# 1988 Laurence Olivier Awards

The 1988 Laurence Olivier Awards were held in 1988 in London celebrating excellence in West End theatre by the Society of London Theatre.

## 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 |
| Our Country's Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker – Royal Court A Walk in the Woods by Lee Blessing – Comedy Mrs. Klein by Nicholas Wright – National Theatre Cottesloe / Apollo The Secret Rapture by David Hare – National Theatre Lyttelton | Candide – Old Vic Babes in Arms – Regent's Park Open Air Blood Brothers – Albery The Wizard of Oz – RSC at the Barbican |
| Comedy of the Year |
| Shirley Valentine by Willy Russell – Vaudeville Henceforward by Alan Ayckbourn – Vaudeville Separation by Tom Kempinski – Comedy The Common Pursuit by Simon Gray – Phoenix |
| Actor of the Year in a Revival | Actress of the Year in a Revival |
| Brian Cox as Titus Andronicus in Titus Andronicus – RSC at the Barbican Pit Alun Armstrong as The Captain in The Father – National Theatre Cottesloe and as Barabas in The Jew of Malta – RSC at the Barbican Antony Sher as Johnnie in Hello and Goodbye – Almeida and as Shylock in The Merchant of Venice – RSC at the Barbican Tom Wilkinson as Dr. Tomas Stockmann in An Enemy of the People – Playhouse | Harriet Walter as Dacha in A Question of Geography – RSC at the Barbican Pit and as Masha Sergeyevna Kulygina in Three Sisters and as Viola Twelfth Night – RSC at the Barbican Estelle Kohler as Hester in Hello and Goodbye – Almeida and as Tamora in Titus Andronicus – RSC at The Pit Vanessa Redgrave as Nora Melody in A Touch of the Poet – Comedy Imelda Staunton as Sonya Alexandrovna Serebryakova in Uncle Vanya – Vaudeville |
| Actor of the Year in a New Play | Actress of the Year in a New Play |
| David Haig as Second Lieutenant Ralph Clark in Our Country's Good – Royal Court Brian Cox as Paul Cash in Fashion – RSC at The Pit Alec Guinness as Andrey Botvinnik in A Walk in the Woods – Comedy David Suchet as Joe Green in Separation – Comedy | Pauline Collins as Shirley Valentine-Bradshaw in Shirley Valentine – Vaudeville Gillian Barge as Melanie Klein in Mrs. Klein – National Theatre Cottesloe / Apollo Saskia Reeves as Sarah Wise in Separation – Comedy Penelope Wilton as Marion French in The Secret Rapture – National Theatre Lyttelton |
| Outstanding Performance of the Year by an Actor in a Musical | Outstanding Performance of the Year by an Actress in a Musical |
| Con O'Neill as Mickey in Blood Brothers – Albery Bille Brown in as Miss Gulch and the Wicked Witch of the West The Wizard of Oz – RSC at the Barbican Nickolas Grace Dr. Pangloss/Voltaire in Candide – Old Vic Mickey Rooney as Mickey Rooney in Sugar Babies – Savoy | Patricia Routledge as Old Lady in Candide – Old Vic Kiki Dee as Mrs. Johnstone in Blood Brothers – Albery Ann Miller as Ann Miller in Sugar Babies – Savoy Imelda Staunton as Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz – RSC at the Barbican |
| Comedy Performance of the Year |
| Alex Jennings as Gloumov in Too Clever by Half – Old Vic Kenneth Branagh as Celia in As You Like It – Phoenix Lesley Sharp as Lipochka in A Family Affair – Donmar Warehouse Sian Thomas as Vittoria in Countrymania – National Theatre Olivier |
| Outstanding Performance of the Year in a Supporting Role | Most Promising Newcomer of the Year in Theatre |
| Eileen Atkins as The Queen in Cymbeline, as Paulina in The Winter's Tale – National Theatre Cottesloe and as Elderly Woman in Mountain Language – National Theatre Lyttelton Rudi Davies as Sara Melody in A Touch of the Poet – Comedy Serena Evans as Zoe in Henceforward – Vaudeville Tony Haygarth as Trinculo in The Tempest – National Theatre Cottesloe | Richard Jones for directing Too Clever by Half – Old Vic Andrew Castell as Second Lieutenant James "Jimmy" Raleigh in Journey's End – Whitehall Alan Cumming as Slupianek in The Conquest of the South Pole – Royal Court Tim Luscombe for directing Easy Virtue – Garrick, Harlequinade and The Browning Version – Royalty |
| Director of the Year |
| Deborah Warner for Titus Andronicus – RSC at the Barbican Pit Howard Davies for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Secret Rapture – National Theatre Lyttelton and The Shaughraun – National Theatre Olivier Max Stafford-Clark for Our Country's Good and The Recruiting Officer – Royal Court David Thacker for A Touch of the Poet – Comedy and An Enemy of the People – Playhouse |
| Designer of the Year |
| Richard Hudson for Andromache, Bussy D'Ambois, Candide, One Way Pendulum, The Tempest and Too Clever by Half – Old Vic William Dudley for Bartholomew Fair, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Changeling, The Shaughraun and Waiting for Godot – National Theatre Nick Ormerod for A Family Affair, Philoctetes and The Tempest – Donmar Warehouse Mark Thompson for Measure for Measure and The Wizard of Oz – RSC at the Barbican |
| Outstanding Achievement of the Year in Dance | Outstanding Achievement in Opera |
| The ensemble, Kirov Ballet – Royal Opera House Christopher Bruce for choreographing and Koen Onzia in Cruel Garden and Swansong, London Festival Ballet – Sadler's Wells Cumbre Flamenca for its season – Sadler's Wells Hayden Griffin for set designing Still Life at the Penguin Café – Royal Opera House Arden Court and Shift, London Contemporary Dance Theatre – Sadler's Wells Weighing the Heart, Second Stride – Sadler's Wells | Leontina Vaduva in Manon, The Royal Opera – Royal Opera House Billy Budd, English National Opera – London Coliseum Falstaff, Welsh National Opera – Royal Opera House Madama Butterfly, The Royal Opera – Royal Opera House Stefanos Lazaridis for set designing and David Pountney for producing Hansel and Gretel, English National Opera – London Coliseum The Magic Flute, English National Opera – London Coliseum |
| Award for Outstanding Achievement |
| Stars in the Morning Sky, Maly Theatre – Riverside Studios Nick Dear for adapting A Family Affair, Cheek by Jowl – Donmar Warehouse David Thacker for directing An Enemy of the People – Young Vic / Playhouse Théâtre de Complicité for its season – Almeida |
| Society Special Award |
| Alec Guinness |

## Productions with multiple nominations and awards

The following 19 productions received multiple nominations:
* 4: Candide and The Wizard of Oz
* 3: A Family Affair, A Touch of the Poet, An Enemy of the People, Blood Brothers, Our Country's Good, Separation, The Secret Rapture, Titus Andronicus and Too Clever by Half
* 2: A Walk in the Woods, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Hello and Goodbye, Henceforward, Mrs. Klein, Shirley Valentine, Sugar Babies and The Shaughraun
The following five productions received multiple awards:
* 3: Candide and Too Clever by Half
* 2: Our Country's Good, Shirley Valentine and Titus Andronicus