Top of the nominations: Paddington The Musical and Into the Woods. Pictures: Johan Persson
Hit musicals Paddington The Musical and Into the Woods are leading the charge for this year’s Olivier Awards with 11 nominations each.
Nominated for Best Musical Revival, the Jordan Fein-directed Into the Woods at the Bridge Theatre, is also in the running for Best Actor in a Musical (Jamie Parker) and Best Actress in a Musical (Katie Brayben). Jo Foster and Oliver Savile are both up for the Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical award while Kate Fleetwood is nominated in the Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical category.
After a nomination for last year’s Sir Peter Hall Award for Best Director (for Fiddler on the Roof) Fein is nominated once again. Adam Fisher is a nominee in the Best Sound Design category, Aideen Malone has been nominated for the Best Lighting Design award for the second year in a row; Roland Horvath has been nominated for Best Video Design, while Tom Scutt is celebrating his fifth and sixth Olivier nominations for Best Set Design and Best Costume Design. Scutt was previously 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.
Alongside its nomination for Cunard Best New Musical, Paddington The Musical is nominated for Best Actor in a Musical (James Hameed and Arti Shah for their shared role as Paddington) and Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical (Tom Edden, his second in a row after his Waiting For Godot nomination last year).
Amy Booth-Steel and Victoria Hamilton-Barritt are both nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical while the director of the Savoy Theatre production, Luke Sheppard, is in the running for the Sir Peter Hall Award for Best Director. Ellen Kane is nominated for the Gillian Lynne Award for Best Theatre Choreographer, while Gabriella Slade is in the running for the Best Costume Design award for the second consecutive year after her win for Starlight Express in 2025 alongside Tahra Zafar for Paddington Design. The nominees for Best Set Design include Tom Pye for set design and Ash J Woodward for video design, Gareth Owen is a nominee for Best Sound Design and Matt Brind has received an Outstanding Musical Contribution nomination for his orchestrations and arrangements for the production.
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, 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, 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.
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 and 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).
Other notable musical theatre-related nominations (some plays with music) include:
Kenrex, the Sheffield Theatres transfer which achieved success at the UK Theatre Awards 2025, receives nominations for Best New Play, 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, and Justin Craig for Orchestrations).
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 Giles Terera (Oh, Mary!). Cole Escola’s Broadway sensation Oh, Mary! is also nominated for the Noel Coward Award for Best New Entertainment or Comedy Play.
Marking the 50th anniversary of the prestigious awards, the 2026 ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall on 12 April will be hosted by Ted Lasso star Nick Mohammed. The awards will be broadcast on BBC Two and iPlayer with highlights on BBC Radio 2 on 12 April.
The nominations for the Olivier Awards 2026 with Cunard are:
Cunard Best New Musical
Here We Are, book by David Ives, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim at National Theatre – Lyttelton
Paddington The Musical, music and lyrics by Tom Fletcher and book by Jessica Swale at Savoy Theatre
Shucked, book by Robert Horn, music and lyrics by Brandy Clark & Shane McAnally at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, book by Rachel Joyce, music and lyrics by Passenger at Theatre Royal Haymarket
Best Musical Revival supported by Piper-Heidsieck
American Psycho, book by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, music and 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 and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by James Lapine at Bridge Theatre
The Producers, music and lyrics by Mel Brooks, book by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan at Garrick Theatre
Best Actor in a Musical
Marc Antolin for The Producers at Garrick Theatre
James Hameed and Arti Shah for Paddington The Musical at Savoy Theatre
Andy Nyman for The Producers at Garrick Theatre
Jamie Parker for Into Tthe 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 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) and Tahra Zafar (Paddington Design) for Paddington The Musical at Savoy Theatre
Best Set Design
Paul Tate dePoo III (Scenic and Projection Design) for The Great Gatsby – A New Musical at London Coliseum
Tom Pye (Set Design) and 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 and Apollo Theatre
Jon Clark for Evita at the London Palladium
Aideen Malone (Lighting Design) and Roland Horvath (Video Design) for Into the Woods at Bridge Theatre
Joshua Pharo for Kenrex at The Other Palace
Best Sound Design
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 and Arrangements) for Paddington The Musical at Savoy Theatre
Will Butler (Original Songs and Orchestrations) and 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 and Arrangements) and 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 and lyrics by Anthony Drewe at Unicorn Theatre
The full nominations list is available at:
officiallondontheatre.com/olivier-awards
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