Cate Blanchett poses for photographers during the awards ceremony red carpet at the 78th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, on May 24, 2025. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP, File)2026-04-12T05:19:28Z LONDON (AP) Cate Blanchett, Bryan Cranston and Paddington Bear are among the contenders on Sunday at Londons Olivier Awards, which celebrate achievements in theater, opera and dance.Ted Lasso star Nick Mohammed hosts the 50th anniversary edition of the awards at a star-studded ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall, where Ian McKellen, Helen Mirren, Vanessa Williams and Andrew Lloyd Webber will be among the trophy presenters.Leading the nominations for Britains equivalent of Broadways Tony Awards, with 11 apiece, are homegrown heart-warmer Paddington: The Musical and a much-praised revival of Stephen Sondheims twisted fairy tale journey Into the Woods.Acting nominees include Marianne-Jean Baptiste, Paapa Essiedu, Rosamund Pike, Tom Hiddleston, Blanchett for playing a vain actor in Anton Chekhovs The Seagull and Cranston for his performance as a troubled patriarch in Arthur Millers All My Sons. The category of best actor in a musical includes a joint nomination for James Hameed and Arti Shah, who together play the titular marmalade-loving Peruvian bear in Paddington. Hameed provides the voice and remote puppetry, while Shah inhabits the bear costume onstage. The ceremony will include performances from nominated musicals and numbers marking two significant anniversaries: 40 years of Lloyd Webbers Phantom of the Opera, and 20 years of Wicked in the West End. Read More Stage star Elaine Paige, who is known for her leading roles in hit musicals including Cats, Evita, Sunset Boulevard and Piaf, will receive this years Special Award.The Olivier Awards were founded in 1976 and named after the late actor-director Laurence Olivier. The winners are chosen by voting groups of stage professionals and theatergoers.Londons West End is celebrating a strong post-pandemic return, buoyed by new musicals such as Paddington and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, and revivals including director Jamie Lloyds bold staging of Evita. The Society of London Theatre, an industry umbrella group, says ticket sales have surpassed the levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic. Shows in the West End the collective name for Londons theaterland attracted 17.6 million visitors in 2025, 3 million more than Broadway.But there are concerns about rising ticket prices and soaring production budgets, fueled by higher costs for labor, materials and energy.Theaters are busier than ever, but many are operating with far less financial headroom, the society said in a report published last month. JILL LAWLESS Lawless is based in London, covering British politics, diplomacy and culture and top stories from the UK and beyond. She has reported for the AP from two dozen countries on four continents. twitter mailto