1988 Laurence Olivier Awards

Edition of London theatre awards

← 1987 ·

Olivier Awards

· 1989/90 →

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.^[1]

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

References

^ "Olivier Winners 1988". officiallondontheatre.com. Society of London Theatre. Archived from the original on 30 September 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2022.