The Olivier Awards are the highlight of the theatrical calendar

It may only stand 10 inches high and weigh seven pounds, but the bronze statue of Lawrence Olivier as Henry V at the Old Vic Theatre in 1937 means an awful lot to the people working in British theatre.

Equivalent to Broadway’s Tony Awards and France’s Molière Award, the Olivier Awards are organised by the Society of London Theatre, with the prizes covering all major acting and creative disciplines and celebrating the world-class status of the West End.

Claire Walker and Hannah Essex, co-CEOs of the Society of London Theatre, says: “The Olivier Awards are the highlight of the theatrical calendar – a time for the industry to come together with fans to celebrate the extraordinary talent both on our stages and behind the curtain.”

The star-studded 2023 ceremony takes place tonight, with the RSC’s production of My Neighbour Totoro, which played at the Barbican Theatre, in the lead with nine nominations.

That’s followed by Standing at the Sky’s Edge at the National Theatre with eight, Oklahoma!, with seven, and Rebecca Frecknall’s new revival of A Streetcar Named Desire with six.

Also at six nods are To Kill a Mockingbird at the Gielgud Theatre and The Band’s Visit, which played at the Donmar Warehouse.

Following in the footsteps of previous hosts Jason Manford, Michael Ball, Imelda Staunton, Clive Anderson, Gemma Arterton, Stephen Mangan, Hugh Bonneville, Sheridan Smith, Lenny Henry and Catherine Tate is stage-and-screen actress Hannah Waddingham.

Hannah made her West End debut in 2000 in The Beautiful Game and has previously been nominated for three Olivier Awards herself – for Spamalot, A Little Night Music and Kiss Me, Kate.

She has also appeared in Into the Woods and The Wizard of Oz, before recently going on to find stardom on the screen, winning a Primetime Emmy for her AppleTV+ series Ted Lasso and appearing in Sex Education on Netflix.

Hannah’s mother sang with the Royal Opera House and the English National Opera and was the daughter of two opera singers herself and believes her love for theatre is in the genes.

“Musical theatre people don’t get into it for money or fame,” she says.

“It’s in your blood; it’s in your bones; it’s a vocation.

“I don’t remember ever not wanting to sing or act – I remember the opposite.

“Finding out some people’s parents worked in offices, I was like, ‘What do you mean? Doesn’t everyone sing and dance for a living?’”

“You take the work you are offered, and I do it with my full heart.”

Hannah has confirmed that she will sing and dance at the ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall, while in previous years all of the Best New Musical nominees have also performed, so that could be the case again tonight.

A few winners have already been announced ahead of the ceremony. The winners of the special awards were announced in February, recognising outstanding contributions to the theatre industry.

The winners are Dame Arlene Phillips, awarded this year’s Special Award as a world-renowned choreographer and theatre director on Grease and her forthcoming new show Guys & Dolls.

Plus, Sir Derek Jacobi has been awarded this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his remarkable 60-year career on stage and screen.

Quite fitting as he was a founding member of the Royal National Theatre, enlisted by Mr Olivier himself.