| Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical | |
|---|---|
 2024 Recipient: Nicole Scherzinger | |
| Awarded for | Best Actress in a Musical |
| Location | England |
| Presented by | Society of London Theatre |
| First awarded | 1979 |
| Currently held by | Nicole Scherzinger for Sunset Boulevard (2024) |
| Website | officiallondontheatre |
The Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical is an annual award presented by the Society of London Theatre in recognition of achievements in commercial London theatre. The awards were established as the Society of West End Theatre Awards in 1976, and renamed in 1984 in honour of English actor and director Laurence Olivier.
This award was introduced in 1979, along with the award for Best Actor in a Musical. In 1977 and 1978, there had been a commingled actor/actress award for Best Performance in a Musical, won both times by an actress.
Winners and nominees
1970s
| Year | Actress | Musical | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | |||
| Virginia McKenna | The King and I | Anna Leonowens | |
| Carol Channing | Hello, Dolly! | Dolly Gallagher Levi | |
| Antonia Ellis | Chicago | Velma Kelly | |
| Liz Robertson | My Fair Lady | Eliza Doolittle |
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
| Year | Actress | Musical | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Miriam-Teak Lee | & Juliet | Juliet Capulet |
| Audrey Brisson | Amélie | Amélie Poulain | |
| Judy Kuhn | Fiddler on the Roof | Golde | |
| Zizi Strallen | Mary Poppins | Mary Poppins | |
| 2021 | Not presented due to extended closing of theatre productions during COVID-19 pandemic | ||
| 2022 | Jessie Buckley | Cabaret | Sally Bowles |
| Sutton Foster | Anything Goes | Reno Sweeney | |
| Beverley Knight | The Drifters Girl | Faye Treadwell | |
| Stephanie McKeon | Frozen | Anna | |
| 2023 | Katie Brayben | Tammy Faye | Tammy Faye Messner |
| Anoushka Lucas | Oklahoma! | Laurey Williams | |
| Miri Mesika | The Band's Visit | Dina | |
| Faith Omole | Standing at the Sky's Edge | Joy | |
| 2024 | |||
| Nicole Scherzinger | Sunset Boulevard | Norma Desmond | |
| Natasha Hodgson | Operation Mincemeat | Ewen Montagu & Others | |
| Caissie Levy | Next to Normal | Diana Goodman | |
| Marisha Wallace | Guys and Dolls | Miss Adelaide | |
- ^ Due to late March 2020 to late July 2021 closing of London theatre productions during the COVID-19 pandemic in England, the 2022 awards recognise productions that launched anytime from February 2020 to February 2022
Multiple awards and nominations for Best Actress in a Musical
Awards
- Three awards
- Two awards
Nominations
- Seven nominations
- Six nominations
- Five nominations
- Four nominations
- Three nominations
- Two nominations
- Katie Brayben
- Rosalie Craig
- Janie Dee
- Barbara Dickson
- Haydn Gwynne
- Patricia Hodge
- Nicola Hughes
- Beverley Knight
- Judy Kuhn
- Maureen Lipman
- Patti LuPone
- Siân Phillips
- Samantha Spiro
- Summer Strallen
- Sophie Thompson
- Charlotte Wakefield
- Josie Walker
- Emma Williams
Multiple awards and nominations for a character
Awards
- 2 awards
- Eliza Doolittle from My Fair Lady
- Miss Adelaide from Guys and Dolls
- Mrs. Lovett from Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
- The Baker's Wife from Into the Woods
Nominations
- 6 nominations
- Miss Adelaide from Guys and Dolls
- Norma Desmond from Sunset Boulevard
- 3 nominations
- Eliza Doolittle from My Fair Lady
- Lilli Vanessi / Katharine from Kiss Me, Kate
- Mrs. Johnstone from Blood Brothers
- Mrs. Lovett from Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
- 2 nominations
- Audrey from Little Shop of Horrors
- Caroline Thibodeaux from Caroline, or Change
- Desirée Armfeldt from A Little Night Music
- Dolly Levi from Hello, Dolly!
- Dot / Marie from Sunday in the Park with George
- Édith Piaf from Piaf
- Eva Perón from Evita
- Fosca from Passion
- Laurey Williams from Oklahoma!
- Maria von Trapp from The Sound of Music
- Mary Flynn from Merrily We Roll Along
- Mary Poppins from Mary Poppins
- Reno Sweeney from Anything Goes
- Roxie Hart from Chicago
- Sally Durant Plummer from Follies
- Sarah Brown from Guys and Dolls
- The Baker's Wife from Into the Woods
- Velma Kelly from Chicago
See also
- Tony Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
- WhatsOnStage Award for Best Actress in a Musical
References
- Johnson, The Rt Hon Boris, MP (2020-03-23). Prime Minister's statement on coronavirus (COVID-19): 23 March 2020 [transcript] (Speech). Prime Minister's Televised Speech to the United Kingdom. www.gov.uk. London, UK. Archived from the original on 2020-06-09. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
From this evening I must give the British people a very simple instruction — you must stay at home.
{{cite speech}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - McPhee, Ryan (2021-06-14). "U.K. Postpones Reopening Roadmap; West End Theatres Will No Longer Reopen in Full in June". Playbill. Archived from the original on 2021-06-14. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
Step 4 of the roadmap will allow productions to play without capacity restrictions. June 21 was the goal; now, the government is eyeing July 19.
- Thomas, Sophie (2022-03-08). "Everything you need to know about the Olivier Awards". londontheatre.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2022-04-11. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
Any new production that opened between 19 Feb. 2020 to 22 Feb. 2022 are eligible for categories in the 2022 Olivier Awards. With two years worth of shows set for honours in one year's ceremony, the 2022 Olivier Awards will prove tougher competition than before.
- London Theatre Guide (2008). "The Laurence Olivier Awards: Full List of Winners, 1976-2008" (.PDF). 1976-2008. The Society of London Theatre. p. 20. Retrieved 2008-08-30.