This is a sponsored post in partnership with MasterCard Priceless London
This Sunday, the cream of London's theatreland are gathering at the Royal Opera House for the 2012 Olivier Awards - the Oscars of London's theatre scene.
The nominations for the 2012 Olivier Awards are awash with the best of London's theatre shows and stars. We will be bringing you all the news from the red carpet and applauding the victors as the awards are handed out, thanks to MasterCard Priceless London.
The most prestigious event in the UK theatrical calendar, the 36th Olivier Awards with MasterCard will be a star-studded night of gongs and exclusive entertainment at the beautiful Royal Opera House hosted by the stars of Sweeney Todd, Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton. Want to join in the fun? There'll be a public party in Covent Garden from 4pm, complete with big screens where you can watch all the action. Or tune in to the BBC online, on Radio 2 or on television via the Red Button.
Perhaps the most exciting category is for the MasterCard Best New Play. Four new and very different plays will be fighting it out on the night. Each has their own charm, and notable performances from their stellar casts. Will it the prize go to John Hodge's debut about Stalinist Russia, Collaborators, starring Simon Russell Beale, which played at the National; or the Royal Court's Jumpy, with Tamsin Greig providing the poignant laughs in a play about parental anxiety. Both the Royal Court and the National Theatre tend to do well at these awards - indeed last year's winner, Clybourne Park, was a Royal Court Production. The other two contenders are The Ladykillers, by Father Ted writer Graham Linehan, and Richard Bean's huge hit, One Man, Two Guvnors, which originated at the National Theatre last summer, and has gone on to charm the West End, and move to Broadway.
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Londonist will be there, tweeting from the red carpet on Sunday night and reporting back from the event with photos on Monday morning.
The Olivier Awards are part of MasterCard’s recently launched Priceless London programme, which offers all MasterCard cardholders that register on pricelesslondon.co.uk exclusive experiences and privileged access to the very best of the capital’s music, theatres, museums, restaurants, retail, sport and attractions. Tickets are available exclusively for MasterCard cardholders.
