# 1991 Laurence Olivier Awards

The 1991 Laurence Olivier Awards were held in 1991 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 | Best New Musical |
| Dancing at Lughnasa by Brian Friel – National Theatre Lyttelton Singer by Peter Flannery – RSC at the Barbican Pit The Trackers of Oxyrhynchus by Tony Harrison – National Theatre Olivier White Chameleon by Christopher Hampton – National Theatre Cottesloe | Sunday in the Park with George – National Theatre Lyttelton Into the Woods – Phoenix |
| Best Revival of a Play or Comedy | Best Musical Revival |
| Pericles – RSC at the Barbican Pit Accidental Death of an Anarchist – National Theatre Cottesloe Kean – Old Vic The Wild Duck – Phoenix | Show Boat – London Palladium The Fantasticks – Regent's Park Open Air The Rocky Horror Show – Piccadilly |
| Best Comedy | Best Entertainment |
| Out of Order by Ray Cooney – Shaftesbury Gasping by Ben Elton – Theatre Royal Haymarket | Five Guys Named Moe – Lyric An Evening with Peter Ustinov – Theatre Royal Haymarket Victoria Wood up West – Strand |
| Actor of the Year | Actress of the Year |
| Ian McKellen as Richard in Richard III – National Theatre Lyttelton Richard Harris as Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor in Henry IV – Wyndham's John Malkovich as Pale in Burn This – Lyric Warren Mitchell as Max in The Homecoming – Comedy | Kathryn Hunter as Claire Zachanassian in The Visit – National Theatre Lyttelton Penny Downie as Marianne in Scenes from a Marriage – Wyndham's Barbara Jefford as Volumnia in Coriolanus – RSC at the Barbican Josette Simon as Maggie in After the Fall – 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 |
| Philip Quast as Georges Seurat and George in Sunday in the Park with George – National Theatre Lyttelton Ian Bartholomew as The Baker in Into the Woods – Phoenix Bruce Hubbard as Joe in Show Boat – London Palladium Paul J Medford as Little Moe in Five Guys Named Moe – Lyric | Imelda Staunton as The Baker's Wife in Into the Woods – Phoenix Sally Burgess as Julie Dozier/Julie La Verne in Show Boat – London Palladium Maria Friedman as Dot and Marie in Sunday in the Park with George – National Theatre Lyttelton Julia McKenzie as The Witch in Into the Woods – Phoenix |
| Comedy Performance of the Year |
| Alan Cumming as The Madman in Accidental Death of an Anarchist – National Theatre Cottesloe Richard Briers as Rat in The Wind in the Willows – National Theatre Olivier Griff Rhys Jones as Mr. Toad in The Wind in the Willows – National Theatre Olivier Joseph Maher as Dr. Rance in What the Butler Saw – Wyndham's |
| Performance of the Year by an Actor in a Supporting Role | Performance of the Year by an Actress in a Supporting Role |
| David Bradley as The Fool in King Lear – National Theatre Lyttelton Ben Daniels as Richard Loeb in Never the Sinner – Playhouse Mick Ford as Stefan in Singer – RSC at the Barbican Jonathan Kent as Hero in The Rehearsal – Garrick | Sara Crowe as Sybil in Private Lives – National Theatre Lyttelton Maria Miles as Hedvig Ekdal in The Wild Duck – Phoenix Anita Reeves as Maggie in Dancing at Lughnasa – National Theatre Lyttelton Zoë Wanamaker as Elizabeth Proctor in The Crucible – National Theatre Olivier |
| Best Supporting Performance in a Musical |
| Karla Burns as Queenie in Show Boat – London Palladium Sandra Browne as Lady Thiang in The King and I – Sadler's Wells Clive Carter as Cinderella's Prince and the Wolf in Into the Woods – Phoenix |
| Best Director of a Play | Best Director of a Musical |
| David Thacker for Pericles – RSC at the Barbican Pit Richard Eyre for Richard III – National Theatre Lyttelton and White Chameleon – National Theatre Cottesloe Nicholas Hytner for The Wind in the Willows – National Theatre Olivier Patrick Mason for Dancing at Lughnasa – National Theatre Lyttelton | Richard Jones for Into the Woods – Phoenix Charles Augins for Five Guys Named Moe – Lyric Ian Judge for Show Boat – London Palladium Steven Pimlott for Sunday in the Park with George – National Theatre Lyttelton |
| Best Theatre Choreographer |
| Charles Augins for Five Guys Named Moe – Lyric Terry John Bates for Dancing at Lughnasa – National Theatre Lyttelton Lawrence Evans for The Trackers of Oxyrhynchus – National Theatre Olivier |
| Best Set Designer | Best Costume Designer |
| Mark Thompson for The Wind in the Willows – National Theatre Olivier Tom Cairns for Sunday in the Park with George – National Theatre Lyttelton William Dudley for Marya – Old Vic Nigel Lowery for The Illusion – Old Vic | Jasper Conran for The Rehearsal – Garrick Sue Blane for Into the Woods – Phoenix Tom Cairns for Sunday in the Park with George – National Theatre Lyttelton Mark Thompson for The Wind in the Willows – National Theatre Olivier |
| Best Lighting Designer |
| Jean Kalman for Richard III – National Theatre Lyttelton and White Chameleon – National Theatre Cottesloe Alan Burrett for Three Sisters – Royal Court Pat Collins for The Illusion – Old Vic Paul Pyant for The Wind in the Willows – National Theatre Olivier |
| Outstanding Achievement in Dance | Outstanding Achievement in Opera |
| Twyla Tharp for choreographing and Jennifer Tipton for lighting In the Upper Room, American Ballet Theatre – London Coliseum Darcey Bussell in Stravinsky Violin Concerto and Winter Dreams, The Royal Ballet – Royal Opera House Kenneth MacMillan for choreographing Winter Dreams, The Royal Ballet – Royal Opera House Mark Morris for choreographing Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes, American Ballet Theatre – London Coliseum Phoenix Dance Company for its season – Sadler's Wells The ensemble for their season, Siobhan Davies Dance Company – Sadler's Wells | Mark Elder for conducting Duke Bluebeard's Castle, Macbeth, Pelléas and Mélisande and Wozzeck, English National Opera – London Coliseum Tim Albery for directing The Trojans, Scottish Opera – Royal Opera House Duke Bluebeard's Castle by English National Opera – London Coliseum Greek by English National Opera – London Coliseum Éva Marton in Elektra, The Royal Opera – Royal Opera House The Cunning Little Vixen by The Royal Opera – Royal Opera House |
| Award for Outstanding Achievement |
| Cameron Mackintosh for creative contributions to West End theatre, generous donations to the University of Oxford (for a visiting drama professorship), the Royal National Theatre (for the presentation of great musicals) and the Tricycle Theatre Betrayal, The Rehearsal and Volpone – Almeida Field Day Theatre Company for 10 years' achievement in presenting Irish drama across all borders Robert Lepage for writing Tectonic Plates, Théâtre Repère – National Theatre Cottesloe |
| Society Special Award |
| Peggy Ashcroft |

## Productions with multiple nominations and awards

The following 17 productions, including one ballet and one opera, received multiple nominations:
* 7: Into the Woods
* 6: Sunday in the Park with George and The Wind in the Willows
* 5: Show Boat
* 4: Dancing at Lughnasa and Five Guys Named Moe
* 3: Richard III, The Rehearsal and White Chameleon
* 2: Accidental Death of an Anarchist, Duke Bluebeard's Castle, Pericles, Singer, The Illusion, The Trackers of Oxyrhynchus, The Wild Duck and Winter Dreams
The following six productions received multiple awards:
* 2: Five Guys Named Moe, Into the Woods, Pericles, Richard III, Show Boat and Sunday in the Park with George