Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical
Annual award for London theatre
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The Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical is an annual award presented by the Society of London Theatre in recognition of the "world-class status of London theatre."[1][2] The awards were established as the Society of West End Theatre Awards in 1976, and renamed in 1984 in honour of English actor and director Laurence Olivier.
Awarded forBest Actress in a Musical
LocationEngland
Presented bySociety of London Theatre
First award1979
| Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical | |
|---|---|
2026 Recipient: Rachel Zegler | |
| Awarded for | Best Actress in a Musical |
| Location | England |
| Presented by | Society of London Theatre |
| First award | 1979 |
| Currently held by | Rachel Zegler for Evita (2026) |
| Website | officiallondontheatre |
This award was introduced in 1979, along with the award for Best Actor in a Musical. In 1977 and 1978, there had been a commingled actor/actress award for Best Performance in a Musical, won both times by an actress.
Winners and nominees
1970s
| Year | Actress | Musical | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | |||
| Virginia McKenna | The King and I | Anna Leonowens | |
| Carol Channing | Hello, Dolly! | Dolly Gallagher Levi | |
| Antonia Ellis | Chicago | Velma Kelly | |
| Liz Robertson | My Fair Lady | Eliza Doolittle |
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
- Due to late March 2020[3] to late July 2021[4] closing of London theatre productions during the COVID-19 pandemic in England, the 2022 awards recognise productions that launched anytime from February 2020 to February 2022[5]
Multiple awards and nominations for Best Actress in a Musical
Awards
- Four awards
- Two awards
Nominations
- Seven nominations
- Six nominations
- Five nominations
- Four nominations
- Three nominations
- Two nominations
Multiple awards and nominations for a character
Awards
- 2 awards
- Dolly Levi from Hello, Dolly!
- Eliza Doolittle from My Fair Lady
- Miss Adelaide from Guys and Dolls
- Mrs. Lovett from Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
- The Baker's Wife from Into the Woods
Nominations
- 6 nominations
- Miss Adelaide from Guys and Dolls
- Norma Desmond from Sunset Boulevard
- 3 nominations
- Dolly Levi from Hello, Dolly!
- Eliza Doolittle from My Fair Lady
- Lilli Vanessi / Katharine from Kiss Me, Kate
- Mrs. Johnstone from Blood Brothers
- Mrs. Lovett from Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
- 2 nominations
- Audrey from Little Shop of Horrors
- Caroline Thibodeaux from Caroline, or Change
- Desirée Armfeldt from A Little Night Music
- Dot / Marie from Sunday in the Park with George
- Édith Piaf from Piaf
- Eva Perón from Evita
- Fosca from Passion
- Laurey Williams from Oklahoma!
- Maria von Trapp from The Sound of Music
- Mary Flynn from Merrily We Roll Along
- Mary Poppins from Mary Poppins
- Reno Sweeney from Anything Goes
- Roxie Hart from Chicago
- Sally Durant Plummer from Follies
- Sarah Brown from Guys and Dolls
- The Baker's Wife from Into the Woods
- Velma Kelly from Chicago