CMU School of Drama


Wednesday, March 04, 2020

Olivier Awards Nominations: ‘& Juliet,’ ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ Lead

Variety: A musical re-imagining of a Shakespearean tragedy and a revival of one of the most famous shows in theater history dominated the Olivier Award nominations on Tuesday.

The musical “& Juliet,” a campy re-interpretation of “Romeo & Juliet,” led the field with nine nominations, including nods for best musical, actress in a musical for Miriam-Teak Lee, and best score.

2 comments:

Elizabeth Purnell said...

One thing that struck me almost immediately when browsing the list of nominees for the Olivier Awards, was how many of the “new musicals” are musicals that are making the shift over from Broadway. I guess that by “many” I only mean two - but Waitress and Dear Evan Hansen both found incredible success on Broadway (and they each have their fair share of Tony’s), but for me, as someone who has seen and heard these musicals - they are not new. I guess I don’t really understand what categorizes something as new - because a show like & Juliet, is - to me - new. My understanding is that these are shows that have not been performed on the West End (unlike the revivals). It just doesn’t seem like there is a lot of variety in these categories. I don’t exactly know what the theater scene is like in London so I assume most of my comment sounds like an uneducated American, but nevertheless, I’m still confused.

Sidney R. said...

I've understood that productions can win awards in multiple different awards ceremonies (Tonys, Drama Desk, etc), but I hadn't considered a US musical transferring to London and then winning the English version of a Tony. I suppose it makes sense I just didn't think of it that way. I'm excited to hear about "Fleabag" being a staged production in addition to the TV version, and definitely curious about how it translates. The Amazon Prime TV Show is quick and witty and involves many instances of breaking the fourth wall. The humor is often subtle which could be more of a challenge onstage. "Fiddler on the Roof" seems to always be undergoing a new revival. Frankly, I'm okay with that because I have a strong connection to it and find it to be gorgeous and timeless and always moving. I would also like to learn more about "& Juliet" because it sometimes feels tricky to make Shakespeare into a musical.