The Industry

The silhouette of a man playing a fiddle in 'Fiddler on the Roof'

Image credit: Marc Brenner / Still From Fiddler on the Roof

Olivier Award Nominations 2025 Revealed

by Natasha Raymond

The front-runners of the Olivier Awards have been revealed, with ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ earning 13 nominations, and ‘Giant’ and ‘The Years’ each being nominated for five awards.

The nominees of the Olivier Awards 2025 have now been announced, recognising and celebrating the world-class talent who have graced the stage and behind the scenes of London’s prestigious theatres.

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre’s Fiddler on the Roof has the most nominations. The 13 awards it’s in the running to win include Best Set Design, Best Musical Revival and the Sir Peter Hall Award for Best Director. Giant and The Years are also in contention with five nominations each, including the coveted The Londoner Away for Best New Play.

A special mention goes out to all those Spotlight members nominated for their excellent performances: Imelda Staunton, Layton Williams, John Dagleish, Lesley Manville, Heather Agyepong, Amy Di Bartolomeo and many more. All Spotlight members are marked in the list below with a star.

The winners will be announced during a ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall on 6 April 2025, with Beverley Knight and Billy Porter hosting.

Full list of Olivier Awards Nominations 2025:

Best New Musical

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – music & lyrics by Darren Clark, book & lyrics by Jethro Compton at Ambassadors Theatre
MJ the Musical – book by Lynn Nottage at Prince Edward Theatre
Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 – music, lyrics & book by Dave Malloy at Donmar Warehouse
Why Am I So Single? – music, lyrics & book by Toby Marlow & Lucy Moss at Garrick Theatre

Best Actor in a Musical

John Dagleish* – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button at Ambassadors Theatre
Adam Dannheisser – Fiddler on the Roof at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
Myles Frost – MJ the Musical at Prince Edward Theatre
Simon Lipkin* – Oliver! at Gielgud Theatre
Jamie Muscato* – Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 at Donmar Warehouse

Best Actress in a Musical

Chumisa Dornford-May* – Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 at Donmar Warehouse
Lauren Drew* – Titanique at Criterion Theatre
Clare Foster* – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button at Ambassadors Theatre
Lara Pulver* – Fiddler on the Roof at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
Imelda Staunton* – Hello, Dolly! at The London Palladium

Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical

Liv Andrusier* – Fiddler on the Roof at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
Amy Di Bartolomeo* – The Devil Wears Prada at Dominion Theatre
Beverley Klein* – Fiddler on the Roof at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
Maimuna Memon* – Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 at Donmar Warehouse

Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical

Andy Nyman* – Hello, Dolly! at The London Palladium
Raphael Papo – Fiddler on the Roof at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
Layton Williams* – Titanique at Criterion Theatre
Tom Xander* – Mean Girls at Savoy Theatre

The Londoner Award for Best New Play

The Fear of 13 – by Lindsey Ferrentino at Donmar Warehouse
Giant – by Mark Rosenblatt at Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at Royal Court Theatre
Kyoto – by Joe Murphy & Joe Robertson at @sohoplace
Shifters – by Benedict Lombe at Duke of York’s Theatre
The Years – adapted by Eline Arbo, in an English version by Stephanie Bain at Almeida Theatre & Harold Pinter Theatre

Best Actress

Heather Agyepong* – Shifters at Duke of York’s Theatre
Lesley Manville* – Oedipus at Wyndham’s Theatre
Rosie Sheehy* – Machinal at The Old Vic
Meera Syal* – A Tupperware of Ashes at National Theatre – Dorfman
Indira Varma* – Oedipus at The Old Vic

Best Actor

Adrien Brody – The Fear of 13 at Donmar Warehouse
Billy Crudup — Harry Clarke at Ambassadors Theatre
Paapa Essiedu – Death of England: Delroy at @sohoplace
John Lithgow* – Giant at Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at Royal Court Theatre
Mark Strong* – Oedipus at Wyndham’s Theatre

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Sharon D. Clarke* – The Importance of Being Earnest at National Theatre – Lyttelton
Romola Garai* – Giant at Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at Royal Court Theatre
Romola Garai* – The Years at Almeida Theatre & Harold Pinter Theatre
Gina McKee* – The Years at Almeida Theatre & Harold Pinter Theatre

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Jorge Bosch – Kyoto at @sohoplace
Tom Edden* – Waiting for Godot at Theatre Royal Haymarket
Elliot Levey* – Giant at Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at Royal Court Theatre
Ben Whishaw* – Bluets at Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at Royal Court Theatre

Best New Opera Production

Duke Bluebeard’s Castle – by English National Opera at London Coliseum
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
Jung Young-doo – for his direction of Lear at Barbican Theatre

Best Family Show

Brainiac Live – at Marylebone Theatre
Maddie Moate’s Very Curious Christmas – at Apollo Theatre
The Nutcracker – at Polka Theatre
Rough Magic – at Shakespeare’s Globe, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse

Noël Coward Award for Best New Entertainment or Comedy Play

Ballet Shoes – adapted by Kendall Feaver at National Theatre – Olivier
Inside No. 9 Stage/Fright – by Steve Pemberton & Reece Shearsmith at Wyndham’s Theatre
Spirited Away – adapted by John Caird & co-adapted by Maoko Imai at London Coliseum
Titanique – by Tye Blue, Marla Mindelle & Constantine Rousouli at Criterion Theatre

Best Revival

The Importance of Being Earnest – by Oscar Wilde at National Theatre, Lyttelton
Machinal – by Sophie Treadwell at The Old Vic
Oedipus – by Robert Icke at Wyndham’s Theatre
Waiting For Godot – by Samuel Beckett at Theatre Royal Haymarket

Best Musical Revival

Fiddler on the Roof – music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, book by Joseph Stein at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
Hello, Dolly! – music & lyrics by Jerry Herman, book by Michael Stewart at The London Palladium
Oliver! – book, music & lyrics by Lionel Bart, new material & revisions by Cameron Mackintosh at Gielgud Theatre
Starlight Express – music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Richard Stilgoe at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre

Best New Production in Affiliate Theatre

Animal Farm – at Theatre Royal Stratford East by George Orwell, adapted by Tatty Hennessy
Boys on the Verge of Tears – by Sam Grabiner at Soho Theatre
English – by Sanaz Toossi at Kiln Theatre
Now, I See – by Lanre Malaolu at Theatre Royal Stratford East
What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank – by Nathan Englander at Marylebone Theatre

Best New Dance Production

Assembly Hall – by Kidd Pivot, Crystal Pite & Jonathon Young at Sadler’s Wells
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 – Linbury Theatre
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

Sir Peter Hall Award for Best Director

Eline Arbo – The Years at Almeida Theatre & Harold Pinter Theatre
Jordan Fein – Fiddler on the Roof at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
Nicholas Hytner – Giant at Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at Royal Court Theatre
Robert Icke – Oedipus at Wyndham’s Theatre

Best Set Design

Jon Bausor for Set Design, Toby Olié & Daisy Beattie for Puppetry Design and Satoshi Kuriyama for Projection Design – Spirited Away at London Coliseum
Frankie Bradshaw for Set Design – Ballet Shoes at National Theatre – Olivier
Es Devlin for Set Design – Coriolanus at National Theatre – Olivier
Tom Scutt for Set Design – Fiddler on the Roof at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

Best Lighting Design

Paule Constable & Ben Jacobs – Oliver! at Gielgud Theatre
Howard Hudson – Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 at Donmar Warehouse
Howard Hudson – Starlight Express at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre
Aideen Malone – Fiddler on the Roof at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

Best Theatre Choreographer

Matthew Bourne – Oliver! at Gielgud Theatre
Julia Cheng – Fiddler on the Roof at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
Hofesh Shechter – Oedipus at The Old Vic
Christopher Wheeldon – MJ the Musical at Prince Edward Theatre

Best Costume Design

Hugh Durrant – Robin Hood at The London Palladium
Sachiko Nakahara – Spirited Away at London Coliseum
Tom Scutt – Fiddler on the Roof at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
Gabriella Slade – Starlight Express at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre

Best Sound Design

Nick Lidster – Fiddler on the Roof at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
Christopher Shutt for Oedipus at The Old Vic
Thijs van Vuure – The Years at Almeida Theatre & Harold Pinter Theatre
Koichi Yamamoto – Spirited Away at London Coliseum

Outstanding Musical Contribution

Mark Aspinall for Musical Supervision & Additional Orchestrations – 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 – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button at Ambassadors Theatre
Dave Malloy for Orchestrations and Nicholas Skilbeck for Musical Supervision – Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 at Donmar Warehouse
Asaf Zohar for Compositions and Gavin Sutherland for Dance Arrangements & Orchestration – Ballet Shoes at National Theatre – Olivier