The Oliviers 2018

The biggest night in London's theatre calendar is done for 2018.

As awards season rumbles on from The Oscars, eyes turned to the West End for The Oliviers, which celebrate the best of Britain's theatreland.

This year there was one name on everyone's lips: Hamilton. Indeed host Catherine Tate, in one of the few high spots of her evening, was fairly accurate when she jokingly applauded other nominees for turning out despite being up for awards against Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical sensation.

Obviously the dissenting voices of those who don't get, or don't like, Hamilton are beginning to make themselves heard. But art is not supposed to be for everyone and Hamilton is accessible to a generation and cross-section of people who have previously been starved of something tangible on stage.

But I digress.

Considering Hamilton's stunning success and popularity, a special mention should be made to those who were nominated against it and won. Sheila Atim took home Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical and also turned in a beautiful live performance of her solo from Girl from the North Country. Her co-star Shirley Henderson took home the Best Actress prize too and in a moment of wonderful excitement forgot to thank Bob Dylan, whose music features in the piece.

Vicki Mortimer won Best Costume Design for Follies and Sam Mendes took Best Director for The Ferryman. On another year The Ferryman and Girl from the North Country would probably have split the spoils and headlines between them. But Hamilton did the business in spectacular fashion, with seven prizes. It is impressive to note that a superstar like Bryan Cranston, who won the Best Actor award for The Network, is not all over the papers because Hamilton is commanding so much attention.

I briefly considered doing my own Not The Oliviers, like I did with The Oscars. But going by the same criteria, of shows I have seen this year, Hamilton would have carried far too many prizes home.

But here are the full list of winners and the opening performance of the night from - inevitably - the West End cast of Hamilton.

BEST NEW PLAY The Ferryman Ink Network Oslo

BEST NEW MUSICAL Hamilton An American in Paris Everybody's Talking About Jamie Girl from the North Country Young Frankenstein

BEST DIRECTOR Sam Mendes, The Ferryman Dominic Cooke, Follies Marianne Elliott, Angels in America Rupert Goold, Ink Thomas Kail, Hamilton

BEST ACTOR Bryan Cranston, Network Paddy Considine, The Ferryman Andrew Garfield, Angels in America Andrew Scott, Hamlet

BEST ACTRESS Laura Donnelly, The Ferryman Lesley Manville, Long Day's Journey into Night Audra McDonald, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill Imelda Staunton, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL Giles Terera, Hamilton Ciaran Hinds, Girl from the North Country John McCrea, Everybody's Talking About Jamie Jamael Westman, Hamilton

BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL Shirley Henderson, Girl from the North Country Janie Dee, Follies Imelda Staunton, Follies Josie Walker, Everybody's Talking About Jamie

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE Bertie Carvel, Ink John Hodgkinson, The Ferryman James McArdle, Angels in America Peter Polycarpou, Oslo

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE Denise Gough, Angels in America Brid Brennan,The Ferryman Dearbhla Molloy, The Ferryman Imogen Poots, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL Michael Jibson, Hamilton Ross Noble, Young Frankenstein Jason Pennycooke, Hamilton Cleve September, Hamilton

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL Sheila Atim, Girl from the North Country Tracie Bennett, Follies Rachel John, Hamilton Lesley Joseph, Young Frankenstein

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC Hamilton Everybody's Talking About Jamie Follies Girl from the North Country

BEST NEW DANCE PRODUCTION Flight Pattern Goat Grand Finale Tree of Codes

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DANCE Francesca Velicu, Le Sacre du Printemps Rocio Molina, Fallen From Heaven Zenaida Yanowsky, Symphonic Dances

BEST ENTERTAINMENT AND FAMILY Dick Whittington David Walliams' Gangsta Granny Derren Brown: Underground Five Guys Named Moe

BEST THEATRE CHOREOGRAPHER Andy Blankenbuehler, Hamilton Bill Deamer, Follies Kate Prince, Everybody's Talking About Jamie Randy Skinner, 42nd Street Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris

BEST MUSICAL REVIVAL Follies 42nd Street On the Town

BEST REVIVAL Angels in America Hamlet Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Witness for the Prosecution

BEST NEW COMEDY Labour of Love Dry Powder Mischief Movie Night The Miser

BEST NEW OPERA PRODUCTION Semiramide La Boheme The Exterminating Angel

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN OPERA Joyce DiDonato and Daniela Barcellona, Semiramide Paul Brown, Iolanthe Roderick Williams, The Return Of Ulysses

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN AFFILIATE THEATRE Killology The B*easts The Red Lion The Revlon Girl

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN Howell Binkley, Hamilton Paule Constable, Angels in America Paule Constable, Follies Jan Versweyveld, Network

BEST SOUND DESIGN Nevin Steinberg, Hamilton Tom Gibbons, Hamlet Gareth Owen, Bat Out of Hell Eric Sleichim, Network

BEST COSTUME DESIGN Vicki Mortimer, Follies Hugh Durrant, Dick Whittington Roger Kirk, 42nd Street Paul Tazewell, Hamilton

BEST SET DESIGN Bob Crowley, An American in Paris Bunny Christie, Ink Rob Howell, The Ferryman Vicki Mortimer, Follies