#Paul Mescal, Jodie Comer Win Olivier Awards for West End Debuts

With a still relatively fresh Oscar nomination, Paul Mescal has added to his fast-growing haul of accolades by winning his first Olivier Award.

On the biggest night for the British stage, the Aftersun star won the best actor honor for his portrayal of Stanley Kowalski in Rebecca Frecknall’s adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, his West End debut. The production also won best actress in a supporting role for Anjana Vasan, and best revival. Killing Eve star Jodie Comer, meanwhile, won best actress for her West End debut, the solo drama Prima Facie, which was named best new play.

Elsewhere, Will Keen won the best supporting actor award for his performance in Patriots, and Tammy Faye garnered two acting awards — Katie Brayben for best actress in a musical and Zubin Varla for best actor in a supporting role in a musical.  

But it was the Royal Shakespeare Company’s theater adaptation of the Studio Ghibli classic My Neighbour Totoro which was the biggest winner of the night, winning six of the nine categories it was nominated in, including the Sir Peter Hall Award for best director, awarded to Phelim McDermott, and the Noël Coward Award for best entertainment or comedy play. The productions other wins included Tony Gayle for best sound design, Jessica Hun Hang Yun for best lighting design, Kimie Nakano for best costume design and Tom Pye for the best set design. 

Along Mescal and Jodie, the 2023 Olivier Awards was a year of firsts, with 16 of the 18 named winners receiving their first ever honor. Among the stage veterans in attendance, Sir Derek Jacobi was given the lifetime achievement award for his outstanding contributions to theatre throughout his career. The show culminated in a tribute to Special Award recipient Dame Arlene Phillips, with a performance from Grease The Musical – a production she famously choreographed.