2006 Laurence Olivier Awards Explained

2006 Laurence Olivier Awards
Date:	26 February 2006
Main:	Olivier Awards
Previous:	2005
Next:	2007

The 2006 Laurence Olivier Awards were held in 2006 in London celebrating excellence in West End theatre by the Society of London Theatre.

Winners and nominees

Details of winners (in bold) and nominees, in each award category, per the Society of London Theatre.^[1]

Best New Play	Best New Musical
On the Shore of the Wide World by Simon Stephens – National Theatre Cottesloe Coram Boy by Helen Edmundson – National Theatre Olivier Harvest by Richard Bean – Royal Court Paul by Howard Brenton – National Theatre Cottesloe	Billy Elliot – Victoria Palace Acorn Antiques – Theatre Royal Haymarket The Big Life – Apollo
Best Revival	Outstanding Musical Production
Hedda Gabler – Almeida / Duke of York's Death of a Salesman – Lyric Don Carlos – Gielgud Mary Stuart – Donmar Warehouse / Apollo	Guys and Dolls – Piccadilly H.M.S. Pinafore – Regent's Park Open Air
Best New Comedy	Best Entertainment
Heroes by Gérald Sibleyras and Tom Stoppard – Wyndham's Glorious by Peter Quilter – Duchess Shoot the Crow by Owen McCafferty – Trafalgar Studios	Something Wicked This Way Comes – Cambridge Blue Man Group – New London Ducktastic – Albery
Best Actor	Best Actress
Brian Dennehy as Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman – Lyric Richard Griffiths as Henri in Heroes – Wyndham's Derek Jacobi as King Philip II in Don Carlos – Gielgud Con O'Neill as Joe Meek in Telstar – New Ambassadors David Threlfall as Michael in Someone Who'll Watch Over Me – New Ambassadors	Eve Best as Hedda Gabler Tesman in Hedda Gabler – Almeida / Duke of York's Clare Higgins as Linda Loman in Death of a Salesman – Lyric Helen McCrory as Rosalind in As You Like It – Wyndham's Janet McTeer as Mary Stuart in Mary Stuart – Donmar Warehouse / Apollo Harriet Walter as Elizabeth in Mary Stuart – Donmar Warehouse / Apollo
Best Actor in a Musical	Best Actress in a Musical
James Lomas, George Maguire and Liam Mower as Billy Elliot in Billy Elliot – Victoria Palace Douglas Hodge as Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls – Piccadilly Ewan McGregor as Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls – Piccadilly	Jane Krakowski as Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls – Piccadilly Haydn Gwynne as Mrs. Wilkinson in Billy Elliot – Victoria Palace Jenna Russell as Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls – Piccadilly Julie Walters as Mrs. Overall in Acorn Antiques – Theatre Royal Haymarket
Best Performance in a Supporting Role	Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical
Noma Dumezweni as Ruth Younger in A Raisin in the Sun – Lyric Hammersmith David Bradley as King Henry IV in Henry IV – National Theatre Olivier Benedict Cumberbatch as George Tesman in Hedda Gabler – Almeida / Duke of York's Anne Reid as Kate Elliot in Epitaph for George Dillon – Comedy Paul Ritter as Otis Gardiner in Coram Boy – National Theatre Olivier	Celia Imrie as Miss Babs in Acorn Antiques – Theatre Royal Haymarket Tameka Empson as Mrs. Aphrodite in The Big Life – Apollo Tim Healy as Dad in Billy Elliot – Victoria Palace Scarlett Strallen as Josephine in H.M.S. Pinafore – Regent's Park Open Air
Best Director	Best Theatre Choreographer
Richard Eyre for Hedda Gabler – Almeida / Duke of York's Stephen Daldry for Billy Elliot – Victoria Palace Michael Grandage for Don Carlos – Gielgud Phyllida Lloyd for Mary Stuart – Donmar Warehouse / Apollo Melly Still for Coram Boy – National Theatre Olivier	Peter Darling for Billy Elliot – Victoria Palace Rob Ashford for Guys and Dolls – Piccadilly
Best Set Design	Best Costume Design
Rob Howell for Hedda Gabler – Almeida / Duke of York's Ian MacNeil for Billy Elliot – Victoria Palace Christopher Oram for Don Carlos – Gielgud	Es Devlin for The Dog in the Manger – Playhouse Rob Howell for Hedda Gabler – Almeida / Duke of York's Christopher Oram for Don Carlos – Gielgud Anthony Ward for Mary Stuart – Donmar Warehouse / Apollo
Best Lighting Design	Best Sound Design
Paule Constable for Don Carlos – Gielgud Rick Fisher for Billy Elliot – Victoria Palace Howard Harrison for Guys and Dolls – Piccadilly Hugh Vanstone for Mary Stuart – Donmar Warehouse / Apollo	Paul Arditti for Billy Elliot – Victoria Palace Terry Jardine and Chris Full for Guys and Dolls – Piccadilly Christopher Shutt for Coram Boy – National Theatre Olivier
Outstanding Achievement in Dance	Best New Dance Production
Pina Bausch for conceiving Nelken and Palermo, Palermo, Tanztheater Wuppertal – Sadler's Wells The ensemble for their season, Cuban National Ballet – Sadler's Wells Johan Kobborg in La Sylphide and The Lesson, The Royal Ballet – Royal Opera House Russell Maliphant for choreographing and performing PUSH – Sadler's Wells	PUSH – Sadler's Wells Constant Speed, Rambert Dance Company – Sadler's Wells Giselle, Fabulous Beast Dance Theatre – Barbican Zero Degrees, Akram Khan Company – Sadler's Wells
Outstanding Achievement in Opera	Outstanding New Opera Production
Simon Keenlyside in 1984, The Royal Opera – Royal Opera House and Billy Budd, English National Opera – London Coliseum Carolyn Choa for choreographing and Anthony Minghella for directing Madama Butterfly, English National Opera – London Coliseum Sarah Connolly in La clemenza di Tito, English National Opera – London Coliseum David McVicar for directing La clemenza di Tito, English National Opera – London Coliseum	Madama Butterfly, English National Opera – London Coliseum Billy Budd, English National Opera – London Coliseum La clemenza di Tito, English National Opera – London Coliseum On the Town, English National Opera – London Coliseum
Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre
– Tricycle Comfort Me with Apples – Hampstead My Name Is Rachel Corrie – Royal Court Laura Wade for writing Breathing Corpses – Royal Court and Colder Than Here – Soho
Society Special Award
Ian McKellen

Productions with multiple nominations and awards

The following 15 productions, including three operas, received multiple nominations:

• 9: Billy Elliot
• 8: Guys and Dolls
• 6: Don Carlos, Hedda Gabler and Mary Stuart
• 4: Coram Boy
• 3: Acorn Antiques, Death of a Salesman and La clemenza di Tito
• 2: Billy Budd, Heroes, H.M.S. Pinafore, Madama Butterfly, PUSH and The Big Life

The following three productions received multiple awards:

• 4: Billy Elliot and Hedda Gabler
• 2: Guys and Dolls

See also

• 60th Tony Awards

External links

• Previous Olivier Winners – 2006

Notes and References

1. Web site: Olivier Winners 2006 . officiallondontheatre.com . . 2022-05-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211029113820/https://officiallondontheatre.com/olivier-awards/winners/olivier-winners-2006/ . 2021-10-29 . live.