Twelfth Night

Last week the nominations for the Olivier Awards were revealed and if its place at the end of the long awards season means it is an unlikely place to find many surprises, the shortlist does provide potential of scope for eyebrow raising omissions. Most people in theatre – who don’t work for the RSC – will be mightily relived that the Matilda juggernaut is no longer crush all of the competition. Looking across the nominations, it seems impossible that anything will come close to the level of dominance that Matilda achieved. The leading contender, ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, has eight nominations  and could conceivably end up with five awards given the excellent technical work underpinning the show.

As usual the subsidised sector leads the nominations but the private sector is not totally unrepresented. However the lasting impression of the shortlist is the absence of controversy and also the absence of anything that really stands out. For the first time in a number of year there doesn’t seem to be a new play that blew everyone away or a revival that places an actor at the very top of their game.

Thinking back through the last few Best Actor winners, the Mark Rylance of Twelve Night does not appear comparable to the Mark Rylance of Jerusalem. James McAvoy is good but not near the level of Chiwetel Ejiofor in the 2008 Othello.  Rupert Everett appears to be getting rave reviews in The Judas Tree and good easily be the dark horse in the pack for a play that continues to build an unstoppable momentum.

This year’s round-up takes its cue from the Oscars and includes a number of special awards dedicated to certain fields. So without further ado we have:

The Day-Lewis Award:

This special award is made of cast-iron and essentially means that whether or not the judges have actually seen the play in question, they are duty bound to give the award to this actor. It’s cast-iron qualities means that its long-lasting and on receipt of one, you are more likely to come home with another in the future. Not to be mistaken for the Tomei Award, which is made of stone and causes your career to sink equally fast.

The Deakins Award:

The Deakins is given to those who suffer from unrecognised brilliance. The ability to from award show to award show and be cast over due to the fact you are so darn good that people already think that you have won one. Unfortunately as a result you have never won an award. This award is for you.

The Ben Affleck WTF Award:

So just because you star and direct something that goes on to win Best Film means you will at least get nominated right? I mean, you even went to the effort of growing a dashing, auteur beard for the occasion. Wrong, sucker. I mean they loved absolutely everything about the show, well, apart from the way it was directed and the main star was pretty irritating as well.

*Note: Apologies for the terribly boring formatting below. WordPress is still completely inept at handling tables. Or more possible is the fact that I am equally inept at handling tables in WordPress. Why you can’t just past from Word it keep the formatting is beyond me. God knows where the lines are. I can see the lines and then they disappear. *Sigh* Technology Fail.

Best Actor
James McAvoy Macbeth Mark Rylance Twelfth Night Rafe Spall Constellations Luke Treadaway The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time Rupert Everett The Judas Kiss	As noted this doesn’t feel as much as gold star category as it has done in previous years. It is hard to look beyond a Rylance / Everett shoot-out for the win. Rafe Spall is good with a very difficult text but not stretched, McAvoy is the weaker of the two Shakespeare and Treadaway may just be a little young to take it from such established titans.
The Day-Lewis Award: No lock-in here, but I fancy the almost unrecognisable Rupert Everett against the gender-bending but still strangely recognisable Mark Rylance. The Deakins Award: Again nothing stands out, probably Rupert Everett. The Ben Affleck WTF Award: It is telling that I cannot think of a single person more deserving than these five. Maybe Christopher Ecclestone in Antigone but even that was slightly underwhelming
Best Actress
Helen Mirren The Audience Hattie Morahan A Doll’s House Billie Piper The Effect Kristin Scott Thomas Old Times	If the men have not lived up to expectations then Michael Billington was able to find an almost entire shortlist of women who might have expected to be represented.It is hard to see (particularly after last years Cumberbatch / Lee-Miller double) how they could split Lia Williams and Kristin Scott-Thomas. However Hattie Morahan is so much of a lock for the Day-Lewis they might as well rename it the Morahan for next year.
The Day-Lewis Award: Hattie Morahan. That is all. The Deakins Award: Since Kristin Scott-Thomas and Helen Mirren are already in the upper firmament of stars, they can hardly claim the Deakins. So again it must go to Morahan. The Ben Affleck WTF Award: Lia Williams for sure. But also how there is no space for Harriet Walter in the Donmar’s Julius Caesar is absolutely outrageous – for me the stand-out female performance of the year without question. Also, given Rafe’s nomination, Sally Hawkins may feel a little hard done-by not to get a look in.
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Paul ChahidiTwelfth Night Richard McCabe The Audience Adrian Scarborough Hedda Gabler Kyle Soller Long Day’s Journey Into Night		For this I campaign on an anyone but ‘Kyle’ ticket. Having given total support for his emergence after The Young Vic’s The Glass Menagerie a volte-face is in operation after watching this car crash of a show. Strangely beloved by critics, no-one I went with could comprehend why such a stiflingly long and boring production could have had everyone in such raptures.
The Day-Lewis Award: Richard McCabe – because we love a Peter Morgan play and Helen Mirren won’t win. The Deakins Award: Paul Chahidi – if only that someone wins who isn’t Kyle Soller. The Ben Affleck WTF Award: Reversing it for this award – Kyle Soller, really? (Fine actor, just not in this).
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Janie DeeNSFW Anastasia Hille The Effect Cush Jumbo Julius Caesar Helen McCrory The Last Of The Haussmans Nicola Walker The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time			Having not seen any of these performances bar Cush Jumbo it is difficult to provide a fair judgement.  All were well received and again are, if anything, stronger than their male counterparts.
The Day-Lewis Award: In a strongly contested field Helen McCrory may edge it due to the intergenerational vote-grabbing of The Last Of The Haussmans . The Deakins Award: Pass. The Ben Affleck WTF Award: Linda Bassett in People. I thought as far as Supporting Parts are concerned this was the kind of scene-stealing performance in a populist play that is guaranteed a nomination. Surprised to see People miss out across the board.
MasterCard Best New Play
ConstellationsThe AudienceThe Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-TimeThis House		Well a win for Constellations would be a final feather in the cap for what has been an obscenely successful year for the 29-yr old playwright, Nick Payne.However this may prove a bridge to far and whilst I hope that an adaptation won’t win, I think the sheer complexity and vision of This House will see it through.
The Day-Lewis Award: This House. Not without flaws but you have to admire the vision. The Deakins Award: Constellations. A play that shows a deeply complex topic can sell-out the West End. The Ben Affleck WTF Award: The Effect. Lucy Prebble’s follow-up to ENRON was one of the most anticipated of the year and sold-out almost instantly. Despite picking up two acting nominations, it has been snubbed for new play and best director. Ouch.
Best Director
Stephen DaldryThe Audience Marianne Elliott The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time Jeremy Herrin This House Simon McBurney The Master And Margarita		Stephen Daldry’s return to the stage can be met with a significant yawn; The Audience proving to be a rather bland affair given the previous vehicles that Peter Morgan has found for Dame Mirren.The other three are technically complex in varying ways. McBurney deserves great credit for bring Bulgakov’s masterpiece to the stage with some degree of coherence.Herrin’s This House is remarkable for the way it gels such difficult material and Marianne Elliott combines visuals with superb performances from the leads.
The Day-Lewis Award: Marianne Elliott. The only director to get both visual and acting nominations for the play. The Deakins Award: Marianne Elliott. For the above reason. The Ben Affleck WTF Award: Rupert Goold, like Lucy Prebble, must be feeling somewhat aggrieved by the nominations. Still he does get to be Artistic Director at the Almeida, so there’s always that.
Best Actor in a Musical Michael Ball – Sweeney Todd Alex Bourne – Kiss Me, Kate Tom Chambers – Top Hat Will Young – Cabaret		Michael Ball has this locked in. He has won pretty much everything going and a better Mr Todd in a better production it is hard to imagine.
Best Actress in a Musical Heather Headley – The Bodyguard Imelda Staunton – Sweeney Todd Summer Strallen – Top Hat Hannah Waddingham – Kiss Me, Kate		Until seeing Kiss Me, Kate then I would have put the house on Imelda Staunton helping Sondheim sweep the board. However Hannah Waddingham’s performance is sunshine in an otherwise cloudy production and is most deserving of the win.
Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical Adam Garcia – Kiss Me, Kate Debbie Kurup – The Bodyguard Siân Phillips – Cabaret Leigh Zimmerman – A Chorus Line		Having only seen Adam Garcia, all I know about this is that Adam Garcia surely can’t win. There must have been something better. My money goes on A Chorus Line.
Best New Musical Loserville Soul Sister The Bodyguard Top Hat		Christ, best new musical includes a remake of a woeful 1990’s film with one massive song, and (how is this anything but technically not a revival) of the 1935 classic with Fred ‘n Ginger.For that reason hopefully the flop Loserville will win it.
Best Revival Long Day’s Journey Into Night Macbeth Old Times Twelfth Night		I suspect that Long Day’s Journey Into Night will win. It sends a cold shiver down my spine but I think it will. Any of the others are more deserving but lets face it Macbeth and Twelfth Night are revived every other bloody year.
Best Musical Revival A Chorus Line Cabaret Kiss Me, Kate Sweeney Todd		Sweeney Todd. The Day-Lewis Award for certainty.
Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre Caroline Horton for You’re Not Like The Other Girls Chrissy at the Bush theatre The production of Red Velvet at the Tricycle theatre The season of new writing at the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court theatre Kate Bond and Morgan Lloyd for You Me Bum Bum Train, presented by Theatre Royal Stratford East		The usual suspects are deservedly well-represented here. The Royal Court with its normal stellar seasons, the Bush gets a nod and its nice to see Jerwood recognised.Hopefully the Tricylce will win but I have a fear that You Me Bum Bum Train may get the prize and even worse fear that it may encourage others to follow in its footsteps.