Hear from this year's Olivier Award-nominated stars

We have spoken to many of the cast and creative teams behind some of London theatre's biggest hits. Ahead of the Olivier Awards this Sunday, discover more about the nominated shows and the people behind them.

Summary

• The Olivier Awards takes places this Sunday at the Royal Albert Hall
• LondonTheatre.co.uk has spoken to several of this year's nominees including the cast and creative teams of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry; Paddington The Musical; and Into The Woods
• Read their interviews in full only on LondonTheatre.co.uk

This Sunday, the Olivier Awards celebrates 50 years of excellence in London theatre. Shows including The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Into The Woods, Paddington The Musical, Evita, Kenrex, and The Producers are leading the way with nominations — and we have spoken to cast members and creatives responsible for bringing the shows to life.

Discover more about these Olivier-nominated shows by reading the interviews in full, and find out everything you need to know about the Oliviers with our handy guide.

Jack Holden, Kenrex

Nominated for Best New Play, Best Actor, Best Director, Best Sound Design, Best Lighting Design, Outstanding Musical Contribution

"When co-creator Ed Stambollouian and I were looking for true-crime stories to stage, this one jumped out at us: the setting is atmospheric, the characters are larger-than-life, and the story is wild! The events have been covered a lot, so research was easy — but choosing our version of the story was harder!"

Read the full interview with Jack Holden.

David Shields, Punch

Nominated for Best New Play, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Actor, Best Lighting Design

"It’s been incredible to see the amount of people who have stayed behind [for our post-show talks]. Often completely full houses, which speaks to this yearning to talk about it — and that’s when theatre is at its best. In Nottingham, audiences would stay outside the theatre underneath these festoon lamps and stand around and talk for hours, and the same happened at the Young Vic. This is a really accessible piece, so I hope as many young people are going to come as possible."

Read the full interview with David Shields.

Tom Fletcher, Jessica Swale, Luke Sheppard, Paddington The Musical

Nominated for Best New Musical, Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical, Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical, Best Actor in a Musical, Best Director, Best Costume Design, Best Sound Design, Best Theatre Choreographer, Best Set Design, Oustanding Musical Contribution

“It’s such a massive, exhilarating adventure. He arrives on a boat from another country, turning up in this huge city as a tiny bear, and the stakes are so high – as are the buildings and the people, from his perspective! He’s in a city full of noise and joy and drama, with music in its bones.” Jessica Swale

Read the full interview with Tom Fletcher, Jessica Swale, and Luke Sheppard.

Book Paddington The Musical tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Rachel Joyce, Passenger, Jenna Russell, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

Nominated for Best New Musical, Best Actress in a Musical

“Reading it, it really grabbed my heart – I was in absolute bits – and then hearing the demos Mike recorded, I was completely blown away. I thought ‘I cannot not do this. It’s a joyful thing.’ But I was a bit worried – my wife had to give me a nudge. I’m so glad she did.” Mark Addy

Read the full interview with Rachel Joyce, Passenger, Jenna Russell, Katy Rudd, and Mark Addy.

Book The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Diego Andres Rodriguez, Evita

Nominated for Best Musical Revival, Best Actress in a Musical, Best Actor in a Musical, Best Theatre Choreographer, Best Lighting Design

“It’s going to be an Evita for a new generation.”

Read the full interview with Diego Andres Rodriguez.

Jordan Fein and Tom Scutt, Into The Woods

Nominated for Best Musical Revival, Best Actor in a Musical, Best Actress in a Musical, Best Supporting Actor in a Musical, Best Supporting Actress in a Musical, Best Director, Best Costume Design, Best Sound Design, Best Set Design, Best Lighting Design

“I love this musical and I wanted to share it with other people. I was sitting next to my dad on press night, he’s a retired mortgage broker, and he was able to experience it just as deeply as me. Sondheim and Lapine wrote a piece that’s accessible without sacrificing sophistication – that’s why it speaks to everyone.” Jordan Fein

Read the full interview with Jordan Fein and Tom Scutt.

Book Into The Woods tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Marc Antolin and Andy Nyman, The Producers

Nominated for Best Musical Revival, Best Actor in a Musical, Best Supporting Actor in a Musical

“In both Mel Brooks's brilliant script and songs, the humour isn’t cruel. There’s nothing mean about it. It’s daring and bold and really pushes the limits, but it’s also refreshing and sweet, and it’s making fun of everyone rather than picking on anyone in particular.” Andy Nyman

Read the full interview with Marc Antolin and Andy Nyman.

Book The Producers tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Lucy Karczewski, Stereophonic

Nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Costume Design, Best Sound Design, Best Set Design, Outstanding Musical Contribution

"When I first read the play, I thought this character was unbelievably messy and real. She expressed herself in ways quite similar to me. Her ADHD sings off the page. She manages men around her in a coddling way that might seem submissive, but she’s using it, otherwise she’d have a partner hitting the roof constantly. She feels shame for not wanting a traditional lifestyle, which nowadays we’d celebrate, but then you’d just think, this is the way it was then. Daniel, our director, would remind me: remember you’re a ‘70s woman."

Read the full interview with Lucy Karczewski.

Corbin Bleu, The Great Gatsby

Nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical, Best Costume Design, Best Set Design

“It’s a story about class, and that’s not something that’s at all foreign to a British audience. While it is an American classic, I think it's a story that can be completely relatable to just about anyone.”

Read the full interview with Corbin Bleu.

Felix Barrett, Paranormal Activity

Director of show nominated for Best New Entertainment or Comedy Play

“What’s interesting about the show is that it really works at scale, so you either need something epic like the Barbican or the Ambassadors, which is almost like one room. It’s like you’re in someone’s lounge. You’re so close, you're almost on the stage."

Read the full interview with Felix Barrett.

Book Paranormal Activity tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Discover the full list of nominees.

Photo credit: Olivier Awards graphic. (Courtesy of LondonTheatre.co.uk). Inset: production photos. (Courtesy of productions)