The show goes on: Olivier awards return in sign of West End comeback
The West End’s biggest stars donned their gladrags to walk the ‘green carpet’ tonight at the 2022 Olivier’s following a three-year pandemic-forced gap.
Cabaret was among the big winners of the day, with Rebecca Frecknall winning best director for the London Playhouse production and Eddie Redmayne taking best actor for his performance as The Emcee.
Life of Pi, Moulin Rouge and Anything Goes all also took trophies home from the sustainability-focused awards.
Kit Harrington, Tom Felton and Emma Corrin were among the big names at the Royal Albert Hall to celebrate the industry’s return.
It comes after the pandemic brought the West End to its knees, with social distancing and event capacity requirements making the theatre industry one of the last to be able to make a post-Covid comeback.
Theatre titan Andrew Lloyd Webber, who has been particularly outspoken about government support for the arts through the pandemic, said the industry had been “decimated” by Covid-19.
Lloyd Webber’s latest show Cinderella was among the West End productions forced to halt shows again amid the Omicron wave due to Covid-related absences.
However, the district has welcomed a revival this year with the West End expected to fully recover in just two years with spending to reach £10bn by 2024, according to a Colliers report.