1991 Laurence Olivier Awards

The 1991 Laurence Olivier Awards were held in 1991 in London celebrating excellence in West End theatre by the Society of London Theatre.

1991 Laurence Olivier Awards
← 1989/90 · Olivier Awards · 1992 →

Winners and nominees

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

Play of the Year	Best New Musical
Dancing at Lughnasa by Brian Friel – National Theatre Lyttelton Singer by Peter Flannery – RSC at the Barbican Pit The Trackers of Oxyrhynchus by Tony Harrison – National Theatre Olivier White Chameleon by Christopher Hampton – National Theatre Cottesloe	Sunday in the Park with George – National Theatre Lyttelton Into the Woods – Phoenix
Best Revival of a Play or Comedy	Best Musical Revival
Pericles – RSC at the Barbican Pit Accidental Death of an Anarchist – National Theatre Cottesloe Kean – Old Vic The Wild Duck – Phoenix	Show Boat – London Palladium The Fantasticks – Regent's Park Open Air The Rocky Horror Show – Piccadilly
Best Comedy	Best Entertainment
Out of Order by Ray Cooney – Shaftesbury Gasping by Ben Elton – Theatre Royal Haymarket	Five Guys Named Moe – Lyric An Evening with Peter Ustinov – Theatre Royal Haymarket Victoria Wood up West – Strand
Actor of the Year	Actress of the Year
Ian McKellen as Richard in Richard III – National Theatre Lyttelton Richard Harris as Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor in Henry IV – Wyndham's John Malkovich as Pale in Burn This – Lyric Warren Mitchell as Max in The Homecoming – Comedy	Kathryn Hunter as Claire Zachanassian in The Visit – National Theatre Lyttelton Penny Downie as Marianne in Scenes from a Marriage – Wyndham's Barbara Jefford as Volumnia in Coriolanus – RSC at the Barbican Josette Simon as Maggie in After the Fall – National Theatre Lyttelton
Outstanding Performance of the Year by an Actor in a Musical	Outstanding Performance of the Year by an Actress in a Musical
Philip Quast as Georges Seurat and George in Sunday in the Park with George – National Theatre Lyttelton Ian Bartholomew as The Baker in Into the Woods – Phoenix Bruce Hubbard as Joe in Show Boat – London Palladium Paul J Medford as Little Moe in Five Guys Named Moe – Lyric	Imelda Staunton as The Baker's Wife in Into the Woods – Phoenix Sally Burgess as Julie Dozier/Julie La Verne in Show Boat – London Palladium Maria Friedman as Dot and Marie in Sunday in the Park with George – National Theatre Lyttelton Julia McKenzie as The Witch in Into the Woods – Phoenix
Comedy Performance of the Year
Alan Cumming as The Madman in Accidental Death of an Anarchist – National Theatre Cottesloe Richard Briers as Rat in The Wind in the Willows – National Theatre Olivier Griff Rhys Jones as Mr. Toad in The Wind in the Willows – National Theatre Olivier Joseph Maher as Dr. Rance in What the Butler Saw – Wyndham's
Performance of the Year by an Actor in a Supporting Role	Performance of the Year by an Actress in a Supporting Role
David Bradley as The Fool in King Lear – National Theatre Lyttelton Ben Daniels as Richard Loeb in Never the Sinner – Playhouse Mick Ford as Stefan in Singer – RSC at the Barbican Jonathan Kent as Hero in The Rehearsal – Garrick	Sara Crowe as Sybil in Private Lives – National Theatre Lyttelton Maria Miles as Hedvig Ekdal in The Wild Duck – Phoenix Anita Reeves as Maggie in Dancing at Lughnasa – National Theatre Lyttelton Zoë Wanamaker as Elizabeth Proctor in The Crucible – National Theatre Olivier
Best Supporting Performance in a Musical
Karla Burns as Queenie in Show Boat – London Palladium Sandra Browne as Lady Thiang in The King and I – Sadler's Wells Clive Carter as Cinderella's Prince and the Wolf in Into the Woods – Phoenix
Best Director of a Play	Best Director of a Musical
David Thacker for Pericles – RSC at the Barbican Pit Richard Eyre for Richard III – National Theatre Lyttelton and White Chameleon – National Theatre Cottesloe Nicholas Hytner for The Wind in the Willows – National Theatre Olivier Patrick Mason for Dancing at Lughnasa – National Theatre Lyttelton	Richard Jones for Into the Woods – Phoenix Charles Augins for Five Guys Named Moe – Lyric Ian Judge for Show Boat – London Palladium Steven Pimlott for Sunday in the Park with George – National Theatre Lyttelton
Best Theatre Choreographer
Charles Augins for Five Guys Named Moe – Lyric Terry John Bates for Dancing at Lughnasa – National Theatre Lyttelton Lawrence Evans for The Trackers of Oxyrhynchus – National Theatre Olivier
Best Set Designer	Best Costume Designer
Mark Thompson for The Wind in the Willows – National Theatre Olivier Tom Cairns for Sunday in the Park with George – National Theatre Lyttelton William Dudley for Marya – Old Vic Nigel Lowery for The Illusion – Old Vic	Jasper Conran for The Rehearsal – Garrick Sue Blane for Into the Woods – Phoenix Tom Cairns for Sunday in the Park with George – National Theatre Lyttelton Mark Thompson for The Wind in the Willows – National Theatre Olivier
Best Lighting Designer
Jean Kalman for Richard III – National Theatre Lyttelton and White Chameleon – National Theatre Cottesloe Alan Burrett for Three Sisters – Royal Court Pat Collins for The Illusion – Old Vic Paul Pyant for The Wind in the Willows – National Theatre Olivier
Outstanding Achievement in Dance	Outstanding Achievement in Opera
Twyla Tharp for choreographing and Jennifer Tipton for lighting In the Upper Room, American Ballet Theatre – London Coliseum Darcey Bussell in Stravinsky Violin Concerto and Winter Dreams, The Royal Ballet – Royal Opera House Kenneth MacMillan for choreographing Winter Dreams, The Royal Ballet – Royal Opera House Mark Morris for choreographing Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes, American Ballet Theatre – London Coliseum Phoenix Dance Company for its season – Sadler's Wells The ensemble for their season, Siobhan Davies Dance Company – Sadler's Wells	Mark Elder for conducting Duke Bluebeard's Castle, Macbeth, Pelléas and Mélisande and Wozzeck, English National Opera – London Coliseum Tim Albery for directing The Trojans, Scottish Opera – Royal Opera House Duke Bluebeard's Castle by English National Opera – London Coliseum Greek by English National Opera – London Coliseum Éva Marton in Elektra, The Royal Opera – Royal Opera House The Cunning Little Vixen by The Royal Opera – Royal Opera House
Award for Outstanding Achievement
Cameron Mackintosh for creative contributions to West End theatre, generous donations to the University of Oxford (for a visiting drama professorship), the Royal National Theatre (for the presentation of great musicals) and the Tricycle Theatre Betrayal, The Rehearsal and Volpone – Almeida Field Day Theatre Company for 10 years' achievement in presenting Irish drama across all borders Robert Lepage for writing Tectonic Plates, Théâtre Repère – National Theatre Cottesloe
Society Special Award
Peggy Ashcroft

Productions with multiple nominations and awards

The following 17 productions, including one ballet and one opera, received multiple nominations:

• 7: Into the Woods
• 6: Sunday in the Park with George and The Wind in the Willows
• 5: Show Boat
• 4: Dancing at Lughnasa and Five Guys Named Moe
• 3: Richard III, The Rehearsal and White Chameleon
• 2: Accidental Death of an Anarchist, Duke Bluebeard's Castle, Pericles, Singer, The Illusion, The Trackers of Oxyrhynchus, The Wild Duck and Winter Dreams

The following six productions received multiple awards:

• 2: Five Guys Named Moe, Into the Woods, Pericles, Richard III, Show Boat and Sunday in the Park with George

See also

• 45th Tony Awards

References

1. "Olivier Winners 1991". officiallondontheatre.com. Society of London Theatre. from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2022.

External links