Dame Judi Dench created another first in the annals of British Theater by winning her 8th Olivier Award* the first person to achieve this in the Awards 40th year history. After collecting her Award for her best supporting actress role as Paulina in Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company’s production of The Winter’s Tale she admitted that she was a wee bit annoyed as it meant that she had lost a bet with her grandson! This great veteran actor with 7 Academy Award Nominations and 1 Award, is, unlike many in her profession, very self-effacing which I am happy to report is still a very quintessential British quality.
Incidentally if you didn’t recognize the very hot and handsome gent in the photo with Dame Judi it is Sir Kenneth Branagh. ( If this was one of those gossip blogs (!) we would have added that his ex wife Emma Thompson divorced him when she discovered he was having an affair with Helena Bonham Carter…. but we are not.)
Two other major winners at the glittering Award Ceremony were Kinky Boots with its star Matt Henry (as Lola) being named Best Actor in a Musical and Gregg Barnes winning for Best Costume Design and then picking up the Best New Musical Award which had the show’s composer Cindy Lauper in tears.
Then as expected the revival of Stephen Sondheim/Arthur Laurents/Jule Styne musical Gypsy won four awards, the most of any single production. The show was declared Best Musical Revival, Lara Pulver for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical, Mark Henderson for Best Lighting Design, and the show star’s Imelda Staunton won Best Actress in a Musical for her powerhouse of a performance. There has been talk that now Gypsy’s West End Run has finished that it will transfer to Broadway probably in 2017 …. and maybe these new wins will expedite that now.
(Such a pity we do not include gossip as we would have added that Ms Staunton best known for her Oscar nominated performance in ‘Vera Drake’ is married to actor Jim Carter aka Downton Abbey’s Carson the Butler.
* The Oliviers are the (younger) British equivalent to NY’s Tony Awards which have been handed out since 1947.
