1987 Laurence Olivier Awards

The 1987 Laurence Olivier Awards were held in 1987 in London celebrating excellence in West End theatre by the Society of London Theatre.

1987 Laurence Olivier Awards

Winners and nominees

Details of winners (in bold) and nominees, in each award category, per the Society of London Theatre.

Play of the Year	Musical of the Year
Serious Money by Caryl Churchill – Royal Court A Lie of the Mind by Sam Shepard – Royal Court Lettice and Lovage by Peter Shaffer – Globe Sarcophagus by Vladimir Gubaryev – RSC at The Pit	Follies – Shaftesbury Blues in the Night – Donmar Warehouse Kiss Me, Kate – Old Vic Up on the Roof – Donmar Warehouse
Comedy of the Year
Three Men on a Horse by George Abbott and John Cecil Holm – National Theatre Cottesloe A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare – Open Air Groucho: A Life in Revue by Robert Fisher and Arthur Marx – Comedy Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare – Donmar Warehouse
Actor of the Year	Actress of the Year
Michael Gambon as Eddie Carbone in A View from the Bridge – National Theatre Cottesloe Tokusaburo Arashi as Medea in Medea – National Theatre Olivier Hugh Quarshie as Jack Jefferson in The Great White Hope, as Belville in The Rover and as Arcite in The Two Noble Kinsmen – RSC at the Mermaid Nicholas Woodeson as Mike Levine in Flight and as Bessmertny in Sarcophagus – RSC at the Barbican Pit	Judi Dench as Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra – National Theatre Olivier Miranda Richardson as Beth in A Lie of the Mind – Royal Court Maggie Smith as Halina Rodziewiczowna in Coming into Land – National Theatre Lyttelton and as Lettice Douffet in Lettice and Lovage – Globe Juliet Stevenson as Yerma in Yerma – National Theatre Cottesloe
Outstanding Performance of the Year by an Actor in a Musical	Outstanding Performance of the Year by an Actress in a Musical
John Bardon and Emil Wolk as First Gangster and Second Gangster in Kiss Me, Kate – Old Vic Bernard Alane as Pierre Fontaine in Bless the Bride – Sadler's Wells Mark McGann as Scott in Up on the Roof – Donmar Warehouse Gary Olsen as Keith in Up on the Roof – Donmar Warehouse	Nichola McAuliffe as Lilli Vanessi/Kate Minola in Kiss Me, Kate – Old Vic Dee Dee Bridgewater as Billie Holiday in Lady Day – Donmar Warehouse Julia McKenzie as Sally Durant Plummer in Follies – Shaftesbury Carol Woods as Performer in Blues in the Night – Donmar Warehouse
Comedy Performance of the Year
John Woodvine as Sir John Falstaff in The Henrys – Old Vic Frank Ferrante as Groucho Marx in Groucho: A Life in Revue – Comedy Geoffrey Hutchings as Irwin in Three Men on a Horse – National Theatre Cottesloe Les Marsden as Harpo Marx in Groucho: A Life in Revue – Comedy
Outstanding Performance of the Year in a Supporting Role	Most Promising Newcomer of the Year in Theatre
Michael Bryant as Enobarbus in Antony and Cleopatra and as The Fool King Lear – National Theatre Olivier Robin Bailey as Vassily Ivanyich Bazarov in Fathers and Sons – National Theatre Lyttelton Diane Bull as Louise Allington in Tons of Money – National Theatre Lyttelton Sheila Reid as Morag in When I Was a Girl I Used to Scream and Shout – Whitehall	Suzan Sylvester as Catherine in A View from the Bridge – National Theatre Cottesloe Rudi Davies as Sally in A Lie of the Mind – Royal Court and as Dorcas Bellboys A Penny for a Song – RSC at the Barbican Nick Dear for writing The Art of Success – RSC at the Barbican Pit Imogen Stubbs as Helena in The Rover and as the Gaoler's Daughter The Two Noble Kinsmen – RSC at the Mermaid
Director of the Year
Declan Donnellan for Macbeth, The Cid and Twelfth Night – Donmar Warehouse Alan Ayckbourn for A View from the Bridge – National Theatre Cottesloe Yukio Ninagawa for Macbeth – National Theatre Lyttelton and Medea – National Theatre Olivier Peter Stein for The Hairy Ape – National Theatre Lyttelton
Designer of the Year
Lucio Fanti for The Hairy Ape – National Theatre Lyttelton Bob Crowley for A Penny for a Song and Macbeth – RSC at the Barbican William Dudley for Girlfriends – Playhouse, Kiss Me, Kate – Old Vic and Richard II – RSC at the Barbican Kappa Senoh for Macbeth – National Theatre Lyttelton
Outstanding Achievement of the Year in Dance	Outstanding Achievement in Opera
Trisha Brown for her season – Sadler's Wells The ensemble for their season, London Contemporary Dance Theatre – Sadler's Wells Richard Alston for choreographing Dutiful Ducks and Pulcinella, Ballet Rambert – Sadler's Wells Ichikawa Ennosuke in The Thousand Cherries of Yoshitsune – Sadler's Wells Shards, Merce Cunningham Dance Company – Sadler's Wells	Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk by English National Opera – London Coliseum Della Jones in The Barber of Seville, English National Opera – London Coliseum Carlos Kleiber for conducting Otello, The Royal Opera – Royal Opera House Marie McLaughlin in Le nozze di Figaro, The Royal Opera – Royal Opera House Eva Randová in Jenůfa, The Royal Opera – Royal Opera House Yuri Temirkanov for artistic directing, Kirov Opera Orchestra – Royal Opera House
Award for Outstanding Achievement
Thelma Holt for producing, International Festival – National Ghosts, Young Vic – Wyndham's Hampstead Theatre for overall high standard of work in 1987 Barry Humphries in Back with a Vengeance – Strand

Productions with multiple nominations and awards

The following 17 productions received multiple nominations:

• 4: Kiss Me, Kate
• 3: A Lie of the Mind, A View from the Bridge, Groucho: A Life in Revue and Up on the Roof
• 2: A Penny for a Song, Antony and Cleopatra, Blues in the Night, Follies, Lettice and Lovage, Macbeth (Lyttelton), Medea, Sarcophagus, The Rover, The Two Noble Kinsmen, Three Men on a Horse and Twelfth Night

The following three productions received multiple awards:

• 2: A View from the Bridge, Antony and Cleopatra and Kiss Me, Kate

See also

• 41st Tony Awards

External links

• Previous Olivier Winners – 1987