Billy Elliot and Hedda Gabler Top 2006 Olivier Award Winners

The 2006 Olivier Awards were announced February 26 at the London Hilton, Park Lane. New Musical Billy Elliot made the biggest splash. It not only won the award for Best New Musical, but its trio of young leading actors--James Lomas, George Maguire and Liam Mower--jointly won the Best Actor in a Musical Award, making them the only actors to win this award in a shared capacity and securing their place in the Olivier history as the youngest winners of an award. In a tight race for Best Revival, Richard Eyre's production of Hedda Gabler came out on top. It received four awards, including Eyre for Best Director and Best Actress going to leading lady Eve Best. The Best Actor prize went Brian Dennehy, who won for his performance in Death of a Salesman. Dennehy now has an Olivier, a Tony and a Golden Globe Award for his performance in the classic Arthur Miller work. The Special Award was given to Ian McKellen in celebration of his outstanding contribution to theatre and his continuing support of the industry, including his much talked about reprisal of Widow Twanky in Aladdin at the Old Vic and his forthcoming role in The Cut at the Donmar Warehouse.

The awards ceremony, hosted by Richard Wilson, included special performances from the casts of Big Life, Guys and Dolls, Billy Elliot, On the Town and Clemenza di Tito. An arrray of famous faces presented the awards, including Neve Campbell, Alex Kingston, Maureen Lipman, Jodhi May, Natasha McElhone, Matthew Modine, Paul O'Grady, Richard Olivier, Catherine Tate, Kathleen Turner and Sam West.

Here is the complete list of 2006 Olivier Award winners:

Best New Musical
Billy Elliot – The Musical; Book and lyrics by Lee Hall, music by Elton John at the Victoria Palace

Best New Play
On the Shore of the Wide World by Simon Stephens at the Cottesloe

Best New Comedy
Heroes by Gérald Sibleyras translated by Tom Stoppard at Wyndham's

Best Revival
Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen in a new version by Richard Eyre at the Almeida and Duke of York's

Outstanding Musical Production
Guys and Dolls; Based on a story and characters of Damon Runyon, music and lyrics by Frank Loesser, book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows at the Piccadilly

Best Actor
Brian Dennehy, Death of a Salesman at the Lyric

Best Actress
Eve Best, Hedda Gabler at the Almeida and Duke of York's

Best Performance in a Supporting Role
Noma Dumezweni, A Raisin in the Sun at the Lyric Hammersmith

Best Actor in a Musical
James Lomas, George Maguire and Liam Mower, Billy Elliot – The Musical at the Victoria Palace

Best Actress in a Musical
Jane Krakowski, Guys and Dolls at the Piccadilly

Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical
Celia Imrie, Acorn Antiques – The Musical! at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket

Best Director
Richard Eyre, Hedda Gabler at the Almeida and Duke of York's

Best Theatre Choreographer
Peter Darling, Billy Elliot – The Musical at the Victoria Palace

Best Lighting Design
Paule Constable, Don Carlos at the Gielgud

Best Set Design
Rob Howell, Hedda Gabler at the Almeida and Duke of York's

Best Costume Design
Es Devlin, The Dog in the Manger at the Playhouse

Best Sound Design
Paul Arditti, Billy Elliot – The Musical at the Victoria Palace

Best Entertainment
Something Wicked This Way Comes at the Cambridge

Best New Dance Production
Sylvie Guillem and Russell Maliphant's Push at Sadler's Wells

Outstanding Achievement in Dance
Pina Bausch for the creation of Nelken and Palermo Palermo at Sadler's Wells

Best New Opera Production
English National Opera's Madam Butterfly at the London Coliseum

Outstanding Achievement in Opera
Simon Keenlyside for his performances in the Royal Opera's 1984 at the Royal Opera House and English National Opera's Billy Budd at the London Coliseum

Special Award
Ian McKellen