⭐ BEVERLEY KNIGHT, TOBY MARLOW, MATT LUCAS, RUTH JONES & MORE JOIN OPEN LETTER CALLING FOR INTRODUCTION OF BEST SCORE OF A MUSICAL & BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL OLIVIER AWARD CATEGORIES ⭐
Beverley Knight MBE, Toby Marlow, Matt Lucas, Ruth Jones MBE & Ruthie Henshall join over 160 British writers, creatives & actors calling for the introduction of ‘Best Score of a Musical’ & ‘Best Book of a Musical’ categories at the 2025 Laurence Olivier Awards, it has been announced.
Over 160 British writers, actors and creatives, including multiple Olivier, Tony, Grammy, International Emmy and Drama Desk Award Winners have signed an open letter calling on The Society of London Theatre, the organisers of The Laurence Olivier Awards, to introduce two new ‘Best Book of a Musical’ and ‘Best Score of a Musical’categories for the 2025 Olivier Awards, so the achievement of Librettists, Composers and Lyricists in London’s West End can be properly recognised.
This comes in advance of the 2024 Olivier Awards Ceremony, held this Sunday 14th April at the Royal Albert Hall.
The open letter, authored and organised by Off-West End Award-Winning Actor & Librettist Jack Reitman (Rent, Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story), seeks to draw attention to the missed opportunity The Laurence Olivier Awards has to shine a spotlight on the creators of musicals, and to inspire the next generation of British Composers, Lyricists and Librettists. It also seeks to bring The Laurence Olivier Awards in-line with their US counterpart, The Tony Awards, which has recognised the achievements of writers on the Broadway stage since the 1940s with its ‘Best Book of a Musical’ and ‘Best Original Score’ categories.
Co-Signatories to the open letter include the theatre writers Jake Brunger (The Great British Bakeoff Musical, The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Evening Standard Nominee: Best Musical), James Cooper (Lovestuck, My Dad Wrote A Porno, BAFTA Nominee: Best Short Film), Darren Clark & Jethro Compton (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), George Stiles & Anthony Drewe (Mary Poppins, Half A Sixpence, Honk!, Olivier Award: Best New Musical), Charli Eglinton (Treason The Musical), Martha Geelan (Babies), Gus Gowland (Pieces of String, Mayflies, The Stage Debut Award: Best Composer/Lyricist) Richy Hughes (Superhero, Oi Frog and Friends’, Olivier Nominee: Best Family Show) Dennis Kelly (Matilda the Musical, DNA, Tony Award: Best Book, Olivier Award: Best New Musical, Int. Emmy Award: Best Drama Series), Anoushka Lucas (Elephant, Stage Debut Best Writer Award 2023, Olivier Nominee), Morgan Lloyd Malcolm (Emilia, Cake, Olivier Winner: Best Entertainment or Comedy Play), Toby Marlow (SIX, Why Am I So Single?, Tony Award: Best Original Score, Olivier Nominee: Best Musical & Outstanding Achievement in Music), Shaun McKenna (Lord of the Rings, Olivier Nominee: Best New Musical), Maimuna Memon (Manic Street Creature, Portia Coughlan, Olivier Nominee: Best Supporting Actress in a Musical), John O’Farrell (Mrs Doubtfire, Just For One Day, Tony & Drama Desk Nominee: Best Book of a Musical), Grant Olding (One Man, Two Guvnors, Tony Nominee: Best Original Score, Drama Desk Award: Best Score), Jeremy Sams (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Amour, Tony Nominee: Best Book of a Musical & Best Original Score) & Tim Sutton (Measure for Measure, As You Like It, 2x Stiles & Drewe Award: Best Song).
Actors who have signed include Tracie Bennett (2x Olivier Winner, 6x Olivier Nominee, Tony Nominee), Jordan Luke Gage (2x Whatsonstage Award Nominee), Ruthie Henshall (Olivier Winner, 5x Olivier Nominee), Michael Jibson (Olivier Winner, 2x Olivier Nominee), Ruth Jones MBE (BAFTA Cymru Winner, Multiple BAFTA Nominee), Beverley Knight MBE (Olivier Winner, 3x Olivier Nominee, 3x MOBO Winner, 4x Brit Award Nominee), Matt Lucas (2x BAFTA Winner, 2x International Emmy Winner), Jason Pennycooke (3x Olivier Nominee) & Clive Rowe (Olivier Winner, 4x Olivier Nominee).
Creatives who are co-signatories include John Caird (Director & Writer, Olivier & Tony Award: Best Director, Tony Nominee: Best Book of a Musical & Best Original Score), John Cameron (Orchestrator & Composer, Oscar & Emmy Nominee: Best Score, Olivier Nominee: Best New Musical), Matt Cole (Olivier & Whatsonstage Award: Best Choreography), Chris Cumming (Artistic Director of NYMT), Emily Gray (Chief Executive & Creative Director of BYMT), Nikolai Foster (Director & Artistic Director of Curve, UK Theatre Award: Best Musical), Martin Lowe (Orchestrator & Music Supervisor, Tony Award: Best Orchestrations, Grammy Award: Best Musical Theatre Album, Olivier Award: Outstanding Achievement in Music), Jeremy James Taylor (Founder of NYMT & Writer) & Mark Warman (MD).
The open letter also has support from David James, the founder of BOOK, Music & Lyrics (the UK’s only weekly workshop for the professional development of musical theatre practitioners) and Natalia Scorer, the Executive Director of Mercury Musical Developments (the UK’s foremost organisation dedicated to supporting & nurturing musical theatre writers) – many of the co-signatories are members of both BML and MMD.
The full list of co-signatories, alongside the open letter can be viewed here – rb.gy/3whl05
The open letter is still accepting co-signatories for those who would like to add their name to support, and this can be done here – rb.gy/jhfncu
About The Laurence Olivier Awards
First awarded in 1976, The Laurence Olivier Awards are the UK’s Most Prestigious Stage Honours, celebrating the world-class status of London Theatre. They are the London theatrical equivalent to The BAFTAs, The Oscars and The Emmys for Film & Television, The Grammys and The Brits for Music, and The Tony Awards for Broadway Theatre. The Olivier Awards 2024 with Mastercard will return on Sunday 14 April 2024 at the Royal Albert Hall, presented by Emmy winner and multi-Olivier nominee Hannah Waddingham.
A Note about the Olivier Award for ‘Best New Musical’
Whilst this year the writers of musicals do appear below the titles of the nominees for ‘Best New Musical’, and indeed for ‘Best Musical Revival’, this award itself is based on a combination of multiple factors, including performances, and creative, design and technical elements – not solely the specific achievements of the librettist, composer and lyricist. Like directing, choreographing, and lighting, sound, set and costume designing, creating libretto and score vitally contribute to the overall ‘success’ of a new musical and so, like these other skills, deserve to be individually and explicitly recognised.
Well overdue! ! !
Thoughts? X x x
