Company, Come From Away and The Inheritance lead 2019 Olivier Award nominations

Company, Come From Away and The Inheritance lead the nominations of this year's Olivier Awards, as the industry gears up to celebrate the best of London theatre over the past 12 months. 

Company, which currently runs at the Gielgud Theatre, picked up nine nominations. Marianne Elliott's inventive production gender-swapped the lead character in Stephen Sondheim's musical, and Rosalie Craig has been nominated for best actress in a musical for her portrayal of Bobbie. The musical also picked up nominations for best musical revival, best actress in a supporting role (for Patti LuPone) and best set design (Bunny Christie).

Come From Away also picked up nine nominations, including best new musical, best director (for Christopher Ashley) and best supporting actress in a musical (Rachel Tucker). The piece looks at the real-life stories that happened when a number of planes were grounded in a small Canadian town called Gander in the aftermath of 9/11, and it also picked up a nomination for outstanding achievement in music.

The Inheritance dominates the play categories, with Matthew Lopez's epic two-part play about post-HIV gay culture in New York nominated in eight categories including best new play, best direction (for Stephen Daldry) and best actor (Kyle Soller).

Alongside The Inheritance, Misty, The Lehman Trilogy and Sweat were nominated for best new play, while Come From Away, Fun Home, Tina - The Tina Turner Musical and Six were nominated for best new musical.

Caroline, or Change and The King and I were also nominated for best musical revival with Company, while King Lear, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Summer and Smoke and The Price received nominations for best revival of a play.

In the acting categories, Patsy Ferran (Summer and Smoke), Eileen Atkins (The Height of the Storm), Sophie Okonedo (Antony and Cleopatra), Gillian Anderson (All About Eve) and Katharine Parkinson (Home, I'm Darling) were nominated for best actress, and Adam Goley, Ben Miles, and Simon Russell Beale (The Lehman Trilogy), Arinze Kene (Misty) and Ian McKellen (King Lear), Kyle Soller (The Inheritance) and David Suchet (The Price) received nominations for best actor.

Sharon D Clarke (Caroline, or Change), Kelli O'Hara (The King and I) and Adrienne Warren (Tina - The Tina Turner Musical) were nominated alongside Craig for the best actress in a musical category, and Ken Watanabe (The King and I), Marc Antolin (Little Shop of Horrors), Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Tina - The Tina Turner Musical) and Zubin Varla (Fun Home) were nominated for best actor in a musical.

Click here to read the full list of Olivier Award 2019 nominations.

The nominations were announced on Facebook earlier this afternoon by last year's winners Sheila Atim and Giles Terera. 

It has previously been announced that choreographer Matthew Bourne will receive this year's special award, recognising his 30-year career in musicals, theatre, film and dance

Jason Manford will return to present the 2019 Olivier Awards at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday 7th April. Manford, who has previously starred in the Olivier-nominated production of Sweeny Todd, last hosted the awards in 2017.