Oliver Award Nominations Announced

The nominations for the Olivier Awards with Mastercard, which honor achievement in London's professional theatre, have been announced. Leading the way is the new musical Matilda, with ten nominations -- the maximum number available to a theatre. Top nominees in the play categories, with five nominations apiece are The Ladykillers, based on the famous Alec Guinesss film, and One Man, Two Guvnors, a National Theatre production, which opens on Broadway in April.

Among the design nominees, Rob Howell was named twice, for the set designs of Matilda, and Ghost, a new musical based on the Patrick Swayze-Demi Moore film; Ghost opens on Broadway in April. Other nominees in the category are Michael Taylor, for The Ladykillers, and Mark Thompson for One Man, Two Guvnors.

In the lighting design category, it's Hugh Vanstone's turn to be nominated twice, for Ghost and Matilda. His competition includes Howard Harrison, for the acclaimed revival of Anna Christie, starring Jude Law, at the Donmar Warehouse, and Bruno Poet, for the National Theatre production of Frankenstein.

Sound design nominees include Bobby Aitken, for Ghost; Underworld and Ed Clarke, for Frankenstein; Ben and Max Ringham, for The Ladykillers; and Simon Baker, for Matilda.

Costume design nominees include Peter McKintosh, for Crazy for You, seen at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre; Rob Howell, for Matilda; Tim Hatley, for Shrek (a Broadway transfer); and Catherine Zuber, for South Pacific, a touring version of the Lincoln Center production, which was seen at the Barbican in London.

The awards will be given out on April 15.

For a full list of nominees, go to the URL listed below.