The nominations for the Olivier Awards 2026 with Cunard, British theatre’s most prestigious honours, have been announced. The awards, which this year celebrate their 50th anniversary, will take place at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday 12 April, showcasing the very best of London theatre in a star-studded ceremony hosted by Nick Mohammed.
In what has been another outstanding year on London’s stages, bold new writing has sat alongside revelatory revivals, large-scale spectacle and intimate studio work, reflecting the breadth and vitality of the UK’s world-leading theatre industry. International stars and homegrown talent alike have lit up our stages, while creatives have pushed boundaries with remarkable imagination and skill.
With 11 total nominations each, Into The Woods and Paddington The Musical are this year’s most-nominated shows. Three plays receive six nominations each: All My Sons, Kenrex, and Stereophonic.
The nominees for Cunard Best New Musical are Here We Are, the National Theatre’s staging of Stephen Sondheim’s last work, Paddington The Musical, currently playing at the Savoy Theatre, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre’s summer production of Broadway hit Shucked, and The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry, the Chichester Festival Theatre transfer currently playing at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. For Best Musical Revival supported by Piper-Heidsieck, the Almeida Theatre’s American Psycho, which runs until 21 March, faces Jamie Lloyd’s Evita at The London Palladium, Into The Woods, currently running at the Bridge Theatre, and The Producers, currently running at the Garrick Theatre.
Alongside its Best Musical Revival nomination, Into The Woods receives nominations for Best Actor in a Musical (Jamie Parker), Best Actress in a Musical (Katie Brayben), two nominations for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical (Jo Foster & Oliver Saville), Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical (Kate Fleetwood), Sir Peter Hall Award for Best Director (Jordan Fein, his second in a row following his nomination for Fiddler On The Roof last year), Best Sound Design supported by d&b audiotechnik (Adam Fisher), Best Lighting Design (Aideen Malone for Lighting Design & Roland Horvath for Video Design, a second-in-a-row nomination for Malone), and finally, both Best Set Design supported by Blue-i Theatre Technology and Best Costume Design for Tom Scutt, his fifth and sixth nominations, after being nominated in both categories for his work on Cabaret in 2022, and Fiddler On The Roof last year, for which he won Best Set Design.
In addition to its Cunard Best New Musical nomination, Paddington The Musical is nominated for Best Actor in a Musical (James Hameed & Arti Shah for their shared role as Paddington himself), Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical (Tom Edden, his second in a row after his Waiting For Godot nomination last year), two nominations for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical (Amy Booth-Steel & Victoria Hamilton-Barritt), Sir Peter Hall Award for Best Director (Luke Sheppard), Gillian Lynne Award for Best Theatre Choreographer (Ellen Kane), Best Costume Design (Gabriella Slade for Costume Design, another second-in-a-row after her win for Starlight Express last year, & Tahra Zafar for Paddington Design), Best Set Design (Tom Pye for Set Design & Ash J Woodward for Video Design), Best Sound Design (Gareth Owen), and Outstanding Musical Contribution (Matt Brind for Orchestrations & Arrangements).
Completing the nominees for Best Actor in a Musical are Marc Antolin (for The Producers, which receives four total nominations), Andy Nyman (also for The Producers, following his Hello, Dolly! nomination last year), and Diego Andres Rodriguez (for Evita, which receives five nominations in total). The Best Actress in a Musical category is completed by Danielle Fiamanya & Georgina Onuorah (who job shared their leading role in Brigadoon), Jane Krakowski (Here We Are), Jenna Russell (The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry), and Rachel Zegler (Evita). Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical is completed by Trevor Ashley (The Producers), and Corbin Bleu (The Great Gatsby – A New Musical), and Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical by Tracie Bennett (for Here We Are, her seventh all-time nomination), and Georgina Onuorah (for Shucked, her second nomination of the year, and both for Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre productions).
All My Sons, playing at Wyndham’s Theatre until Saturday 7 March, receives nominations for Best Revival, Best Actor for Bryan Cranston, and Best Actress for Marianne Jean-Baptiste, as well as Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Paapa Essiedu, following his nomination for Death Of England: Delroy last year), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Hayley Squires), and the Sir Peter Hall Award for Best Director (Ivo van Hove). Completing the Best Revival category, with bold new takes on both classic and modern plays, are the late Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia at The Old Vic, Jamie Lloyd’s production of Much Ado About Nothing at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, and the new adaptation of The Seagull at Barbican Theatre.
Kenrex, the Sheffield Theatres transfer which achieved success at the UK Theatre Awards 2025, receives nominations for Best New Play supported by The Londoner, Best Actor (Jack Holden), Sir Peter Hall Award for Best Director (Ed Stambollouian), Best Lighting Design (Joshua Pharo), Best Sound Design (Giles Thomas), and Outstanding Musical Contribution (John Patrick Elliott for Composition). Broadway transfer Stereophonic receives Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Lucy Karczewski, and Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Zachary Hart (who is double-nominated in the same category for both Stereophonic and The Seagull), in addition to Best Costume Design (Enver Chakartash), Best Set Design (David Zinn), Best Sound Design (Ryan Rumery), and Outstanding Musical Contribution (Will Butler for Original Songs & Orchestrations, & Justin Craig for Orchestrations).
Another successful out-of-London transfer, which also achieved UK Theatre Awards success, James Graham’s Punch receives four nominations for Best New Play, Best Actor (David Shields), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Julie Hesmondhalgh), and Best Lighting Design (Robbie Butler); following its London run, the production returns to the Nottingham Playhouse this month. This marks a second Olivier Award nomination for James Graham, who won for Best New Play in 2024 with Dear England. Best New Play is completed by Ava Pickett’s 1536, the Almeida Theatre production which transfers to the Ambassadors Theatre in May, and Suzie Miller’s Inter Alia, which transfers to Wyndham’s Theatre this month following a sold-out run at the National Theatre, and marks a second Olivier Award nomination for Suzie Miller following her win for Prima Facie in 2023.
In the performing categories, Sean Hayes (for Good Night, Oscar, also nominated for Outstanding Musical Contribution for his Live Piano Performance of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue) and Tom Hiddleston (Much Ado About Nothing) complete the Best Actor category, whilst Best Actress is completed by Cate Blanchett (The Seagull), Julia McDermott (Weather Girl), Rosamund Pike (Inter Alia), and Rosie Sheehy (for Guess How Much I Love You?, her second in a row following her nomination for last year’s Machinal). Best Actor in a Supporting Role is completed by Hammed Animashaun (Dealer’s Choice), and Giles Terera (Oh, Mary!), whilst Isis Hainsworth (Arcadia) and Sophie Thompson (When We Are Married) conclude the Best Actress in a Supporting Role nominees.
The Noël Coward Award for Best New Entertainment or Comedy Play sees a vibrant array of productions nominated, from Mischief’s The Comedy About Spies, garnering them their sixth Olivier Award nomination, to Every Brilliant Thing, which saw an array of stars bring their unique perspective to the lead role at @sohoplace, Cole Escola’s Broadway sensation Oh, Mary!, currently running at the Trafalgar Theatre, and Paranormal Activity, inspired by the terrifying film series and currently running at the Ambassadors Theatre.
In the category for Best New Production in Affiliate Theatre, a wide range of venues are represented, with nominations for Ben And Imo at Orange Tree Theatre, The Glass Menagerie at The Yard Theatre, The Ministry Of Lesbian Affairs at Kiln Theatre, Miss Myrtle’s Garden at Bush Theatre, and The Shitheads at Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at Royal Court Theatre. The nominees for Best Family Show are The Boy At The Back Of The Class at Rose Theatre, The Boy With Wings at Polka Theatre, The Firework-Maker’s Daughter at Polka Theatre, and The Three Little Pigs at Unicorn Theatre.
In dance and opera, the Best New Dance Production nominees are Into The Hairy at Sadler’s Wells, Mimi’s Shebeen at Sadler’s Wells East, Random Taranto at The Pit at Barbican, and She’s Auspicious at Sadler’s Wells East. The Best New Opera Production supported by TAIT nominees are Dead Man Walking by English National Opera, The Makropulos Case by The Royal Opera, Tosca by The Royal Opera, and Die Walküre by The Royal Opera. These awards will be presented by the Outstanding Contribution to Dance and Opera recipients, Sir Wayne McGregor and Danielle De Niese, respectively, at the ceremony.
The Olivier Awards 2026 will be broadcast on BBC Two and iPlayer with highlights on BBC Radio 2 on Sunday 12 April.
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Full list of nominations for the Olivier Awards 2026 with Cunard:
Cunard Best New Musical
Here We Are, book by David Ives, music & lyrics by Stephen Sondheim at National Theatre – Lyttelton
Paddington The Musical, music & lyrics by Tom Fletcher & book by Jessica Swale at Savoy Theatre
Shucked, book by Robert Horn, music & lyrics by Brandy Clark & Shane McAnally at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry, book by Rachel Joyce, music & lyrics by Passenger at Theatre Royal Haymarket
Best Musical Revival supported by Piper-Heidsieck
American Psycho, book by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, music & lyrics by Duncan Sheik, based on the novel by Bret Easton Ellis at Almeida Theatre
Evita, lyrics by Tim Rice, music by Andrew Lloyd Webber at The London Palladium
Into The Woods, music & lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by James Lapine at Bridge Theatre
The Producers, music & lyrics by Mel Brooks, book by Mel Brooks & Thomas Meehan at Garrick Theatre
Best New Play supported by The Londoner
1536 by Ava Pickett at Almeida Theatre
Inter Alia by Suzie Miller at National Theatre – Lyttelton
Kenrex by Jack Holden & Ed Stambollouian at The Other Palace
Punch by James Graham at Young Vic & Apollo Theatre
Best Revival
All My Sons by Arthur Miller at Wyndham’s Theatre
Arcadia by Tom Stoppard at The Old Vic
Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare at Theatre Royal Drury Lane
The Seagull by Anton Chekhov, adapted by Duncan Macmillan & Thomas Ostermeier at Barbican Theatre
Noël Coward Award for Best New Entertainment or Comedy Play
The Comedy About Spies by Henry Lewis & Henry Shields at Noël Coward Theatre
Every Brilliant Thing by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe at @sohoplace
Oh, Mary! by Cole Escola at Trafalgar Theatre
Paranormal Activity by Levi Holloway at Ambassadors Theatre
Best Actress
Cate Blanchett for The Seagull at Barbican Theatre
Marianne Jean-Baptiste for All My Sons at Wyndham’s Theatre
Julia McDermott for Weather Girl at Soho Theatre
Rosamund Pike for Inter Alia at National Theatre – Lyttelton
Rosie Sheehy for Guess How Much I Love You? at Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at Royal Court Theatre
Best Actor
Bryan Cranston for All My Sons at Wyndham’s Theatre
Sean Hayes for Good Night, Oscar at Barbican Theatre
Tom Hiddleston for Much Ado About Nothing at Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Jack Holden for Kenrex at The Other Palace
David Shields for Punch at Young Vic & Apollo Theatre
Best Actor in a Musical
Marc Antolin for The Producers at Garrick Theatre
James Hameed & Arti Shah for Paddington The Musical at Savoy Theatre
Andy Nyman for The Producers at Garrick Theatre
Jamie Parker for Into The Woods at Bridge Theatre
Diego Andres Rodriguez for Evita at The London Palladium
Best Actress in a Musical
Katie Brayben for Into The Woods at Bridge Theatre
Danielle Fiamanya & Georgina Onuorah for Brigadoon at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
Jane Krakowski for Here We Are at National Theatre – Lyttelton
Jenna Russell for The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry at Theatre Royal Haymarket
Rachel Zegler for Evita at The London Palladium
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Isis Hainsworth for Arcadia at The Old Vic
Julie Hesmondhalgh for Punch at Young Vic & Apollo Theatre
Lucy Karczewski for Stereophonic at Duke of York’s Theatre
Hayley Squires for All My Sons at Wyndham’s Theatre
Sophie Thompson for When We Are Married at Donmar Warehouse
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Hammed Animashaun for Dealer’s Choice at Donmar Warehouse
Paapa Essiedu for All My Sons at Wyndham’s Theatre
Zachary Hart for The Seagull at Barbican Theatre
Zachary Hart for Stereophonic at Duke of York’s Theatre
Giles Terera for Oh, Mary! at Trafalgar Theatre
Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical
Trevor Ashley for The Producers at Garrick Theatre
Corbin Bleu for The Great Gatsby – A New Musical at London Coliseum
Tom Edden for Paddington The Musical at Savoy Theatre
Jo Foster for Into The Woods at Bridge Theatre
Oliver Savile for Into The Woods at Bridge Theatre
Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical
Tracie Bennett for Here We Are at National Theatre – Lyttelton
Amy Booth-Steel for Paddington The Musical at Savoy Theatre
Kate Fleetwood for Into The Woods at Bridge Theatre
Victoria Hamilton-Barritt for Paddington The Musical at Savoy Theatre
Georgina Onuorah for Shucked at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
Sir Peter Hall Award for Best Director
Jordan Fein for Into The Woods at Bridge Theatre
Luke Sheppard for Paddington The Musical at Savoy Theatre
Ed Stambollouian for Kenrex at The Other Palace
Lyndsey Turner for 1536 at Almeida Theatre
Ivo van Hove for All My Sons at Wyndham’s Theatre
Gillian Lynne Award for Best Theatre Choreographer
Fabian Aloise for Evita at The London Palladium
Ellen Kane for Paddington The Musical at Savoy Theatre
Drew McOnie for Brigadoon at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
Lynne Page for American Psycho at Almeida Theatre
Best Costume Design
Enver Chakartash for Stereophonic at Duke of York’s Theatre
Linda Cho for The Great Gatsby – A New Musical at London Coliseum
Tom Scutt for Into The Woods at Bridge Theatre
Gabriella Slade (Costume Design) & Tahra Zafar (Paddington Design) for Paddington The Musical at Savoy Theatre
Best Set Design supported by Blue-i Theatre Technology
Paul Tate dePoo III (Scenic & Projection Design) for The Great Gatsby – A New Musical at London Coliseum
Tom Pye (Set Design) & Ash J Woodward (Video Design) for Paddington The Musical at Savoy Theatre
Tom Scutt for Into The Woods at Bridge Theatre
David Zinn for Stereophonic at Duke of York’s Theatre
Best Lighting Design
Robbie Butler for Punch at Young Vic & Apollo Theatre
Jon Clark for Evita at The London Palladium
Aideen Malone (Lighting Design) & Roland Horvath (Video Design) for Into The Woods at Bridge Theatre
Joshua Pharo for Kenrex at The Other Palace
Best Sound Design supported by d&b audiotechnik
Adam Fisher for Into The Woods at Bridge Theatre
Gareth Owen for Paddington The Musical at Savoy Theatre
Ryan Rumery for Stereophonic at Duke of York’s Theatre
Giles Thomas for Kenrex at The Other Palace
Outstanding Musical Contribution
Matt Brind (Orchestrations & Arrangements) for Paddington The Musical at Savoy Theatre
Will Butler (Original Songs & Orchestrations) & Justin Craig (Orchestrations) for Stereophonic at Duke of York’s Theatre
John Patrick Elliott (Composition) for Kenrex at The Other Palace
Chris Fenwick (Musical Supervision & Arrangements) & Sean Hayes (Live Piano Performance of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue) for Good Night, Oscar at Barbican Theatre
Best Family Show
The Boy At The Back Of The Class, adapted by Nick Ahad at Rose Theatre
The Boy With Wings, adapted by Arvind Ethan David at Polka Theatre
The Firework-Maker’s Daughter, adapted by Jude Christian at Polka Theatre
The Three Little Pigs, music by George Stiles, book & lyrics by Anthony Drewe at Unicorn Theatre
Best New Production in Affiliate Theatre
Ben And Imo by Mark Ravenhill at Orange Tree Theatre
The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams at The Yard Theatre
The Ministry Of Lesbian Affairs by Iman Qureshi at Kiln Theatre
Miss Myrtle’s Garden by Danny James King at Bush Theatre
The Shitheads by Jack Nicholls at Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at Royal Court Theatre
Best New Dance Production
Into The Hairy by Sharon Eyal for S-E-D at Sadler’s Wells
Mimi’s Shebeen by Alesandra Seutin & KVS at Sadler’s Wells East
Random Taranto by María del Mar Suárez (La Chachi) as part of Dance Umbrella: Change Tempo at The Pit at Barbican
She’s Auspicious by Mythili Prakash at Sadler’s Wells East
Best New Opera Production supported by TAIT
Dead Man Walking by English National Opera at London Coliseum
The Makropulos Case by The Royal Opera at Royal Opera House
Tosca by The Royal Opera at Royal Opera House
Die Walküre by The Royal Opera at Royal Opera House
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