London: The Olivier Awards 2024 has recognised Sunset Boulevard with seven wins, following the outstanding performance of Nicole Scherzinger. The American actress and singer won the Best Actress in a Musical award at the Royal Albert Hall.
The show, which is a modern take on the 1950 black comedy of the same name, also received awards for Best Director and Best Musical Revival. Tom Francis also won the Best Actor in a Musical award for his role in the play at the Savoy Theatre.
During her acceptance speech on stage at the Royal Albert Hall, Scherzinger referred to almost tripping and thanked God for saving her from the mishap. She added that she owes everything to Him and wouldn’t be where she is without His help.
The lead singer of The Pussycat Dolls spoke about her humble beginnings and her passion for singing and musicals. She even joked about holding many roles in mind that she would like to play, except for the character of Norma Desmond, a failing Hollywood star from the original film.
In the meantime, Dame Arlene Phillips won her first competitive Olivier award for her choreography in the musical Guys & Dolls. The 80-year-old former Strictly Come Dancing star received a standing ovation and thanked fellow choreographer James Cousins for his assistance. She mentioned he crawled around on the floor to demonstrate movements when she carried issues with her knees.
Last year, Dame Arlene won a special Olivier award for choreographing some of the biggest musical shows, including We Will Rock You, The Wizard Of Oz, The Sound Of Music and Flash dance. Afterwards, she expressed regret for not photographing the moment before she became emotional during her standing ovation.
Succession star Sarah Snook won the award for best actress in a play for her performance in the one-woman show The Picture Of Dorian Gray, while Mark Gatiss ensured the honour for best actor in a play for The Motive And The Cue at the National Theatre.
Snook expressed gratitude to Oscar Wilde, the renowned author of The Picture Of Dorian Gray, for originating the story and also extended appreciation to the entire production team and director of the one-woman show. Dear England, a play by James Graham, was awarded the Olivier for the best new play. During his acceptance speech, Graham thanked the teachers at his Nottingham comprehensive school, which he described as being located in the ‘red wall.’
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