"Beautiful", "Memphis" score big at Olivier Awards nominations

London: Two Broadway plays "Memphis The Musical" and "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical" have topped UK's Olivier Awards nominations by bagging nine and eight nods respectively, sharing the best musical and actress categories.

Olivier Awards are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre. They are given to those involved in West End shows and other productions staged in London.

They are the British equivalent of Broadway's Tony Awards. Killian Donnelly has bagged the best actor in a musical nomination for "Memphis The Musical", while the play's female lead Beverley Knight has been nominated in the category of best actress in a musical.

The play has been nominated in the category of mastercard best new musical, for Jason Pennycooke for best actor in a supporting role.

Other nominations for "Memphis" are David Bryan, Joe DiPietro, Tim Sutton and the Memphis Band for autograph sound award for outstanding achievement in music, Sergio Trujillo for best theatre choreographer, best costume design and best sound design.

"Beautiful: The Carole King Musical" is nominated in the mastercard best new musical category, Katie Brayben for best actress, Lorna Want for best actress in a supporting role, Ian McIntosh for best actor in a supporting role. Scottish star James McAvoy has been nominated in the best actor category for "The Ruling Class", while American actress Gillian Anderson has bagged the best actress nod for "A Streetcar Named Desire". Anglo-French actress Kristin Scott Thomas competes with Anderson in the category with her performance in "Electra".

The play "King Charles III" tops the non-musical nominations with six nods, including Richard Goulding for best actor in a supporting role, Lydia Wilson for best actress in a supporting role, white light award for best lighting design, virgin atlantic best new play, Tim Pigott-Smith for best actor and Rupert Goold for best director.