# 2006 Laurence Olivier Awards

The 2006 Laurence Olivier Awards were held in 2006 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.
| Best New Play | Best New Musical |
| On the Shore of the Wide World by Simon Stephens – National Theatre Cottesloe Coram Boy by Helen Edmundson – National Theatre Olivier Harvest by Richard Bean – Royal Court Paul by Howard Brenton – National Theatre Cottesloe | Billy Elliot – Victoria Palace Acorn Antiques – Theatre Royal Haymarket The Big Life – Apollo |
| Best Revival | Outstanding Musical Production |
| Hedda Gabler – Almeida / Duke of York's Death of a Salesman – Lyric Don Carlos – Gielgud Mary Stuart – Donmar Warehouse / Apollo | Guys and Dolls – Piccadilly H.M.S. Pinafore – Regent's Park Open Air |
| Best New Comedy | Best Entertainment |
| Heroes by Gérald Sibleyras and Tom Stoppard – Wyndham's Glorious by Peter Quilter – Duchess Shoot the Crow by Owen McCafferty – Trafalgar Studios | Something Wicked This Way Comes – Cambridge Blue Man Group – New London Ducktastic – Albery |
| Best Actor | Best Actress |
| Brian Dennehy as Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman – Lyric Richard Griffiths as Henri in Heroes – Wyndham's Derek Jacobi as King Philip II in Don Carlos – Gielgud Con O'Neill as Joe Meek in Telstar – New Ambassadors David Threlfall as Michael in Someone Who'll Watch Over Me – New Ambassadors | Eve Best as Hedda Gabler Tesman in Hedda Gabler – Almeida / Duke of York's Clare Higgins as Linda Loman in Death of a Salesman – Lyric Helen McCrory as Rosalind in As You Like It – Wyndham's Janet McTeer as Mary Stuart in Mary Stuart – Donmar Warehouse / Apollo Harriet Walter as Elizabeth in Mary Stuart – Donmar Warehouse / Apollo |
| Best Actor in a Musical | Best Actress in a Musical |
| James Lomas, George Maguire and Liam Mower as Billy Elliot in Billy Elliot – Victoria Palace Douglas Hodge as Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls – Piccadilly Ewan McGregor as Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls – Piccadilly | Jane Krakowski as Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls – Piccadilly Haydn Gwynne as Mrs. Wilkinson in Billy Elliot – Victoria Palace Jenna Russell as Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls – Piccadilly Julie Walters as Mrs. Overall in Acorn Antiques – Theatre Royal Haymarket |
| Best Performance in a Supporting Role | Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical |
| Noma Dumezweni as Ruth Younger in A Raisin in the Sun – Lyric Hammersmith David Bradley as King Henry IV in Henry IV – National Theatre Olivier Benedict Cumberbatch as George Tesman in Hedda Gabler – Almeida / Duke of York's Anne Reid as Kate Elliot in Epitaph for George Dillon – Comedy Paul Ritter as Otis Gardiner in Coram Boy – National Theatre Olivier | Celia Imrie as Miss Babs in Acorn Antiques – Theatre Royal Haymarket Tameka Empson as Mrs. Aphrodite in The Big Life – Apollo Tim Healy as Dad in Billy Elliot – Victoria Palace Scarlett Strallen as Josephine in H.M.S. Pinafore – Regent's Park Open Air |
| Best Director | Best Theatre Choreographer |
| Richard Eyre for Hedda Gabler – Almeida / Duke of York's Stephen Daldry for Billy Elliot – Victoria Palace Michael Grandage for Don Carlos – Gielgud Phyllida Lloyd for Mary Stuart – Donmar Warehouse / Apollo Melly Still for Coram Boy – National Theatre Olivier | Peter Darling for Billy Elliot – Victoria Palace Rob Ashford for Guys and Dolls – Piccadilly |
| Best Set Design | Best Costume Design |
| Rob Howell for Hedda Gabler – Almeida / Duke of York's Ian MacNeil for Billy Elliot – Victoria Palace Christopher Oram for Don Carlos – Gielgud | Es Devlin for The Dog in the Manger – Playhouse Rob Howell for Hedda Gabler – Almeida / Duke of York's Christopher Oram for Don Carlos – Gielgud Anthony Ward for Mary Stuart – Donmar Warehouse / Apollo |
| Best Lighting Design | Best Sound Design |
| Paule Constable for Don Carlos – Gielgud Rick Fisher for Billy Elliot – Victoria Palace Howard Harrison for Guys and Dolls – Piccadilly Hugh Vanstone for Mary Stuart – Donmar Warehouse / Apollo | Paul Arditti for Billy Elliot – Victoria Palace Terry Jardine and Chris Full for Guys and Dolls – Piccadilly Christopher Shutt for Coram Boy – National Theatre Olivier |
| Outstanding Achievement in Dance | Best New Dance Production |
| Pina Bausch for conceiving Nelken and Palermo, Palermo, Tanztheater Wuppertal – Sadler's Wells The ensemble for their season, Cuban National Ballet – Sadler's Wells Johan Kobborg in La Sylphide and The Lesson, The Royal Ballet – Royal Opera House Russell Maliphant for choreographing and performing PUSH – Sadler's Wells | PUSH – Sadler's Wells Constant Speed, Rambert Dance Company – Sadler's Wells Giselle, Fabulous Beast Dance Theatre – Barbican Zero Degrees, Akram Khan Company – Sadler's Wells |
| Outstanding Achievement in Opera | Outstanding New Opera Production |
| Simon Keenlyside in 1984, The Royal Opera – Royal Opera House and Billy Budd, English National Opera – London Coliseum Carolyn Choa for choreographing and Anthony Minghella for directing Madama Butterfly, English National Opera – London Coliseum Sarah Connolly in La clemenza di Tito, English National Opera – London Coliseum David McVicar for directing La clemenza di Tito, English National Opera – London Coliseum | Madama Butterfly, English National Opera – London Coliseum Billy Budd, English National Opera – London Coliseum La clemenza di Tito, English National Opera – London Coliseum On the Town, English National Opera – London Coliseum |
| Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre |
| Bloody Sunday: Scenes from the Saville Inquiry – Tricycle Comfort Me with Apples – Hampstead My Name Is Rachel Corrie – Royal Court Laura Wade for writing Breathing Corpses – Royal Court and Colder Than Here – Soho |
| Society Special Award |
| Ian McKellen |

## Productions with multiple nominations and awards

The following 15 productions, including three operas, received multiple nominations:
* 9: Billy Elliot
* 8: Guys and Dolls
* 6: Don Carlos, Hedda Gabler and Mary Stuart
* 4: Coram Boy
* 3: Acorn Antiques, Death of a Salesman and La clemenza di Tito
* 2: Billy Budd, Heroes, H.M.S. Pinafore, Madama Butterfly, PUSH and The Big Life
The following three productions received multiple awards:
* 4: Billy Elliot and Hedda Gabler
* 2: Guys and Dolls