Awards Surprises

Not that the mass media seemed to care much, but the Olivier Awards were presented at the weekend. It drew over 100,000 viewers to the live streaming, which was pretty good going. An extended highlights show is still available at www.officiallondontheatre.com for those who missed it too.

The winners surprised me. “The Mountaintop” over “Jerusalem” as best play? “Hello Dolly” as best revival? Best choreography for sure, but overall better than “A Little Night Music”? Proof that the viewing public and those who vote on awards see things very differently – even if a couple of representatives of the public are involved in the process.

A theatremonkey.com reader today said that it’s refreshing that both book and website are completely from ordinary theatregoers’ perspectives. Even when I and readers disagree (“Phantom of the Opera” a great show?), the pleasure is always in the sharing and the surprise… which is where this entry began.