Former EastEnders star Martine McCutcheon took one of the industry’s top prizes on Friday, winning a best actress in a musical gong at the Laurence Olivier Awards for her role as Eliza Dolittle in My Fair Lady.The hit show garnered three awards in total, including Outstanding Musical Production and Best Choreography, with director Trevor Nunn receiving an Outstanding Achievement accolade.
Martine's win comes after her surprise nomination in the category last January. An untrained singer, the actress won over critics, but, plagued by illness throughout the season, was forced to quit the hit show four months early.
My Fair Lady had nine nominations going into the contest, including a Best Actor nod for Jonathan Pryce. But Jonathan lost out in the category to Philip Quast, who thrilled critics and theatre fans alike in South Pacific.
Best Actor in a Play went to Roger Allam for Privates On Parade, and Lindsay Duncan, who was featured in BBC's Perfect Strangers, was named tops in the sister category for her work in Private Lives.
Other big winners included The Play What I Wrote which took home two awards, including one for Best New Comedy, and The Phantom Of The Opera which won the Audience Award for most popular show. With nine nominations, the musical Kiss Me Kate had been a front runner in the run-up to the awards presentation. In the end, however, the cast and crew went home empty handed.
The 26th Olivier awards, held at Victoria Palace Theatre, will be aired on BBC2 on Saturday.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
