’

‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’

‘Girl From The North Country’

‘An American In Paris’

 

Best Actor In A Musical

Giles Terera (‘Hamilton’)

John McCrea (‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’)

Jamael Westman (‘Hamilton’)

Ciarán Hinds (‘Girl From The North Country’) 

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Everybody's talking about 'Hamilton'... but it's been an amazing year for 'Jamie' too
Jo Davidson/SHM/REX/Shutterstock

Best Actress In A Musical

Imelda Staunton (‘Follies’)

Janie Dee (‘Follies’)

Josie Walker (‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’)

Shirley Henderson (‘Girl From The North Country’)

 

Best Supporting Actor In A Musical

Michael Jibson (‘Hamilton’)

Ross Noble (‘Young Frankenstein’)

Jason Pennycooke (‘Hamilton’)

Cleve September (‘Hamilton’)

 

Best Supporting Actress In A Musical

Sheila Atim (‘Girl From The North Country’)

Tracie Bennett (‘Follies’)

Rachel John (‘Hamilton’)

Lesley Joseph (‘Young Frankenstein’)

 

Best Director

Rupert Goold (‘Ink’)

Marianne Elliott (‘Angels In America’)

Dominic Cooke (‘Follies’)

Thomas Kail (‘Hamilton’)

Sam Mendes (‘The Ferryman’)

 

Revival

‘Angels In America’

‘Witness For The Prosecution’

‘Hamlet’

 

Musical Revival

‘On The Town’

‘42nd Street’

‘Follies’

 

New Dance Production

‘Grand Finale’

‘Tree Of Codes’

 

Set Design

Vicki Mortimer (‘Follies’)

Rob Howell (‘The Ferryman’)

Bunny Christie (‘Ink’)

 

Theatre Choreographer

Kate Prince (‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’)

Randy Skinner (‘42nd Street’)

Christopher Wheeldon (‘An American In Paris’)

Andy Blankenbuehler (‘Hamilton’)

Bill Deamer (‘Follies’)

 

Costume Design

Vicki Mortimer (‘Follies’)

Roger Kirk (‘42nd Street’)

Paul Tazewell (‘Hamilton’)

Hugh Durrant (‘Dick Whittington’)

 

New Opera Production

‘La Bohème’

‘The Exterminating Angel’

‘Semiramide’

 

Entertainment And Family

‘Gangsta Granny’

‘Five Guys Named Moe’

‘Dick Whittington’

This year’s Olivier Awards will be held on 8 April.

Broadway Musicals Based On Movies
'Ghost'(01 of08)
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"Ghost," based off the 1990 film starring Demi Moore and the late Patrick Swayze, follows a young couple -- Sam and Molly -- who get mugged while walking home to their New York apartment one night. Sam is murdered and becomes trapped in this world as a ghost, unable to leave Molly, who he learns is in grave danger.
'Newsies'(02 of08)
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"Newsies," the stage adaptation of the popular 1992 Disney movie, recently opened on Broadway to rave reviews. The musical follows Jack Kelly (played by Christian Bale in the film), a charismatic newsboy and leader of a ragged band of teenaged "newsies," who dreams of a better life away from the mean streets of New York City. They just want to seize the day. But he has to deal with publishing titans Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst first. Can you say newsboy strike?
'Spider-Man, Turn Off The Dark(03 of08)
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Drawing from over 40 years of Marvel comic books -- and more than a few blockbuster movies -- for inspiration, "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" spins a new take on the troubles of Peter Parker.
'Sister Act'(04 of08)
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Whoopi Goldberg starred in "Sister Act" in 1992 and the 1993 sequel, " Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit." Now, Raven-Symone plays disco diva Deloris Van Cartier in the musical adaptation of the film, which follows a pop star who disguises herself as a nun.
'The Lion King'(05 of08)
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"The Lion King," based off the Disney animated feature, with music by Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice, was an instant success when it opened on Broadway in 1997. The Disney production won six Tonys, and it's now the highest grossing musical on Broadway.
'The Phantom of the Opera'(06 of08)
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The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical -- based on the French novel "Le Fantôme de l'Opéra" by Gaston Leroux -- was loosely inspired by the 1925 Lon Chaney film, as well as the 1943 Claude Rains movie version of Leroux's book. The musical opened in the West End in 1986 and on Broadway in 1988. It is the longest-running musical -- and the second highest-grossing musical -- in Broadway history. It also received another big screen adaptation in 2004.
'Priscilla Queen of the Desert'(07 of08)
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Based off 1994's "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert," the musical tells the story of Tick, Bernadette and Adam, a glamorous Sydney-based performing trio who agree to take their show to the middle of the Australian outback. It opened on Broadway in 2011.
'Mary Poppins'(08 of08)
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Everyone's favorite nanny, "Mary Poppins," made her Broadway debut in 2006. The musical is based off the 1964 Disney musical of the same name. It also took home a Tony Award for Best Scenic Design.