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Story by Jack Foley
HE'S
already won an Oscar for his feature film debut, American Beauty, but now
Sam Mendes has become the first triple winner of the Laurence Olivier Awards,
announced on Friday, February 14 (2003).
The supremely-talented director won the best director and best revival awards
for Twelfth Night and Uncle Vanya, as well as a special award
in recognition of his 10 years as artistic director of the Donmar Warehouse
in London.
However, Mendes was unable to pick up his awards in person, as he is currently
in New York directing the Broadway versions of the two plays. But a surprise
presentation in the Big Apple was screened at the Oliviers ceremony at the
Lyceum Theatre, during which he put his newfound inspiration down to his love
for Kate Winslet, his partner.
Another of the night's winners, Simon Russell Beale, who took the best actor
accolade for his performance in Uncle Vanya, was also in New York,
where he has been pulling in rave reviews as 'perhaps the greatest stage actor
of his generation'.
Of the other major award winners at the glittering ceremony, the best actress
prize went to Clare Higgins, for her performance in Vincent in Brixton
- no mean feat, given that she was pitted against Hollywood heavyweights Gwyneth
Paltrow (Proof) and Emily Watson (Uncle Vanya), as well as Anita
Dobson (Frozen).
The play itself was another of the big winners, scooping the BBC award for
best new play.
Outgoing National Theatre director, Sir Trevor Nunn, was on hand to collect
an award for Anything Goes, which won for outstanding musical production,
and chose the occasion to reflect favourably upon his time with the theatre,
while Madness musical, Our House, took the Hilton award for best new
musical, beating off a strong challenge from Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber's Bollywood
spectacular, Bombay Dreams, and Adrian Noble's audience favourite,
Chitty, Chitty Bang Bang.
The critically acclaimed, Lieutenant of Inishmore won best new comedy
for the Royal Shakespeare Company, while Gregory Doran and the acting ensemble
for the Jacobean season at the Gielgud won outstanding achievement of the
year.
Joanna Riding, meanwhile, won the top prize for best actress in a musical
or entertainment for My Fair Lady,
while her leading man, Alex Jennings, won in the male category for his performance
as Professor Henry Higgins, a role made famous by Rex Harrison.
But the night truly belonged to Mendes who, in his final year at the Donmar
Warehouse, has become the toast of London's theatrical West End once more...
The award winners in full:
Best
Actress - Clare Higgins (Vincent in Brixton)
Nominees: Anita Dobson (Frozen); Gwyneth Paltrow (Proof); Emily Watson (Uncle
Vanya)
Best Actor - Simon Russell Beale (Uncle Vanya)
Nominees: Michael Gambon (A Number); Mark Rylance (Twelfth Night); David Tennant
(Lobby Hero)
Best New Play - Vincent in Brixton, Nicholas Wright
Nominees: Jesus Hopped The A Train, Stephen Adly Guirgis; The Coast of Utopia
- Voyage, Shipwreck, Salvage, Tom Stoppard; The York Realist, Peter Gill
Best New Comedy - The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Martin McDonagh
Nominees: Damsels in Distress - Roleplay, Alan Aychbourn; Dinner, Moira Buffini;
Lobby Hero, Kenneth Lonergan
Best Revival - Twelfth Night and Uncle Vanya at the Donmar
Nominees: Abigail's Party at The New Ambassadors; A Streetcar Named Desire
at the National; Twelfth Night at The Globe
Best New Musical - Our House
Nominees: Bombay Dreams; Chitty Chitty Bang Bang; Our House; Taboo
Outstanding Musical Production - Anything Goes
Also nominated: Oh What A Lovely War
Best Entertainment - Play Without Words at the National Theatre
Nominees: Contact at the Queen's Theatre; Elaine Stritch At Liberty at The
Old Vic; Rory Bremner with John Bird and John Fortune at the Albery
Best
Actress in a Musical or Entertainment - Joanna Riding (My Fair Lady)
Nominees: Janie Dee (My One And Only); Elaine Stritch (Elaine Strich at Liberty);
Sarah Wildor (Contact)
Best Actor in a Musical or Entertainment - Alex Jennings (My Fair Lady)
Nominees: Tim Flavin (My One And Only); Michael Jibson (Our House); Euan Morton
(Taboo)
Best Director - Sam Mendes (Twelfth Night and Uncle Vanya)
Nominees: Matthew Bourne (Play Without Words); Richard Eyre (Vincent in Brixton);
Edward Hall (Rose Rage)
Best Supporting Actor/Actress - Essie Davis (A Streetcar Named Desire)
Nominees: Jessica Stevenson (The Night Heron); Mark Strong (Twelfth Night);
Sian Thomas (Up For Grabs)
Best New Opera Production - Royal Opera's Wozzeck
Nominees: Royal Opera's Ariadne Auf Naxos; Royal Opera's Duke Bluebeard's
Castle/Erwartung; English National Opera's Lulu, London Coliseum
Most Promising Playwright - Charlotte Eilenberg (The Lucky Ones)
Also nominated: Christopher Shinn (Where Do We Live)
Best Costume Design - Twelfth Night (Shakespeare's Globe)
Best Theatre Choreographer - Matthew Bourne and company (Play Without
Words, Lyttleton)
Outstanding Achievement in Opera - Antonio Pappano (for opening season
as music director of Royal Opera House)
Best performance in a supporting role in a musical or entertainment -
Paul Baker (Taboo, The Venue)
Outstanding Achievement in Dance - Robyn Orlin (Daddy, I've Seen This
Piece Six Times And I Still Don't Know Why They're Hurting Each Other, The
Pit)
Best New Dance Production - Danses Concertantes' Polyphonia (Sadler's
Wells)
Outstanding Achievement of the Year - Gregory Doran and cast of Jacobean
Season (Gielgud Theatre)
BBC Award for Best New Play - Vincent in Brixton (Cottesloe and Wyndham's
Theatre)
Best Lighting Design - The Bacchai (Olivier Theatre)
Best set Design - A Streetcar Named Desire (Lyttleton Theatre)
Most Promising Performer - Noel Clarke (Where Do We Live, Jerwood Theatre
Upstairs at the Roayl Court)
Special Award - Sam Mendes (for his 10 years as artistic director of the
Donmar Warehouse)
RELATED LINKS: Click here
for The Olivier Awards website...
RELATED STORIES: Click here for
Paul Nelson's round-up of 2002...
Click here for last year's Olivier winners..
Click here for our verdict on award
winner, My Fair Lady...
