London’s theatre community gathered at the Royal Albert Hall on April 12, 2026, for the 50th annual Olivier Awards. Nick Mohammed, known for his role in “Ted Lasso,” hosted the evening that celebrated the best of West End and London theatre productions from the past year.
The biggest winner of the night was Paddington The Musical, which took home seven awards. Rachel Zegler won Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in “Evita,” while Rosamund Pike and Paapa Essiedu also earned top acting prizes.
Paddington The Musical Dominates With Seven Award Wins
The stage adaptation of the beloved bear from Peru turned out to be the night’s biggest success. Paddington The Musical won the Cunard Best New Musical award, beating out “Here We Are,” “Shucked,” and “The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry.”
Luke Sheppard received the Sir Peter Hall Award for Best Director for his work on the production. The show also won Best Actor in a Musical, with James Hameed and Arti Shah sharing the award for their joint performance as Paddington. The two actors worked together to bring the character to life on stage.
Tom Edden won Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical, and Victoria Hamilton-Barritt took home Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical for her role in the same production. The creative team also earned recognition, with Gabriella Slade and Tahra Zafar winning Best Costume Design, and Tom Pye with Ash J Woodward winning Best Set Design.
Rachel Zegler Wins Best Actress in a Musical for Evita
Rachel Zegler added an Olivier Award to her growing collection of honors. She won Best Actress in a Musical for playing Eva Perón in the revival of “Evita” at the London Palladium. During the ceremony, Zegler performed “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” and received a standing ovation from the audience inside the Royal Albert Hall.
“Evita” also won the Gillian Lynne Award for Best Theatre Choreographer, which went to Fabian Aloise.
Into The Woods won Best Musical Revival. The production, staged at the Bridge Theatre, also earned Best Lighting Design for Aideen Malone and Roland Horvath.
Rosamund Pike and Paapa Essiedu Win Top Acting Prizes
Rosamund Pike returned to the London stage after nearly 14 years and won Best Actress for her performance in “Inter Alia” at the National Theatre. She beat out Cate Blanchett, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, and others in a competitive category.
Paapa Essiedu won Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his work in “All My Sons” at Wyndham’s Theatre. The production also won Best Revival.
Jack Holden won Best Actor for “Kenrex” at The Other Palace. “Kenrex” also picked up Best Sound Design for Giles Thomas.
Julie Hesmondhalgh won Best Actress in a Supporting Role for “Punch” at the Young Vic and Apollo Theatre. “Punch” also won Best New Play, written by James Graham.
Other Major Winners at the 2026 Olivier Awards
Best New Entertainment or Comedy Play went to “Oh, Mary!” by Cole Escola, performed at the Trafalgar Theatre. This show has been a hit on both sides of the Atlantic, having also found success on Broadway.
Sean Hayes, the “Will & Grace” star, won the Outstanding Musical Contribution award alongside Chris Fenwick for “Good Night, Oscar” at the Barbican Theatre. Hayes performed live piano of Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” as part of the production.
Best Family Show winner was “The Boy At The Back Of The Class” at the Rose Theatre. The Glass Menagerie at The Yard Theatre won Best New Production in Affiliate Theatre.
In dance and opera categories, Into The Hairy won Best New Dance Production, and Dead Man Walking by English National Opera won Best New Opera Production.
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Special Awards and Ceremony Highlights
Dame Elaine Paige received this year’s Special Award, presented by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Paige is known as the First Lady of British Musical Theatre, with legendary performances in “Evita,” “Cats,” and “Chess.”
Wayne McGregor received the award for Outstanding Contribution to Dance. Danielle de Niese won Outstanding Contribution to Opera. Industry Recognition Awards went to Betty Laine, Linda Tolhurst, and David Wood.
The ceremony opened with a special performance marking 40 years of Cameron Mackintosh’s production of “The Phantom of the Opera.” A finale celebrating 20 years of “Wicked” in the West End closed the show.
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