On Sunday, February 18, The Society for London Theatre presented the 1996 Laurence Olivier Awards.

The Award for Best Musical, presented by John Crew went to Jolson the Musical written by Frances Essex and Rob Bettinson at the Victoria Palace. An ad in a recent issue of Variety promised the Broadway premiere of Jolson in September 1997, but no theatre has yet been booked.

Judi Dench not only took home the award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role in A Little Night Music at the RNT's Olivier, but also won the award for Best Actress for her work in Absolute Hell at the RNT's Lyttelton.

Best Actor in a Musical, presented by Kim Wilde, was given to Adrian Lester for Company, at the Donmar Warehouse. The award for Best Actor, presented by Julia McKenzie went to Alex Jennings for Peer Gynt

A Complete List of the awards follows:
(in order of presentation) Best Actress in a Musical
Judi Dench for A Little Night Music at the RNT's Olivier

Best Actor in a Musical
Adrian Lester for Company at the Donmar Warehouse

Best Choreographer
Dein Perry for Tap Dogs at Sadler's Wells

Best Set Designer:
John Napier for Burning Blue at the Haymarket

Best Lighting Designer:
David Hershey for Burning Blue at the Haymarket, The Glass Menagerie at the Donmar Warehouse and now at the Comedy, and Twelfth Night at the RSC's Barbican

Best Costume Designer:
Antony Ward for A Midsummer Night's Dream at the RSC's Barbican, and The Way of the World and La Grande Lagia at the RNT's Lyttelton
Simon Russell Beale for Volpone at the RNT's Olivier

Best Supporting Performance in a Musical
Sheila Gish for Company at the Donamr Warehouse

Best New Dance Production
swan Lake at sadler's Wells

Outstanding Achievement in Dance
Bernard Haitnik for conducting The Royal Opera's Siegfried and Gotterdammerung at the Royal Opera House

Best Director:
Sam Mendes for Company at the Donmar Warehouse and the Glass menagerie at the Donmar Warehouse now the Comedy.

Best Comedy:
Mojo by Jez Buterworth at the Royal Court

Best Actor
Alex Jennings for Pyr Gynt, the RSC at the Young Vic

Best Actress
Judi Dench for Absolute Hell at the RNT's Lyttelton

The BBC Award for Best Play
Skylight by David Hare at the RNT's Cottesloe

Special Award
Harold Pinter

Best Musical
Jolson the Musical written by Francis Essex and Rob Bettinson at the Victoria Palace.