Rachel Zegler, Rosamund Pike and Paddington Win Big at Olivier Awards

The Society of London Theatre presented the Olivier Awards on April 12, 2026, at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The event, which marked the 50th year of the theater honors, was hosted by Nick Mohammed.

Paddington the Musical, performing at the Savoy Theatre, emerged as the dominant production of the evening. The stage musical, based on the popular books and films, secured seven awards in total, including the prize for best new musical.

Paddington the Musical Dominates

In addition to winning best new musical, the production of Paddington the Musical received awards for its direction, costumes, and set design. The production features music composed by Tom Fletcher of the band McFly.

One of the night’s most notable recognitions was the award for best actor in a musical, which was granted jointly to two performers. James Hameed, who provided the voice for the bear from the wings, and Arti Shah, an actress born with a form of dwarfism who portrayed the bear in costume on stage, shared the honor.

During her acceptance speech, Arti Shah paid tribute to her family and expressed a desire to continue making her young son proud by showing you that being different is a good thing.

The creative team behind the production also spoke during the ceremony. Writer Jessica Swale stated that it had been such an honour to be trusted with a very special bear.

We tried to make a show that is all about celebrating kindness, and to be part of this group of people that is putting that out into the world at this time feels so special, thank you so much.

Tom Fletcher

Major Individual Acting Wins

American actress Rachel Zegler was another primary winner of the evening for her role in a new production of Evita at The London Palladium. Zegler won the award for best actress in a musical.

The production of Evita secured two awards with Fabian Aloise winning the prize for best theatre choreographer in addition to Zegler’s acting win.

In the non-musical categories, Rosamund Pike won best actress for her performance in the production Inter Alia. Jack Holden was named best actor for his role in Kenrex.

Special Recognitions and Event Details

Beyond the competitive categories, the ceremony included a special award presented to Dame Elaine Paige.

The event saw various high-profile attendees on the red carpet, including Tom Hiddleston and Cate Blanchett.

The Olivier Awards serve as the British equivalent of the Tony Awards, honoring the best achievements in British theatre across various categories of performance and production.