The 10 Olivier-nominated shows you can still book now

The gloriously ephemeral nature of theatre means that, when it comes to the big awards ceremonies, a number of the most-nominated shows can no longer be seen. They have come, blazed and gone, leaving a trail of precious memories in the minds of those who were lucky enough to have caught them. This year’s Olivier Awards shortlist, announced this lunchtime, is no different. Hugely lauded productions such as Jamie Lloyd’s strikingly stripped-back revival of Sunset Boulevard starring Nicole Scherzinger and James Graham’s Dear England, a playful-but-profound examination of the England football team under Gareth Southgate, are no longer on in London.

Andrew Scott’s blistering one-man take on Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya, for my money the performance of the year, might not be available on stage any longer, but it can be tracked down in the form of an NT Live recorded screening. So can The Motive and the Cue, another sizeable hit from an in-form National Theatre, in which playwright Jack Thorne examines the tensions between John Gielgud and Richard Burton as the maverick latter was preparing to play Hamlet under the former’s direction.

Yet all is by no means lost for those who prefer to consume their theatre live, as a notable selection of Olivier-nominated works are still playing. Here they are.

Till the Stars Come Down

You will have to move quickly to catch Beth Steel’s marvellously warm and witty new play about tensions in a working-class family in a former mining town, as it is only on until Saturday. Steel is the lone woman to feature in the Best New Play category, as the other three nominees are all men whose names begin with “J” (Jack Thorne, James Graham, Jez Butterworth). Lorraine Ashbourne’s glorious blast of a turn as a straight-talking aunt sees her cited as Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

National Theatre, London, to 16 March (nationaltheatre.org.uk)

Read our review here

An Enemy of the People

Thomas Ostermeier’s radical modern version of the Ibsen classic, starring Matt Smith, wasn’t to everyone’s taste, but two of the cast have been Olivier-nominated for their supporting roles. Priyanga Burford is the seemingly liberal newspaper proprietor whose convictions oscillate, while the always-excellent Paul Hilton, one of our finest stage actors, plays the business-minded brother who struggles to keep his wayward younger sibling in check.

Duke of York’s Theatre, London, to 13 April (anenemyofthepeople.co.uk)

Read our review here

Plaza Suite

West End ticket prices went berserk at the arrival of Sarah Jessica Parker, who stars opposite her real-life husband Matthew Broderick in Neil Simon’s trilogy of short pieces about unhappy couples in the same New York hotel room. Parker certainly attacks the rather thin writing with conviction, which has led to her Best Actress nomination, even if not all the critics (myself included) would be in strict agreement with this.

Savoy Theatre, London, to 13 April (plazasuiteuk.com)

Read our review here

A Mirror

Sam Holcroft’s dystopian drama set in a heavily controlled dictatorship of a country provides a dream breakout role for Tanya Reynolds, who has been nominated in the Supporting Actress category. Reynolds, whose still demeanour and wonderfully expressive face has strong echoes of past Olivier Award winner Patsy Ferran, plays a young woman attempting to navigate her way in a culture ministry where the rules are markedly unclear.

Trafalgar Theatre, London, to 20 April (atgtickets.com)

Read our review here

The Picture of Dorian Gray

If Andrew Scott was on world-beating form in his one-man Vanya, so is Sarah “Shiv Roy from Succession” Snook in this one-woman whirl through Oscar Wilde’s only novel. The indefatigable Snook hops from character to character, often interacting – and arguing – with filmed versions of herself as Dorian embarks on a doomed quest for eternal youth. This is a two-hour tour-de-force, for which Snook has rightly been nominated for Best Actress. Some tickets remain – but be prepared for dizzying prices.

Theatre Haymarket, London, to 11 May (doriangrayplay.com)

Read our review here

The Hills of California

Laura Donnelly powers her way through not one but two principal roles in Jez Butterworth’s new female-focused family drama set in a fading Blackpool guest house in the 1970s. She’s the steely-eyed mother of four young daughters to begin with, before morphing into a grown-up iteration of one of the drifting offspring. It’s no wonder that such strong work sees her nominated for Best Actress, while the play itself competes with Dear England, The Motive and the Cue and Till the Stars Come Down for Best New Play.

Harold Pinter Theatre, London, to 15 June (hillsofcaliforniaplay.com)

Read our review here

Guys and Dolls

Nicholas Hytner’s joyously immersive staging of this much-loved musical has proved one of the most crowd-pleasing shows of the year, with many punters returning multiple times to a work that allows audience members to nestle up close to the hurly-burly of those lovable Broadway low lives. The scenes move fluidly around the Bridge Theatre space as the spectators follow the action; it is no wonder that Guys and Dolls has been recognised in the category of Best Musical Revival, amongst others.

Bridge Theatre, London. Booking to 31 August (bridgetheatre.co.uk)

Read our review here

Operation Mincemeat

Gloriously, the Oliviers have gone all out for this plucky little musical about British wartime espionage that has journeyed all the way from multiple runs at a tiny fringe theatre to the West End, where its run keeps being extended. Its insanely industrious quick-change cast has been recognised in multiple acting categories; Jak Malone, whose poignant ballad to a lost wartime love is a snuffly showstopper, must be the favourite for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical. And who would bet against Operation Mincemeat, written by the cast, winning Best New Musical?

Fortune Theatre, London. Booking to 16 November (OperationMincemeat.com)

Read our review here

Stranger Things: The First Shadow

The Netflix behemoth has made a dazzling transition to the stage, in an extravagantly well-designed production that pushes the boundaries of theatre’s capabilities. This has been rightly nominated in a variety of technical categories including Best Set Design, while co-directors Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin have been recognised for shaping and shepherding the whole extravagant spectacular.

Phoenix Theatre, London. Booking to 15 December (strangerthingsonstage.com)

Read our review here

Hadestown

Anaïs Mitchell’s dreamy musical spin on the ancient Greek myths of Persephone/Hades and Orpheus/Eurydice became an instant favourite when it played at the National Theatre in 2018. Eight Tony Awards later, it has now moved to the West End in a shimmering blast of a production that has been justly nominated for Best Musical Revival. Intriguingly Grace Hodgett Young, who plays a tough but tender Eurydice here, has also been Olivier recognised for her attention-grabbing debut in Sunset Boulevard.

Lyric Theatre, London. Booking to 22 December (nimaxtheatres.com)

Read our review here